Which are the world's smallest and largest countries, and what is life like there?

The answer

Vatican City, at 0.44 square kilometers with roughly 800 residents, is the world's smallest internationally recognized state. It has its own postal service, radio station, and even a railway station with 300 meters of track. Monaco (2.02 square kilometers) is the most densely populated country at 26,337 people per square kilometer. Nauru (21 square kilometers) is the smallest island nation. At the other extreme, Russia spans 17.1 million square kilometers across 11 time zones - it takes the Trans-Siberian Railway seven days to cross. China and India each exceed 1.4 billion people. The contrast in governance is striking: Liechtenstein (160 square kilometers) has the world's lowest external debt and highest GDP per capita. Tuvalu (26 square kilometers) earns millions from licensing its '.tv' internet domain. The Pitcairn Islands has just 47 residents, making it the world's least populous jurisdiction.