A Brief History
On September 14, 1999, three tiny countries were admitted to the United Nations, Kiribati, Nauru, and Tonga. The UN currently has 193 members.
Digging Deeper
Of these Pacific Island countries, Kiribati has 121,000 residents, most of whom live on the atoll of Tarawa, an island infamous from its World War II battle. With an area of only 313 square miles, Kiribati ranks 172nd in area of world countries and 192nd in population
Nauru is the baby of the trio, with an area of only 8.1 square miles and a population of under 11,000, ranking 193rd and 227th respectively.
While Tonga has a land area of only 290 square miles ranked 175th, its islands occupy an area of 270,000 of ocean. The population of 100,000 people, ranked 199th, is one of the fattest populations in the world, although an amazing 16 Tongans have played in the NFL!
The smallest country by size and population is Vatican City at only a half square kilometer, and 764 residents.
Note: You may find less populated places on various lists, but those places are territories or dependencies of other countries and not independent entities. Exact size and population numbers vary with source.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: What is the smallest country you have visited?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Booth, Thomas. The Islands of the South Pacific: Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, the Marquesas, the Cook Islands, Tonga and Beyond. Hunter Publishing, Inc., 2014.
Thompson, Christina. Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia. HarperAudio, 2019.
