Ministates include Vatican City.
Ministate . In line with this and most other definitions the examples of microstates include : Liechtenstein , Monaco , San Marino , Andorra , the Cook Islands , Niue and the Federated States of Micronesia . The smallest political unit recognized as a sovereign state is Vatican City , with 842 citizens as of July 2013 and an area of only 44 ha . However , some scholars dispute qualifying the Vatican as a state arguing that it does not meet the `` traditional criteria of statehood '' and that the `` special status of the Vatican City is probably best regarded as a means of ensuring that the Pope can freely exercise his spiritual functions , and in this respect is loosely analogous to that of the headquarters of international organisations . ''