Editing Microstate (section)

{{Short description|Sovereign state having a very small population or very small land area}}
{{For|the specific configuration of particles of a material in [[statistical mechanics]]|Microstate (statistical mechanics)}}
{{Distinguish|Micronation}}
[[File:Microstates.PNG|upright=1.4|thumb|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]]
[[File:BlankMap-World-v8 small states.svg|thumb|Map of the smallest states in the world by population or land area.]]
{{politics}}

A '''microstate''' or '''ministate''' is a [[sovereign state]] having a very small population or land area, usually both. However, the meanings of "state" and "very small" are not well-defined in international law.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Warrington |first=Edward |date=June 1994 |title=Lilliput Revisited |journal=Asian Journal of Public Administration |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=3–13 |doi=10.1080/02598272.1994.10800284}}</ref> 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.

Commonly accepted examples of microstates include five historic European microstates: [[Andorra]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Monaco]], [[San Marino]], and [[Vatican City]]. [[Malta]], [[Iceland]], and [[Luxembourg]] are sometimes included in that list but are generally considered too populous to be genuine microstates. Other examples are small, isolated island states in the Pacific Ocean that gained independence from the European or Australasian powers: [[Nauru]], [[Palau]], 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 {{convert|49|ha}}. Some microstates – such as Monaco and Vatican City – are [[city-state]]s consisting of a single municipality.