What is the smallest country in Asia? Join us as we rank the top smallest countries in Asia as of today.
In terms of size, Asia is the largest continent, making up around 30% of the planet’s land area. Being home to nearly 60% of the world’s population, it is also the continent with the highest population density.
Europe makes up the western portion of the Eurasian supercontinent, with Asia representing its eastern half. With Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Russia having portions of their territories in close-by Europe, Asia is made up of 48 countries. With a total size of 116 miles, the Maldives is the smallest country in Asia.
The Maldives
The Maldives are 26 atolls in the Indian Ocean that are located in the southern region of Asia. It’s one of the smaller countries in Asia. With a population of about 427,756, it has an area of roughly 116 square miles. This area has been divided into 21 administrative atolls, each of which is run by an atoll Council that is elected.
The Maldives is blessed with a diverse marine ecosystem that includes reef habitats, deep-sea ecosystems, and ecosystems along the shallow coast.
There are also 187 different species of coral reefs and coral, 21 different dolphin and whale species, 1100 different fish species, 83 different echinoderm species, and 5 different sea turtle species. A thriving tourism business is supported by this ecology.
Singapore
Southeast Asia is home to one of the world’s city-states, Singapore. About 276 square miles make up its area. The small territory of Singapore includes both mainland and several islands.
The lengths of the continent are approximately 17 miles north to south and 31 miles east to west, with 120 miles of shoreline.
While the Singapore Strait divides the state from Indonesia, the Straits of Johor divides it from Malaysia. Sentosa, Jurong Island, Pulau Ubin, and Pulau Tekong are Singapore’s largest outlying islands.
Reclaiming land from the seabed, its hills, and other countries have allowed Singapore to increase the size of its territory.
Bahrain
The Persian Gulf is home to Bahrain, another island nation in Asia. 1,425,171 people live there, spread across 295 square miles. There are now more than 80 islands and island groups in the state, up from just 33 when massive land reclamation projects were started.
Bahrain Island, Sitra, Muharraq Island, and the Hawar Islands are the largest of these islands, followed by Umm a Nasan. Bahrain’s area is about 92% desert, and its residents must constantly deal with dust storms. Bahrain has seasonal droughts.
Brunei
Located in Southeast Asia, Brunei shares borders with East Malaysia and the South China Sea. It is the fourth-smallest country in Asia by area (2,226 square miles).
Recognized as the only independent nation wholly on Borneo island is Brunei. Indonesia and Malaysia each have a portion of the remaining Borneo land.
A little over 423,196 people call it home, 66.3% of them are Bruneian Malay and 11.2% are Chinese. Brunei is regarded as a developed nation because of the vast natural gas and petroleum deposits from which it has accumulated money.
Palestine
4,550,368 people are living in Palestine, which has an area of 2,402 square miles. The Gaza Strip, which borders both Egypt and Israel, as well as the West Bank, which borders both Jordan and Israel, are both claimed by the State. Since 1967, Israel has continued to occupy the majority of the areas that Palestine claims.
The Palestinian State is acknowledged by about 136 UN members, and it takes part in the G77, the Arab League, the International Olympic Committee, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
16 administrative regions make up Palestine. The majority of Palestinians (93%), are Muslims, followed by 6% of Christians.
Cyprus, (without Northern Cyprus.)
The Eastern Mediterranean Sea is where Cyprus is located. 3,572 square miles make up its total area, with Northern Cyprus’ 2,276 square miles being excluded.
Cyprus’ history has been heavily influenced by Western European, Greek, Levantine, Turkish, and Byzantine civilizations. It is located close to Northern Africa and Southern Europe. The Mesaoria plain is located between the Kyrenia and Troodos Mountains, which dominate the island’s topography.
There are four parts to the island. 60% of the region is made up of the Republic of Cyprus, while 36% of it is made up of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” in the north. While the areas of Dhekelia and Akrotiri are governed by the British government, a buffer zone with a UN mandate separates the two.
Lebanon
Lebanon’s size is believed to be 4,536 square miles, and it borders the Mediterranean Sea. Due to its role as a commerce route between the Mediterranean region and East Asia and India, it has acquired the nickname “the pearl of the middle east.”
Due to Lebanon’s proximity to Syria, there are an increasing number of refugees there who are placing a burden on the country’s resources. The conflict has had a particularly negative impact on the Beqa’a and Northern Lebanon region.
Qatar
With a total area of 4,473 square miles, Qatar is a small Asian country located in Western Asia. It is found on the Qatar Peninsula, which is a section of the coast of the Arabian Peninsula’s northeast.
It shares a physical boundary with Saudi Arabia, but the rest of its area is bordered by the Persian Gulf.
The presence of oil and natural gas reserves has allowed Qatar to become a high-income country. An estimated 2,675,522 people are living in Qatar, including many migrant workers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste, which has a land area of 5743 square miles, is the ninth-smallest country in Asia. Along with the peripheral islands of Jaco and Atauro and the enclave of Oecusse, its area encompasses the eastern half of Timor Island. Portuguese and Indonesian occupation have both been present in East Timor’s history; it gained sovereignty in 2002.
Southeast Asia’s only largely Christian nations are East Timor and the Philippines.
Kuwait
On a landmass of 6,879 square miles, Kuwait is located at the very northwest corner of the Persian Gulf. Its economy has always been supported by this position and oil income.
Warbah and Bubiyan, two of Kuwait’s nine islands, are still entirely deserted. The Kuwait Bay, which stretches along the shoreline for almost 25 miles and is the nation’s most famous geographical feature, protects Kuwait’s port naturally.
Together with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait shares a 155-mile border. In the Al Ugayr Treaty of 1922, this boundary was determined. There are 2.9 million foreigners living in Kuwait out of its approximately 4.2 million people.
Conclusion
The biggest coral island nation in the world, the Maldives, is situated in South Asia and is an island country in the Indian Ocean and the smallest country in Asia. It’s followed by Singapore and Bahrain. Asia is blessed with much larger countries such as China, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the like but other small countries in Asia didn’t make it to the top 20 we’ve shared in this article.
