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The European microstates are a handful of very small sovereign states on the European continent. The smallest of these, Vatican City, is also the smallest state in the world. Microstates are small independent states and they should not be confused with "micronations", which are neither states nor independent. __NOTOC__
Andorra
The Principality of Andorra is a feudal remnant high in the Pyrenees, a fiefdom held jointly by the Bishop of Urgell in Spain and the Count of Foix in France. The French king and eventually the President of France took the place of the Count of Foix. It has been independent since 1278.Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is the sole remaining polity of the Holy Roman Empire, having been created out of the counties of Vaduz and Schellenberg in 1699 as a sovereign fief for the wealthy Austrian House of Liechtenstein. Owing to its geographic position between Switzerland and Austria, it was not swallowed up during the massive reorganization of Germany following the French Revolution, and avoided incorporation into the German Empire later in the 19th century.Monaco
The Principality of Monaco on the French Riviera, ruled by the House of Grimaldi since the 13th century, achieved full independence only following the cession of the surrounding Nice region from Piedmont to France in 1860.The nation-state is located on the Mediterranean Sea, tucked into the Maritime Alps. Its constitutional monarchy is led by Prince Albert II. The population is 95% Roman Catholic. French, English, and Italian are the three most widely spoken languages.
Its economy is based on light manufacturing, banking and financial services, shipping and trade, R&D in biotechnology, and marine environments. Tourism is also a profitable industry for Monaco.
San Marino
The Most Serene Republic of San Marino is the last survivor of a large number of self-governing Italian communes from the Middle Ages. It survived the consolidation of Italy into medium-sized territorial states in the 15th century and the unification of Italy in the 19th century, largely owing to its remote location in a valley of the Apennines.Vatican City
The State of the Vatican City is the last remnant of the former Papal States, the lands in central Italy ruled directly by the pope. After the unification of Italy in the 19th Century the Papal States had become formally part of the Kingdom of Italy, but the Vatican disputed this claim of geographic authority. A sovereign Vatican country was later established by the Lateran Treaty of 1929 between the pope and the Italian government, in which the pope recognized the Italian state in exchange for recognition of the Pope's sovereignty over a tiny state entirely within the city of Rome.Economies
Owing to their small size, which limits their natural resources and population, most of the microstates have adopted special economic measures in order to prosper — usually by lowering taxes and encouraging financial investment. Many of the microstates have also entered into a Customs Union with their larger neighbours to improve their economic situation (Vatican City and San Marino with Italy, Liechtenstein with Switzerland, and Monaco with France). Owing to these unions, the microstates (except Liechtenstein) have relations with the European Union but have not explicitly joined it. Besides these microstates Cyprus, Luxembourg, Iceland and Malta are often considered as European small states.
Dependencies
While the microstates have sovereignty over their own territory there are also a number of small autonomous territories, which are under the sovereignty of another state or monarch.
- Åland (Autonomous province, Finland)
- Gibraltar (Overseas territory, United Kingdom)
- Guernsey (British crown dependency)
- Faroe Islands (External territory, Denmark)
- Jersey (British crown dependency)
- Isle of Man (British crown dependency)
- Mount Athos (Autonomous monastic state, Greece)
- Azores (Autonomous region, Portugal)
- Madeira (Autonomous region, Portugal)
Other entities
- The Holy See is a unique sovereign entity under international law distinct from Vatican City with the Pope as the head of both, maintaining diplomatic and official relations with over 170 states and entities and participating in various international organizations either in its own capacity or on behalf of Vatican City.
- The Sovereign Military Order of Malta or SMOM, is a Catholic lay order that claims to be a sovereign entity and has permanent observer status at the United Nations. SMOM is considered to be the most direct successor to the medieval Knights Hospitaller, also known as the Knights of Malta, and today operates as a largely charitable and ceremonial organization. The exact nature of the entity is somewhat nebulous and subject to controversy, it claims to be a traditional example of a sovereign entity other than a state. Its headquarters in Rome are granted extraterritoriality by Italy. However, unlike the Holy See, which is sovereign over the Vatican City, SMOM has no sovereign territory.
Historical small territories
The wars of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars caused the European map to be redrawn several times. A number of shortlived client republics were created, and the fall of the Holy Roman Empire gave sovereignty to each of its many surviving component states. The situation was not stabilized until after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Following World War I and World War II a number of territories gained temporary status as international zones, protectorates or occupied territories. A few of them are mentioned here:
- Free City of Kraków, 1815-1846
- Neutral Territory of Moresnet, 1816-1919
- Free City of Danzig, 1920-1939 (now Gdansk)
- Free State of Fiume, 1920-1924 (now Rijeka)
- Free Territory of Trieste, 1947-1954 (Trieste)
- Saar, 1945-1956
See also
References
"European microstates"