Don't have more than a few days to explore a destination? Don't
worry; when it comes to the tiniest countries and territories in the
world, one day is plenty time for a visit. Here's our list of 10
travel-worthy micro-countries you'll want to explore:
1. Monaco
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Grace
Kelly may have put Monaco on the map, but in truth, the country of less
than one square mile has been its own slice of independence in the
south of France since the 15th century. The population varies with the
seasons, but averages 37,000, which balloons to seven times that number
during the Formula 1 Grand Prix races. Those who are born and bred in
Monaco grow up speaking French, Italian, English, and Monaco's own
language of Monégasque. Aside from its spectacular harbor brimming with
yachts and the opulent casino showcased in
James Bond films, Monaco is home to a world-famous Oceanographic Museum, the director of which was once Jacques Cousteau.
2. Isle of Man
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An
island alone in the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is a self-governing
British dependency home to 84,000 people. Visitors arrive via flights
from the mainland UK or a high-speed ferry from Liverpool, and spend the
day visiting the Viking historic site of Peel Castle, dining on sweet
Queenie scallops, and buying special edition postage stamps. The locals,
known as Manx, fly their flags highest during the annual Tourist
Trophy, a motorcycle road race that transverses the island's winding
roads free from speed limits.
3. Gibraltar
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This
literal rock hanging off the coast of southern Spain is a British
Overseas Territory with a population of 30,000 people and, in some
seasons, what feels like just as many yachts. Nonstop flights from
London land on its single runway, which straddles the only road into and
out of the country towards Spain. Gibraltar's chief attraction is its
own topography; most visitors spend the day taking a cable car to the
top of the rock for the view and to make kissy faces at the wild Barbary
macaque apes who dwell there.
4. San Marino
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San
Marino is a speck of a microstate, with a population of 32,000 spread
over 24 square miles in Italy's Apennine mountains. It was originally
carved from the Roman Empire in the year 301, but a constitution wasn't
signed until 1600, though San Marino still claims its place as the
oldest surviving sovereign state in the world. The currency is the San
Marino-stamped Euro, though most of the 2 million annual visitors will
spend their Euros on acquiring the unique passport stamp and souvenirs
printed with the microstate's blue and white flag.
5. Liechtenstein
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Snuggled
between Switzerland and Austria is this itty-bitty constitutional
monarchy of 37,000 people, governed by a royal family, who, much as in a
fairytale, live in a castle on a mountain overlooking the capital. (But
they do invite the country's denizens
over for a beer
every summer.) Liechtenstein is, however, a very real place despite its
blink-and-you'll-miss-it miniscule size, and traversing its 16-mile
length by foot is popular with hikers and runners.
