Category Smallest Countries of the World

               Union of the Comoros is a sovereign archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean east of Mozambique off the east coast of the African continent and west of the northern tip of Madagascar. Comoros is one among the smallest countries in the world and only has a total area of 1862 square kilometres.

               The Comoros consists of the three main islands: Ngazidja, Mwali, and Nzwani. The Union of the Comoros has three official languages — Comorian, Arabic and French. Capital and largest city is Moroni on Grande Comore.

               France colonized Mayotte in 1843 and by 1904 had annexed the remainder of the archipelago. In a 1974 referendum, 95 per cent of the population voted for independence. The exception was Mayotte. Today it remains a French overseas territory. Comoros is another one of the world’s poorest countries.

               This small- scenic island country located in the continent of Africa, Mauritius covers a total area of 2,040 square kilometres. It enjoys a tropical climate with clear warm sea waters, beaches, tropical fauna and flora complemented by a multi-ethnic and cultural population.

               Mauritius became an independent state in 1968, after gaining its sovereignty from France. The currency of Mauritius is the Mauritian Rupee. The capital of the country is Port Louis. The island of Mauritius is volcanic in origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs.

               Lake Vacoas, one of the main reservoirs, is the chief source of water. The most significant issues faced by the country currently are water pollution, and degradation of coral reefs.

               However, the country now boasts one of Africa’s highest per capita incomes, achieved through tourism.

               Mauritius is the only country in Africa where Hinduism is the largest religion. The government uses English as its main language.

               Located in the continent of Europe, Luxembourg became an independent state in 1867, after gaining its sovereignty from The Netherlands.

               Luxembourg shares land borders with 3 countries: Germany, Belgium, and France. Luxembourg is a constitutional monarchy and a prominent financial centre.

               Its capital, Luxembourg City, is, together with Brussels and Strasbourg, one of the three official capitals of the European Union and the seat of the European Court of Justice, the highest juridical authority in the EU.

               Luxembourg’s high-income economy has a solid growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. Its culture, people and languages are highly intertwined with its neighbours, making it essentially a mixture of French and Germanic cultures. This is emphasized by the three official languages, Luxembourgish, French, and German.

               The Independent State of Samoa (formerly known as Western Samoa) is located south of the equator, in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand.

               Samoa consists of two main islands Upolu and Savai’i and seven smaller islets.

               Upolu is where Samoa’s capital city Apia is located and home to nearly three-quarters of Samoa’s total population.

               The Lapita people discovered and settled the Samoan Islands around 3,500 years ago. They developed a unique Samoan language and Samoan cultural identity. Samoans consists of about 92.6 per cent of the total population.

               The Samoans are the second-largest branch of the Polynesians, a people occupying the scattered islands of the Pacific from Hawaii to New Zealand and from eastern Fiji to Easter Island.

              Most of the remaining Samoans are of mixed Samoan and European or Asian descent.

              The Independent State of Samoa’s currency is Tala. Samoan and English are the official languages.

            Cabo Verde, or Cape Verde, an island nation on an archipelago of volcanic origin in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 570 kilometres off the north-western coast of Africa, about 600 km west of Senegal.

            The Republic of Cape Verde was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers discovered and colonized the islands, establishing the first European settlement in the tropics. Cape Verde subsequently became a trading centre for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping.

            The country got its independence in 1975. Since the early 1990s, Cape Verde has been a stable representative democracy, and remains one of the most developed and democratic countries in Africa. The capital and largest city is Praia.

            Trinidad and Tobago is an island country in the southeastern West Indies. It consists of two main islands: Trinidad and Tobago and several smaller islands.

            Trinidad and Tobago is one of the wealthiest countries in the Caribbean. It has large reserves of oil and gas. Many European powers colonized this island nation. Trinidad and Tobago became an independent state in 1962, after gaining its sovereignty from the United Kingdom.

            The capital of Trinidad and Tobago is Port of Spain, located on the north western coast of Trinidad. The currency of Trinidad and Tobago is the Trinidad and Tobago dollar. It is recognized by the World Bank as a high-income economy. Unlike most of the English-speaking Caribbean, the country’s economy is primarily industrial. The language spoken is English along with many vernaculars. Cricket is the national sport of the country.