A microstate or ministate is a sovereign state having a very small population or very small land area, usually both. However, the meanings of "state" and "very small" are not well-defined in international law.[1] Some recent attempts to define microstates have focused on identifying qualitative features that are linked to their size and population, such as partial delegation of their sovereignty to larger states, such as for international defense.
The world's five smallest sovereign states by area, from largest to smallest: San Marino, Tuvalu, Nauru, Monaco, and Vatican City shown in the same scale for size comparison
Map of the smallest states in the world by population or land area. Many of these are not considered microstates
Commonly accepted examples of microstates include Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Nauru, Palau, San Marino and Tuvalu. The smallest political entity recognized as a sovereign state is Vatican City, with fewer than 1,000 residents and an area of only 49 hectares (120 acres). Some microstates – such as Monaco and Vatican City – are city-states consisting of a single municipality.
Most scholars identify microstates by using a quantitative threshold and applying it to either one variable (such as the size of its territory[2] or population[3]) or a composite of different variables.[4] While it is agreed that microstates are the smallest of all states, there is no consensus on what variable (or variables) or what cut-off point should be used to determine which political units should be labelled as "microstates" (as opposed to small "normal" states).[1][5][6][7] According to some scholars the quantitative approach to defining microstates suffers from such problems as "inconsistency, arbitrariness, vagueness and inability to meaningfully isolate qualitatively distinct political units".[5]
Sovereign states with a land area less than 1,000 km2 (386 sq mi)[8][9][10][11] and/or with a population of less than 500,000 people[8]
- With the exception of The Bahamas, Belize, Brunei, Iceland, Samoa, and Vanuatu, all the above countries have a non-EEZ area less than 1,000 km2 (386 sq mi).
- With the exception of Malta, Bahrain and Singapore, all the above countries have fewer than 500,000 people.
Vatican City, the smallest independent country in Europe with 0.44 km2 (110 acres), is also the smallest in the world
Qualitative
Some academics have suggested defining microstates according to the unique features that are linked to their geographic or demographic smallness.[5][9][13] Newer approaches have proposed looking at the behaviour or capacity to operate in the international arena in order to determine which states should deserve the microstate label.[13][14] Yet, it has been argued[by whom?] that such approaches could lead to either confusing microstates with weak states[6][9] (or failed states) or relying too much on subjective perceptions.[5]
An alternative approach is to define microstates as "modern protected states".[5] According to the definition proposed by Dumienski (2014): "microstates are modern protected states, i.e. sovereign states that have been able to unilaterally depute certain attributes of sovereignty to larger powers in exchange for benign protection of their political and economic viability against their geographic or demographic constraints."[5] Adopting this approach permits limiting the number of microstates and separating them from both small states and autonomies or dependencies.[5] Examples of microstates understood as modern protected states include such states as Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco, Niue, Andorra, the Cook Islands or Palau.
The smallest political unit recognized as a sovereign state is the Vatican City, though its precise status is sometimes disputed, e.g., Maurice Mendelson argued in 1972 that "[i]n two respects it may be doubted whether the territorial entity, the Vatican City, meets the traditional criteria of statehood".[15]
Statistical research has shown that microstates are more likely to be democracies than larger states. In 2012, Freedom House classified 86% of the countries with less than 500,000 inhabitants as "free".[16] This shows that countries with small populations often had a high degree of political freedom and civil liberties, which is one of the hallmarks of democracies. Some scholars have taken the statistical correlation between small size and democracy as a sign that smallness is beneficial to the development of a democratic political system,[17] mentioning social cohesiveness, opportunities for direct communication and homogeneity of interests as possible explanations for why this is the case.[16][18]
Case study research, however, has led researches to believe that the statistical evidence belies the anti-democratic elements of microstate politics.[16][19] Due to small populations, family and personal relations are often decisive in microstate politics. In some cases, this impedes neutral and formal decision-making and instead leads to undemocratic political activity, such as clientelism, corruption, particularism and executive dominance.[16] While microstates often have formal institutions that are associated with democracy, the inner workings of politics in microstates are in reality often undemocratic.
The high number of democracies amongst microstates could be explained by their colonial history.[16][17] Most microstates adopted the same political system as their colonial ruler.[20] Because of the high number of microstates that were British colonies in the past, microstates often have a majoritarian and parliamentary political system similar to the Westminster system.[17] Some microstates with a history as British colony have implemented some aspects of a consensus political system, to adapt to their geographic features or societal make-up.[20] While the colonial history often determines what political systems microstates have, they do implement changes to better accommodate their specific characteristics.
Microstates and international relations
Microstates often rely on other countries in order to survive, as they have a small military capacity and a lack of resources. This had led some researchers to believe that microstates are forced to subordinate themselves to larger states which reduces their sovereignty.[21] Research, however, has shown that microstates strategically engage in patron-client relationships with other countries.[22] This allows them to trade some privileges to countries that can advance their interests the most. Examples of this are microstates that establish a tax haven or sell their support in international committees in exchange for military and economic support.[21]
Historical anomalies and aspirant states
A small number of tiny sovereign political units have been founded on historical anomalies or eccentric interpretations of law. These types of states, often labelled as "microstates," are usually located on small (usually disputed) territorial enclaves, generate limited economic activity founded on tourism and philatelic and numismatic sales, and are tolerated or ignored by the nations from which they claim to have seceded.
The Republic of Indian Stream – now the town of Pittsburg, New Hampshire – was a geographic anomaly left unresolved by the Treaty of Paris that ended the U.S. Revolutionary War, and claimed by both the U.S. and Canada. Between 1832 and 1835, the area's residents refused to acknowledge either claimant.[23]
The Cospaia Republic became independent through a treaty error and survived from 1440 to 1826.[24] Its independence made it important in the introduction of tobacco cultivation to Italy.
Maldives in the Indian Ocean, the smallest independent country in Asia with an area of 298 km2 (115 sq mi)
Jaxa was a small state that existed during the 17th century at the border between Tsardom of Russia and Qing China. Despite its location in East Asia, the state's primary language was Polish.[26]
^ abWarrington, E. (1994). "Lilliputs Revisited". Asian Journal of Public Administration, 16(1).
^Mehmet, O. & Tahiroglu, M., 2002. Growth and equity in microstates: Does size matter in development? International Journal of Social Economics, 29(1/2), pp.152–162.
^Boyce, P.J. & Herr, R.A., 2008. Microstate diplomacy in the south pacific. Australian Outlook, (April 2012), pp.37–41.
^Reid, G.L., 1975. Impact of Very Small Size on the International Behaviour of Microstates (International Studies), SAGE Publications Ltd.
^ abcdefgDumienski, Zbigniew (2014). (PDF). Occasional Paper. Centre for Small State Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-06-07. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ abNeemia, U., 1995. Smallness, islandness and foreign policy behaviour: aspects of island microstates foreign policy behaviour with special reference to Cook Islands and Kiribati. University of Wollongong.
^Dommen, E., 1985. States, Microstates and Islands, Routledge Kegan & Paul.
^ ab"CIA – The World Factbook – Rank Order – Population". CIA. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
^ abcAmstrup, N., 1976. The Perennial Problem of Small States: A Survey of Research Efforts. Cooperation and Conflict, 11(2), pp. 163–182.
^. CIA. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
^"Demographic Yearbook—Table 3: Population by sex, rate of population increase, surface area and density" (PDF). United Nations Statistics Division. 2008. Retrieved 2011-06-12. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^"News release" (PDF). National Statistics Office. 10 July 2020. (PDF) from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
^ abNeumann, I.B. & Gstöhl, S., 2004. Lilliputians in Gulliver’s World ? Small States in International Relations.
^Oest, K.J.N. & Wivel, A., 2010. Security, profit or shadow of the past? Explaining the security strategies of microstates. Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 23(3), pp. 429–453.
^Mendelson, M. H. (1972). "Diminutive States in the United Nations". The International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 21(4), pp.609–630.[better source needed]
^ abcdeVeenendaal, W. (2015). "Democracy in microstates: why smallness does not produce a democratic political system", Democratization, 22(1): 92-112.
^ abcAnckar, D. (2004). "Regime Choices in Microstates: The Cultural Constraint", Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 42(2): 206-223.
^Corbett, J. (2015). ""Everybody knows everybody": practising politics in the Pacific Islands", Democratization, 22(1): 51-72.
^Erk, J. and Veenendaal, W. (2014). "Is Small Really Beautiful? The Microstate Mistake", Journal of Democracy, 25(3): 135-148.
^ abAnckar, D. (2008). "Microstate Democracy: Majority or Consensus; Diffusion or Problem-Solving?", Democratization, 15(1): 67-85.
^ abSharman, J.C. (2017). "Sovereignty at the Extremes: Micro-States in World Politics", Political Studies, 65(3): 559-575.
^Veenendaal, W. (2017). "Analyzing the Foreign Policy of Microstates: The Relevance of the International Patron-Client Model", Foreign Policy Analysis, 13(3): 561-577.
^Doan, Daniel (1997). Indian Stream Republic : settling a New England frontier, 1785-1842. Jere R. Daniell, Ruth Doan MacDougall. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England. ISBN0-87451-767-2. OCLC 35651345.
^Jepson, Tim (2009). The rough guide to Tuscany & Umbria. Jonathan Buckley, Mark Ellingham, Rough Guides (7th ed.). New York: Rough Guides. ISBN978-1-4053-8529-9. OCLC 743223039.
^"Treaties and international agreements registered from 22 September 1995 to 29 September 1995 Nos. 32135 to 32181". United Nations Treaty Series. 2001-02-14. doi:10.18356/a43b73bc-en-fr. ISBN9789210454193. ISSN 2412-1495.
^Sulewski, Wojciech (1973). Konterfekty dziwnych Polaków. Iskry. OCLC 69483582.
microstate, specific, configuration, particles, material, statistical, mechanics, statistical, mechanics, confused, with, micronation, microstate, ministate, sovereign, state, having, very, small, population, very, small, land, area, usually, both, however, me. For the specific configuration of particles of a material in statistical mechanics see Microstate statistical mechanics Not to be confused with Micronation A microstate or ministate is a sovereign state having a very small population or very small land area usually both However the meanings of state and very small are not well defined in international law 1 Some recent attempts to define microstates have focused on identifying qualitative features that are linked to their size and population such as partial delegation of their sovereignty to larger states such as for international defense The world s five smallest sovereign states by area from largest to smallest San Marino Tuvalu Nauru Monaco and Vatican City shown in the same scale for size comparison Map of the smallest states in the world by population or land area Many of these are not considered microstates Commonly accepted examples of microstates include Andorra Liechtenstein Monaco Nauru Palau San Marino and Tuvalu The smallest political entity recognized as a sovereign state is Vatican City with fewer than 1 000 residents and an area of only 49 hectares 120 acres Some microstates such as Monaco and Vatican City are city states consisting of a single municipality Contents 1 Definitions 1 1 Quantitative 1 2 Qualitative 2 Politics 2 1 Microstates and international relations 3 Historical anomalies and aspirant states 4 See also 5 References 6 Further readingDefinitions EditQuantitative Edit Most scholars identify microstates by using a quantitative threshold and applying it to either one variable such as the size of its territory 2 or population 3 or a composite of different variables 4 While it is agreed that microstates are the smallest of all states there is no consensus on what variable or variables or what cut off point should be used to determine which political units should be labelled as microstates as opposed to small normal states 1 5 6 7 According to some scholars the quantitative approach to defining microstates suffers from such problems as inconsistency arbitrariness vagueness and inability to meaningfully isolate qualitatively distinct political units 5 Sovereign states with a land area less than 1 000 km2 386 sq mi 8 9 10 11 and or with a population of less than 500 000 people 8 Country Area km2 or sqmi Population Density pop km2 Capital Continent Subregion Vatican City 0 44 km2 0 17 sq mi 801 1913 6 Vatican City Europe Southern Europe Monaco 2 02 km2 0 78 sq mi 39 244 18469 3 Monaco City Europe Western Europe Nauru 21 km2 8 sq mi 10 834 451 8 Yaren Oceania Micronesia Tuvalu 26 km2 10 sq mi 11 448 414 7 Funafuti Oceania Polynesia San Marino 61 km2 24 sq mi 34 467 536 8 San Marino Europe Southern Europe Liechtenstein 160 km2 62 sq mi 39 425 233 2 Vaduz Europe Western Europe Marshall Islands 181 km2 70 sq mi 78 831 392 2 Majuro Oceania Micronesia Saint Kitts and Nevis 261 km2 101 sq mi 54 149 197 5 Basseterre Americas Caribbean Maldives 298 km2 115 sq mi 390 669 1320 8 Male Asia South Asia Malta 316 km2 122 sq mi 514 564 12 1 633 Valletta Europe Southern Europe Grenada 344 km2 133 sq mi 113 570 320 2 St George s Americas Caribbean Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 389 km2 150 sq mi 101 145 264 6 Kingstown Americas Caribbean Barbados 430 km2 166 sq mi 301 865 673 7 Bridgetown Americas Caribbean Antigua and Barbuda 443 km2 171 sq mi 99 175 206 1 St John s Americas Caribbean Seychelles 455 km2 176 sq mi 96 387 201 4 Victoria Africa Eastern Africa Palau 459 km2 177 sq mi 21 613 46 2 Ngerulmud Oceania Micronesia Andorra 468 km2 181 sq mi 85 645 182 6 Andorra la Vella Europe Southern Europe Saint Lucia 616 km2 238 sq mi 166 637 265 2 Castries Americas Caribbean Federated States of Micronesia 702 km2 271 sq mi 101 675 150 5 Palikir Oceania Micronesia Singapore 714 km2 276 sq mi 5 866 139 8247 8 Singapore Asia Southeast Asia Tonga 747 km2 288 sq mi 105 780 142 5 Nukuʻalofa Oceania Polynesia Dominica 751 km2 290 sq mi 74 584 97 8 Roseau Americas Caribbean Bahrain 765 km2 295 sq mi 1 526 929 1491 4 Manama Asia Western Asia Kiribati 811 km2 313 sq mi 119 940 128 8 South Tarawa Oceania Micronesia Sao Tome and Principe 1 001 km2 386 sq mi 213 948 197 5 Sao Tome Africa Central Africa Samoa 2 831 km2 1 093 sq mi 204 898 69 5 Apia Oceania Polynesia Brunei 5 765 km2 2 226 sq mi 471 103 73 3 Bandar Seri Begawan Asia Southeast Asia Vanuatu 12 189 km2 4 706 sq mi 303 009 21 9 Port Vila Oceania Melanesia Bahamas 13 880 km2 5 359 sq mi 352 655 23 2 Nassau Americas Caribbean Belize 22 966 km2 8 867 sq mi 405 633 14 8 Belmopan Americas Central America Iceland 103 000 km2 39 769 sq mi 354 234 3 1 Reykjavik Europe Northern Europe With the exception of The Bahamas Belize Brunei Iceland Samoa and Vanuatu all the above countries have a non EEZ area less than 1 000 km2 386 sq mi With the exception of Malta Bahrain and Singapore all the above countries have fewer than 500 000 people Vatican City the smallest independent country in Europe with 0 44 km2 110 acres is also the smallest in the world Qualitative Edit Some academics have suggested defining microstates according to the unique features that are linked to their geographic or demographic smallness 5 9 13 Newer approaches have proposed looking at the behaviour or capacity to operate in the international arena in order to determine which states should deserve the microstate label 13 14 Yet it has been argued by whom that such approaches could lead to either confusing microstates with weak states 6 9 or failed states or relying too much on subjective perceptions 5 An alternative approach is to define microstates as modern protected states 5 According to the definition proposed by Dumienski 2014 microstates are modern protected states i e sovereign states that have been able to unilaterally depute certain attributes of sovereignty to larger powers in exchange for benign protection of their political and economic viability against their geographic or demographic constraints 5 Adopting this approach permits limiting the number of microstates and separating them from both small states and autonomies or dependencies 5 Examples of microstates understood as modern protected states include such states as Liechtenstein San Marino Monaco Niue Andorra the Cook Islands or Palau The smallest political unit recognized as a sovereign state is the Vatican City though its precise status is sometimes disputed e g Maurice Mendelson argued in 1972 that i n two respects it may be doubted whether the territorial entity the Vatican City meets the traditional criteria of statehood 15 St Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean Sea the smallest independent country in the Americas with 261 km2 101 sq mi Politics EditStatistical research has shown that microstates are more likely to be democracies than larger states In 2012 Freedom House classified 86 of the countries with less than 500 000 inhabitants as free 16 This shows that countries with small populations often had a high degree of political freedom and civil liberties which is one of the hallmarks of democracies Some scholars have taken the statistical correlation between small size and democracy as a sign that smallness is beneficial to the development of a democratic political system 17 mentioning social cohesiveness opportunities for direct communication and homogeneity of interests as possible explanations for why this is the case 16 18 Seychelles in the Indian Ocean the smallest independent country in Africa with 459 km2 177 sq mi Case study research however has led researches to believe that the statistical evidence belies the anti democratic elements of microstate politics 16 19 Due to small populations family and personal relations are often decisive in microstate politics In some cases this impedes neutral and formal decision making and instead leads to undemocratic political activity such as clientelism corruption particularism and executive dominance 16 While microstates often have formal institutions that are associated with democracy the inner workings of politics in microstates are in reality often undemocratic The high number of democracies amongst microstates could be explained by their colonial history 16 17 Most microstates adopted the same political system as their colonial ruler 20 Because of the high number of microstates that were British colonies in the past microstates often have a majoritarian and parliamentary political system similar to the Westminster system 17 Some microstates with a history as British colony have implemented some aspects of a consensus political system to adapt to their geographic features or societal make up 20 While the colonial history often determines what political systems microstates have they do implement changes to better accommodate their specific characteristics Microstates and international relations Edit Microstates often rely on other countries in order to survive as they have a small military capacity and a lack of resources This had led some researchers to believe that microstates are forced to subordinate themselves to larger states which reduces their sovereignty 21 Research however has shown that microstates strategically engage in patron client relationships with other countries 22 This allows them to trade some privileges to countries that can advance their interests the most Examples of this are microstates that establish a tax haven or sell their support in international committees in exchange for military and economic support 21 Historical anomalies and aspirant states EditA small number of tiny sovereign political units have been founded on historical anomalies or eccentric interpretations of law These types of states often labelled as microstates are usually located on small usually disputed territorial enclaves generate limited economic activity founded on tourism and philatelic and numismatic sales and are tolerated or ignored by the nations from which they claim to have seceded The Republic of Indian Stream now the town of Pittsburg New Hampshire was a geographic anomaly left unresolved by the Treaty of Paris that ended the U S Revolutionary War and claimed by both the U S and Canada Between 1832 and 1835 the area s residents refused to acknowledge either claimant 23 The Cospaia Republic became independent through a treaty error and survived from 1440 to 1826 24 Its independence made it important in the introduction of tobacco cultivation to Italy Maldives in the Indian Ocean the smallest independent country in Asia with an area of 298 km2 115 sq mi Couto Misto was disputed by Spain and Portugal and operated as a sovereign state until the 1864 Treaty of Lisbon partitioned the territory with the larger part becoming part of Spain 25 Jaxa was a small state that existed during the 17th century at the border between Tsardom of Russia and Qing China Despite its location in East Asia the state s primary language was Polish 26 See also EditCity state European microstates Free State of Fiume Free Territory of Trieste Island country List of countries and dependencies by population density List of countries and outlying territories by total area List of countries by population Microstates and the United Nations Neutral MoresnetReferences Edit a b Warrington E 1994 Lilliputs Revisited Asian Journal of Public Administration 16 1 Mehmet O amp Tahiroglu M 2002 Growth and equity in microstates Does size matter in development International Journal of Social Economics 29 1 2 pp 152 162 Boyce P J amp Herr R A 2008 Microstate diplomacy in the south pacific Australian Outlook April 2012 pp 37 41 Reid G L 1975 Impact of Very Small Size on the International Behaviour of Microstates International Studies SAGE Publications Ltd a b c d e f g Dumienski Zbigniew 2014 Microstates as Modern Protected States Towards a New Definition of Micro Statehood PDF Occasional Paper Centre for Small State Studies Archived from the original PDF on 2014 07 14 Retrieved 2014 06 07 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help a b Neemia U 1995 Smallness islandness and foreign policy behaviour aspects of island microstates foreign policy behaviour with special reference to Cook Islands and Kiribati University of Wollongong Dommen E 1985 States Microstates and Islands Routledge Kegan amp Paul a b CIA The World Factbook Rank Order Population CIA Retrieved 2021 12 02 a b c Amstrup N 1976 The Perennial Problem of Small States A Survey of Research Efforts Cooperation and Conflict 11 2 pp 163 182 CIA The World Factbook Rank Order Area CIA Archived from the original on June 13 2007 Retrieved 2008 06 20 Demographic Yearbook Table 3 Population by sex rate of population increase surface area and density PDF United Nations Statistics Division 2008 Retrieved 2011 06 12 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help News release PDF National Statistics Office 10 July 2020 Archived PDF from the original on 10 July 2020 Retrieved 10 July 2020 a b Neumann I B amp Gstohl S 2004 Lilliputians in Gulliver s World Small States in International Relations Oest K J N amp Wivel A 2010 Security profit or shadow of the past Explaining the security strategies of microstates Cambridge Review of International Affairs 23 3 pp 429 453 Mendelson M H 1972 Diminutive States in the United Nations The International and Comparative Law Quarterly 21 4 pp 609 630 better source needed a b c d e Veenendaal W 2015 Democracy in microstates why smallness does not produce a democratic political system Democratization 22 1 92 112 a b c Anckar D 2004 Regime Choices in Microstates The Cultural Constraint Commonwealth amp Comparative Politics 42 2 206 223 Corbett J 2015 Everybody knows everybody practising politics in the Pacific Islands Democratization 22 1 51 72 Erk J and Veenendaal W 2014 Is Small Really Beautiful The Microstate Mistake Journal of Democracy 25 3 135 148 a b Anckar D 2008 Microstate Democracy Majority or Consensus Diffusion or Problem Solving Democratization 15 1 67 85 a b Sharman J C 2017 Sovereignty at the Extremes Micro States in World Politics Political Studies 65 3 559 575 Veenendaal W 2017 Analyzing the Foreign Policy of Microstates The Relevance of the International Patron Client Model Foreign Policy Analysis 13 3 561 577 Doan Daniel 1997 Indian Stream Republic settling a New England frontier 1785 1842 Jere R Daniell Ruth Doan MacDougall Hanover NH University Press of New England ISBN 0 87451 767 2 OCLC 35651345 Jepson Tim 2009 The rough guide to Tuscany amp Umbria Jonathan Buckley Mark Ellingham Rough Guides 7th ed New York Rough Guides ISBN 978 1 4053 8529 9 OCLC 743223039 Treaties and international agreements registered from 22 September 1995 to 29 September 1995 Nos 32135 to 32181 United Nations Treaty Series 2001 02 14 doi 10 18356 a43b73bc en fr ISBN 9789210454193 ISSN 2412 1495 Sulewski Wojciech 1973 Konterfekty dziwnych Polakow Iskry OCLC 69483582 Further reading EditSack John Silverstein Shel 1959 Report from Practically Nowhere Harper amp Brothers ASIN B0006D96LU OCLC 1321371 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Microstate amp oldid 1143256269, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
