TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - China and India are the two countries with the largest populations in the world, each exceeding 1.4 billion people. However, there are also countries where the number of citizens is only tens of thousands, some even less than 1,000, namely the Vatican.

According to Worldatlas.com, Vatican City is inhabited only by 825 people, less than the population of one small area in Jakarta, Indonesia. There is also Tuvalu, a country in the Pacific, which is in danger of sinking due to weather changes.

The following are the 10 least populous countries on earth:

1. Vatican

This center of the Roman Catholic Church is the least populated country on Earth. Only 825 people live in the Vatican. Most of them are priests and nuns from various parts of the world.

The Vatican is in the center of Rome, the capital of Italy. Despite its small size, the Vatican is quite rich. The Vatican Bank has assets worth $8 billion. Tourism also brings a lot of income to the small country. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism had tripled since Pope Francis took office.

2. Tuvalu

The second least populated country in the world is the remote island nation in the South Pacific known as Tuvalu. Tuvalu is an archipelago of small islands in Polynesia, about 1,000 km north of Fiji and about 2,000 km east of the Solomon Islands.

The country has only 11,650 residents. Tuvalu's land area is only 26 square km. And this number is shrinking due to rising sea levels. In fact, there is a local slogan in this country, "Tuvalu is sinking".

3. Nauru

Nauru is another small island nation, located almost on the border between the North and South Pacific Oceans. In fact, Nauru is the smallest island nation in the world, with a land area of only 12.9 square km.

With only 12,580 inhabitants, the country once had the highest GDP per capita in the world, due to its rich phosphate deposits. Now, phosphate is running out and Nauru's GDP is the lowest in the world.

The country is now suffering from over-mining and climate change. Nauru also faces health problems because 71.1% of its population is obese.

4. Palau

Palau is another small island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. It is also the newest country, as it gained independence in 1990. Palau is located about 700 km east of the Philippines.

This country has 250 islands with a population of 18,010. Although Palau's population is not significantly larger than that of Tuvalu and Nauru, it has a much larger landmass. The total land area is 395.06 square km.

Indonesia donated 14 vehicles to the Government of Palau on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, which was carried out by a Senior Official at the Indonesian Embassy in Manila, Isman Pasha, and the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Palau, Casmir Remengesau.

5. San Marino

San Marino is a country in the center of Italy, close to the Adriatic Sea. The country harkens back to a time when city-states were common in Europe.

San Marino is considered the oldest republic in the world. Currently, the country has a population of only 33,860. The total land area of San Marino is 61.2 square km. Before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, San Marino had around 3 million visitors every year, making it a busy city.

San Marino also hosts MotoGP motorbike racing.

6. Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein is a small European kingdom sandwiched between the two countries of Switzerland and Austria. This country is inhabited by 38,020 people.

The total land area of Liechtenstein is approximately 99 square km. Unlike San Marino, Liechtenstein is not visited by many tourists. In fact, it is the least visited country in Europe.

Despite its small size and population, however, Liechtenstein is a very rich country and has the highest GDP per capita in the world at 166,000 US dollars.

7. Monaco

Monaco is another small European kingdom. The country is located on the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by France on its non-coastal borders. Monaco is home to 38,960 people.

However, because this country has such a small land area, measuring only 1.21 square km, Monaco is the most densely populated country on Earth, with 26,337 people per square km.

Even though it is a small country, many millionaires live here, namely 32% of Monaco's population.

8. St. Kitts and Nevis

St Kitts and Nevis is a country in the eastern Caribbean Sea, consisting of two islands, St Kitts and Nevis. The population is only 52,830, although this does not include the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit the country each year.

Many tourists come because they are attracted to the country's beaches. In 2019, for example, nearly 1.2 million tourists visited St. Petersburg. Kitts and Nevis. Thus, tourism is a big driver of the country's economy.

9. Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands are located in the Micronesia region of the Pacific Ocean. This country consists of 29 atolls and five islands, covering a very large sea area, but the land area is only 181 square km. The population of the Marshall Islands is 58,790. The largest city is the capital, Majuro, which has a population of around 25,000.

10. Dominica

Dominica is different from the Dominican Republic, Dominica is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The country consists of a single island, bordered by Guadeloupe to the north and Martinique to the south, both overseas territories of France.

Dominica has a population of 71,810. This includes about 3,000 native people known as Caribs. They are the only remaining indigenous people on the islands of the eastern Caribbean.

Worldatlas.com

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