Smallest Countries in Europe

The smallest country in Europe, and as a matter of fact the whole world, is VATICAN CITY. Being the center of attention in current events because of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation and the Catholic Church's quest to find a new pope, the Vatican City is only 0.17 square miles and 0.44 square kilometers in area. It is located inside Rome, Italy's capital, to the left of the main metropolitan area.

Six other European countries are less than 1,000 square miles in area. They are particularly dispersed throughout Western Europe. They are ANDORRA (south of France, north of Spain), LIECHTENSTEIN (west of Austria, east of Switzerland), LUXEMBOURG (east of Belgium, west of Germany), MALTA (island country in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Italy), MONACO (on the Mediterranean coast, southeast of France), and SAN MARINO (enclave inside northeast Italy).