European microstates

The European microstates are microstates (independent states of a very small area) in Europe. One, the Vatican City, is the smallest state in the world. While "microstate" is sometimes confused with "micronation", the former are recognized as sovereign states whereas the latter are not.

Related Topics:
Microstate - Europe - Vatican City - Micronation

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These states generally exist as anomalies — they are unique survivors of earlier times in European history:

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• The Vatican City is the last remnant of the former Papal States, the lands in central Italy ruled directly by the pope. It was 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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 neighbors 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 have relations with the European Union but have not explicilty joined it.

Related Topics:
Customs Union - Italy - Switzerland - France - European Union

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European microstates: Games for Small States of Europe ►