View source for European microstates

{{Short description|European sovereign states having very small population or very small land area}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
[[File:European ministates map.png|thumb|Map of the European microstates]]
[[File:Vista de Mónaco, 2016-06-23, DD 13.jpg|thumb|right|Monaco]]
A '''European microstate''' or '''European ministate''' is a very small [[sovereign state]] in [[Europe]]. In modern usage, it typically refers to the [[list of European countries by area|six smallest states in Europe by area]]: [[Andorra]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Malta]], [[Monaco]], [[San Marino]], and [[Vatican City]].<ref>Klieger, P. C. (2012). ''The Microstates of Europe: Designer Nations in a Post-Modern World''. Lexington Books.</ref> Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco and Vatican City are [[Monarchy|monarchies]] (Vatican City is an elective monarchy ruled by the Pope). These states trace their status back to the first millennium or the early second millennium except for Liechtenstein, created in the 18th century.

[[Microstate]]s are small independent states recognised by larger states. According to the qualitative definition suggested by Zbigniew Dumieński (2014), microstates can also be viewed as "modern protected states, i.e. sovereign states that have been able to unilaterally depute certain attributes of sovereignty to larger powers in exchange for benign protection of their political and economic viability against their geographic or demographic constraints."<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://uniset.ca/microstates2/Microstates_OccasionalPaper.pdf|title = Microstates as Modern Protected States: Towards a New Definition of Micro-Statehood|last = Dumieński|first = Zbigniew|year = 2014|access-date = 14 July 2022|publisher = Centre for Small State Studies|series = Occasional Paper}}</ref>

In line with this definition, only Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino qualify as "microstates" as only these states are sovereignties functioning in close, but voluntary, association with their respective larger neighbours. [[Luxembourg]], which is far larger than all these microstates combined, nonetheless shares some of these characteristics.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gQFzO_v_uwwC|title=Secrets of the Seven Smallest States of Europe: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City|first=Thomas M.|last=Eccardt|date=26 October 2017|publisher=Hippocrene Books|isbn=9780781810326|via=Google Books}}</ref>

== List of states often labelled as microstates ==
''These may or may not be considered microstates.''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! class="unsortable" | [[Coat of arms|Arms]]
! class="unsortable" | [[Flag]]
! Name
! Capital city
! data-sort-type="number"| Area
!Population
! class="unsortable" |Notes
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Andorra|text=none}}
| {{flagicon|Andorra}}
|  {{nowrap|'''[[Andorra]]'''}}
|[[Andorra la Vella]]
| {{Convert|468|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}
|85,863<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.estadistica.ad/portal/apps/sites/#/estadistica-ca|title=Departament d'Estadística
|access-date=8 July 2024}}</ref>
| The Principality of Andorra used to be a [[feudalism|feudal]] remnant high in the [[Pyrenees]], a [[fief]]dom held jointly by the [[Bishop of Urgell]] in [[Spain]] and the [[Count of Foix]] in [[France]], with a population of approximately 89,000. The [[County of Foix]] merged into the [[French monarchy|French Crown]] in 1607 and thus the King of France and then the [[President of France]] took the place of the Count of Foix. Since 1993 Andorra has been a parliamentary democracy, but it maintains two Co-Princes, one being France's elected head of state and the other being the [[Bishop of Urgell]]. It has been independent since 1278. [[Catalan language|Catalan]] is its sole official language.
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Liechtenstein|text=none}}
| {{flagicon|Liechtenstein}}
| {{nowrap|'''[[Liechtenstein]]'''}}
|[[Vaduz]]
| {{Convert|160|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}
|41,232<ref>{{cite web |title=Bevölkerungsstand per 31. Dezember 2023|url=https://www.statistikportal.li/de/themen/bevoelkerung/bevoelkerungsstand|website=statistikportal.li|publisher={{interlanguage link|Liechtensteinische Landesverwaltung|de}} |access-date=12 October 2024}}</ref>

| 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 1719 as a sovereign fief for the wealthy Austrian [[Princely Family of Liechtenstein|House of Liechtenstein]]. Its population is over 35,000. Owing to its geographic position between [[Switzerland]] and [[Austria]], it was not swallowed up during the reorganisation of Germany following the [[French Revolution]], and avoided incorporation into the [[German Empire]] later in the 19th century.
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Malta|text=none}}
| {{flagicon|Malta}}
| {{nowrap|'''[[Malta]]'''}}
|[[Valletta]]
| {{Convert|316|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}
|519,562<ref name="NSO">{{Cite web |title=Population and migration: 2012-2022(including intercensal revisions)|url=https://nso.gov.mt/intercensal-population-revisions-2012-2021/ |date=July 2022 |access-date=8 July 2024 |website=nso.gov.mt}}</ref>
| The Republic of Malta is an [[archipelago]] of seven islands in the central [[Mediterranean Sea]] and has a population of around 446,000 (2013 estimate),<ref>{{cite web|title=Estimated Population by Locality - 31st March, 2013|url=http://www.lc.gov.mt/mediacenter/PDFs/1_Population%2031-3-13.pdf|publisher=Malta Government Gazette no. 19094|access-date=28 September 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714184236/http://www.lc.gov.mt/mediacenter/PDFs/1_Population%2031-3-13.pdf|archive-date=14 July 2014}}</ref> meaning it has a larger population than several non-microstates, notably [[Iceland]] which has a population of around 325,000 (2014 estimate).<ref>{{cite web|title=Key figures|url=http://www.statice.is/?PageID=1390|publisher=Statistics Iceland|access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> People first arrived about 5200 BC from the nearby island of [[Sicily]]. It gained [[State of Malta|independence]] from the [[United Kingdom]] as a [[Commonwealth realm]] in 1964, and became a republic in 1974.  Malta is a member of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] and the only microstate to be a full member of the [[European Union]]. [[Roman Catholicism]] is the official [[state religion]].
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Monaco|text=none}}
| {{flagicon|Monaco}}
| {{nowrap|'''[[Monaco]]'''}}
| {{N/A|None (city-state)}}
| {{Convert|2.02|km2|sqmi|2|abbr=on}}
|38,367<ref name="census">{{cite web|title=Population census|url=https://www.monacostatistics.mc/Population-and-employment/Population-census|website=monacostatistics.mc|publisher=[[Monaco Statistics]]|access-date=12 October 2024}}</ref>
| 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 [[County of Nice|Nice]] region from [[Kingdom of Sardinia|Piedmont]] to France in 1860.

Monaco is located on the Mediterranean Sea, tucked into the [[Maritime Alps]] and has a population of around 35,000. Its constitutional monarchy is led by [[Albert II, Prince of Monaco|Prince Albert II]]. The population is 95% Roman Catholic. French, English, Italian, and [[Monégasque language|Monégasque]] are the most widely spoken languages. Its economy is based on light manufacturing, banking and financial services, shipping and trade, R&D in biotechnology, marine environments, and tourism.
|-
| {{Coat of arms|San Marino|text=none}}
| {{flagicon|San Marino}}
| {{nowrap|'''[[San Marino]]'''}}
|[[City of San Marino|Città di San Marino]]
| {{Convert|61|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}
|35,436<ref name="worldbank_population">{{Cite web|title=Population, total - San Marino|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=SM|access-date=2023-10-26|website=World Bank Open Data|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026050756/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=SM|archive-date=26 October 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
| The Republic of San Marino,<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/521449/San-Marino|title=San Marino|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=1 March 2011}}</ref> also known as the [[Most Serene Republic]] of San Marino,<ref name="Britannica"/> is the oldest surviving sovereign constitutional [[republic]] in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=San Marino is the oldest republic in the world |url=https://www.dw.com/en/europes-micro-states-04-san-marino/av-17804426 |website=Deutsche Welle |access-date=31 August 2021}}</ref> It is the continuation of a monastic community founded in 301 A.D. and is the last survivor of a large number of self-governing Italian communes from the Middle Ages, having 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 [[Apennine mountains|Apennine]]s and its decision to offer sanctuary to leaders of the unification movement. It has a population of approximately 30,000.
|-
| {{Coat of arms|Vatican City|text=none}}
| {{flagicon|Vatican City}}
| {{nowrap|'''[[Vatican City]]'''}}
| {{N/A|None (city-state)}}
| {{Convert|0.49|km2|sqmi|2|abbr=on}}<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZpJXsBX_6uUC&q=vaticano De Agostini Atlas Calendar], 1945–46, p. 128. {{in lang|it}}</ref>
|882<ref name=population>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vaticanstate.va/it/stato-governo/note-generali/popolazione.html |title=Population |publisher=Vatican City State |date=31 December 2024 |language=it}}</ref>
| A sovereign Vatican state was established by the [[Lateran Treaty]] of 1929 between the Pope and the government of [[Benito Mussolini]], in which the Pope recognised the Italian state in exchange for establishing [[Roman Catholicism]] as the [[state religion]], and recognition of the Pope's sovereignty over a tiny state entirely surrounded by the city of [[Rome]]. Its population is about 800, of whom about 450 reside in its territory.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vaticanstate.va/it/stato-governo/note-generali/popolazione.html |title=Population |publisher=Vatican City State |date=1 February 2019|access-date=11 April 2020 |language=it}}</ref>

The [[Holy See]] is a unique sovereign entity under international law distinct from Vatican City with the [[pope]] as the head of both, maintaining diplomatic and official relations with over 170 states and entities and participating in various [[international organisation]]s either in its own capacity or on behalf of Vatican City.
|-

|}

== Economic policies and relationship with the European Union ==
{{Main|Microstates and the European Union}}
The European microstates are all of limited size and population. They also have limited natural resources. As a result, they often have adopted special economic policies, typically involving low levels of taxation and few restrictions on external financial investment. Malta is a full member of the [[European Union]], while the other five European microstates have obtained special [[Microstates and the European Union|relations with the European Union]] and San Marino, Andorra and Monaco are part of the [[EU customs union]] while Liechtenstein is in a [[customs union]] with [[Switzerland]].

== Similar entities and definitions ==
[[File:LuxembourgPartitionsMap english.png|thumb|Luxembourg territorial changes over the centuries]]
[[File:Malta from space via laser ESA378503.jpg|thumb|The island nation of Malta in the Mediterranean is the smallest EU Member]]
What countries are microstates is not clearly defined. However, some institutions use specific definitions. Two institutions, the World Bank and the IMF, define them as states with a population of no more than 200,000. However, others have focused on area, not population. The larger microstates are less likely to be considered such, and while Malta may sometimes be considered one, it is not common to describe Iceland, Montenegro, or Luxembourg as microstates. These are more likely to be deemed a ''[[small state]]'', which has been defined as a state of fewer than 1.5 million people, though some go as high as several million if the state has limited land area.

The World Bank uses a threshold of 1.5 million people to describe a small state, and less than 200,000 for microstates.<ref name=wb>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/smallstates/overview#1|title=Overview|website=World Bank|access-date=2024-08-31|archive-date=2024-08-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240831143935/https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/smallstates/overview#1|url-status=live}}</ref>
Some researchers have suggested that a microstate has up to one million in population, and one as 1.5 million, but that is also used as threshold for small states, not microstates.<ref name=simpson>[https://jia.sipa.columbia.edu/content/identification-and-definition-microstates On the Identification and Definition of Microstates By Archie Simpson vol. 74, no. 2, "Microstates and Small Island States in International Affairs" (Spring/Summer 2022) ]</ref> The World Bank settled on 200 thousand for a microstate as does the IMF.<ref name=wb/><ref>[https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2013/09/jahan.htm A Big Question on Small States Finance & Development, September 2013, Vol. 50, No. 3 Sarwat Jahan and Ke Wang]</ref> A microstate has also been defined as less than the 100 thousand population.<ref>[https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100156777 Oxford Reference micro-state]</ref>

A Czech study on microstates in the year 2000 defined three sizes of microstate and one subtype. The Czech definition focuses on land area, but also noted population: 
# small microstates (0–100 km<sup>2</sup>),
# medium microstates (100–500 km<sup>2</sup>),
# large microstates (500–1000 km<sup>2</sup>),
with a fourth category for large microstate with a large population.<ref>[https://czechpolsci.eu/article/view/34129  Big Systems in Small Countries (A Comparative Analysis) No.3(2000) Michal Kubát Petr Sokol ]</ref>

A paper in 2020 discussed the history of the smallest European states, and compared Malta and Cyprus to Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino.<ref name=compare>[https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-61537-6_27  European Regions, 1870 – 2020 Chapter Cyprus, Malta and Microstates: Andorra, Lichtenstein, Monaco, San Marino First Online: 21 August 2021 pp 371–383]</ref> 

Including both traditional microstates and small states in the European region yields several more examples, such as Cyprus, Luxembourg, and Montenegro.<ref name=simpson/>
* {{flag|Andorra}}<ref name=compare/>
* {{flag|Cyprus}}{{NoteTag|Geographically a part of Asia, considered a European country in [[political geography]]. The [[United Nations geoscheme]] includes Cyprus in [[Western Asia]].|name="Cyprus"}}<ref name=compare/>
* {{flag|Iceland}}<ref name=simpson/>
* {{flag|Liechtenstein}}<ref name=compare/>
* {{flag|Luxembourg}}<ref name=compare/>
* {{flag|Malta}}<ref name=compare/>
* {{flag|Monaco}}<ref name=compare/>
* {{flag|Montenegro}}<ref name=simpson/>
* {{flag|San Marino}}<ref name=compare/>

=== Dependencies and autonomous areas ===
[[File:20211117.Gibraltar.-021.jpg|thumb|Gibraltar]]
While the microstates have sovereignty over their own territory, there are also a number of small [[autonomous administrative division|autonomous territories]], which, despite having (in almost all cases) their own independent government, executive branch, legislature, judiciary, police, and other trappings of independence, are nonetheless under the sovereignty of another [[sovereign state|state]].

* [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia]] ([[British Overseas Territories|British overseas territory]])
* [[Åland]] ([[Counties of Finland#Åland|autonomous county]] of [[Finland]])
* [[Bailiwick of Guernsey]] ([[Crown Dependencies|British crown dependency]]) a part of the [[Channel Islands]], consisting of three separate sub-jurisdictions: [[Alderney]], [[Guernsey]], and [[Sark]]
* [[Jersey|Bailiwick of Jersey]] (British crown dependency), a part of the Channel Islands
* [[Faroe Islands]] ([[Danish Realm#Home rule and self rule|self-governing territory]] of the [[Danish Realm|Kingdom of Denmark]])
* [[Gibraltar]] (British overseas territory)
* [[Isle of Man]] (British crown dependency)
* [[Monastic community of Mount Athos|Mount Athos]] (autonomous monastic community in [[Greece]])
{{further|List of autonomous areas by country}}

=== Sovereign Military Order of Malta ===
[[File:Flag of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.svg|right|120px|thumb|Flag of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta]]

The [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]] is a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[religious order (Catholic)|lay order]] that is a sovereign entity under international law rather than a state.

Unlike the Holy See, which is sovereign over the Vatican City, the Order has no territory. However, its headquarters, located in [[Palazzo Malta]] and [[Villa del Priorato di Malta|Villa Malta]], are granted [[extraterritoriality]] by Italy, and the same status is recognised by [[Malta]] regarding its historical headquarters, located in [[Fort St Angelo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.orderofmalta.int/2001/03/13/after-two-centuries-the-order-of-malta-flag-flies-over-fort-st-angelo-beside-the-maltese-flag/ |title=After Two Centuries, The Order of Malta Flag Flies Over Fort St. Angelo, Beside The Maltese Flag " Sovereign Order of Malta - Official Site |publisher=Orderofmalta.int |access-date=2016-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916163852/https://www.orderofmalta.int/2001/03/13/after-two-centuries-the-order-of-malta-flag-flies-over-fort-st-angelo-beside-the-maltese-flag/ |archive-date=16 September 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Order is the direct successor to the medieval [[Knights Hospitaller]], also known as the Knights of Malta, and today operates as a largely charitable and ceremonial organisation.

It has [[United Nations General Assembly observers|permanent non-state observer status]] at the [[United Nations]], has full diplomatic relations, including embassies, with 100 states,<ref>The Order's official website lists them [https://www.orderofmalta.int/diplomatic-activities/bilateral-relations/ in this table] |date=19 November 2016.</ref> and is in more informal relationships with five others. It issues its own stamps, coins, passports, and license plates, and has its own [[Military of the Sovereign Order of Malta|army medical corps]]{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}.

== Historical small territories ==
The wars of the [[French Revolution]] and the [[Napoleonic Wars]] caused the European map to be redrawn several times. A number of short-lived [[French client republic|client republics]] were created, and the [[Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire|fall]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] gave sovereignty to each of its many surviving ''[[Kleinstaaterei|Kleinstaaten]]''. The situation was not stabilised until after the [[Congress of Vienna]] in 1815. Following [[World War I]] and [[World War II]] a number of territories gained temporary status as [[international zone]]s, [[protectorate]]s or occupied territories. A few of them are mentioned here:

<!-- Edit Note: Entries are in chronological order by Start date. -->
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Historical small territories
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Start date
! scope="col" | End date
! scope="col" | Modern-day state(s)
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|[[Couto Misto]] || 10th century || 1868 || [[Spain]]/[[Portugal]] || Independent microstate on the border between Spain and Portugal
|-
|[[Duchy of Naples]] || 840 || 1137 || [[Italy]] || The Duchy survived the withdrawal of the Byzantine Empire and remained independent until subsumed by the [[Kingdom of Sicily]] in 1137
|-
|[[Republic of Lucca]] || 1160 || 1805  || [[Italy]]  ||  The Republic was absorbed into the [[Principality of Lucca and Piombino]] (a client state of the [[First French Empire]]) between 1805 and 1815, and formed the independent [[Duchy of Lucca]] between 1815 and 1847, as a consequence of the [[Congress of Vienna]] 
|-
|[[County of Santa Fiora]] || 1274 || 1633 || [[Italy]] || &nbsp;
|-
|[[Senarica]] || 1343 || 1797 || [[Italy]] || Smallest independent state to hold that distinction for so long
|-
|[[Gersau]] || 1433 || 1798  || [[Switzerland]] || &nbsp;
|-
|[[Republic of Mulhouse]] || 1347 || 1798  || [[France]] || &nbsp;
|-
|[[Republic of Ragusa]] || 1358 || 1808  || [[Dubrovnik]], [[Croatia]] || &nbsp;
|-
|[[Republic of Cospaia]] || 1440 || 1826 || [[Italy]] || Created after an error by [[Pope Eugene IV]] during the sale of territory to the [[Republic of Florence]]. A small strip of land went unmentioned in the sale treaty and its inhabitants promptly declared themselves independent.
|-
|[[Saint-Malo|Republic of Saint-Malo]] || 1590 || 1594  || [[Ille-et-Vilaine]], [[France]] || &nbsp;
|-
|[[Republic of Paulava]] || 1769 || 1795 || [[Lithuania]] || A completely independent [[republic]] founded by a [[Lithuanian nobility|Lithuanian noble]] [[Paweł Ksawery Brzostowski]] with its own President, parliament, laws and army. The state was recognised by the Grand Duke and King [[Stanisław August Poniatowski]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Grigaliūnaitė|first1=Violeta|title=Paulavos respublika: vieta, galėjusi tapti lietuviškuoju Monaku ar Lichtenšteinu|url=https://www.15min.lt/pasaulis-kiseneje/naujiena/per-lietuva/paulavos-respublika-vieta-galejusi-tapti-lietuviskuoju-monaku-ar-lichtensteinu-642-430741|website=[[15min.lt]]|access-date=2 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Paulavos respublika. Kas tai? - Lankytina vieta Merkinėje|url=http://www.turistopasaulis.lt/paulavos-respublika-kas-tai/|website=TuristoPasaulis.lt|access-date=6 January 2018|language=lt-LT|date=5 June 2014}}</ref>
|-
|[[Gozo (1798–1800)|Gozo]] || 1798 || 1800  || [[Gozo (region)|Gozo]], [[Malta]] || &nbsp;
|-
|[[Free City of Kraków]] || 1815 || 1846 || [[Kraków]], [[Poland]] || &nbsp;
|-
|[[Neutral Moresnet]]|| 1816|| 1920||[[Kelmis]], [[Belgium]]|| Neutral Moresnet was a [[Condominium (international law)|condominium]] between the [[Netherlands]] and [[Prussia]] over a disputed zinc mine.<ref>Dröge, Philip, ''Moresnet'', Unieboek,
 Antwerp, Belgium, March 2016</ref>&nbsp;
|-
|Free Cities of [[Menton]] and [[Roquebrune-Cap-Martin|Roquebrune]] || 1848 || 1849 || [[France]] || The [[Free Cities of Menton and Roquebrune]] seceded from [[Monaco]] in 1848. In November 1849 they were annexed by [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861)|Sardinia]], and in 1861 were annexed by France.
|-
|[[Republic of Kruševo]] || {{Date table sorting|3 August 1903}} || {{Date table sorting|13 August 1903}} || [[Municipality of Kruševo]], [[North Macedonia]] || &nbsp;
|-
|[[Free State of Schwenten]] || {{Date table sorting|6 January 1919}}|| {{Date table sorting|10 August 1919}}|| [[Świętno]], [[Poland]] || &nbsp;
|-
|[[Free State of Bottleneck]]
|{{Date table sorting|10 January 1919}}
|{{Date table sorting|23 February 1923}}
|[[Hesse]], [[Germany]]
|
|-
|[[Free City of Danzig]] || 1920 || 1939 || [[Gdańsk]], [[Poland]] || &nbsp;
|-
|[[Klaipeda Region]] || 1920 || 1923 || [[Lithuania]] || The territory was placed under French control under the [[Treaty of Versailles]] in 1920, but was occupied by Lithuania in 1923 in the [[Klaipėda Revolt]]
|-
|[[Free State of Fiume]] || 1920 || 1924 || [[Rijeka]], [[Croatia]] || &nbsp;
|-
| [[Territory of the Saar Basin]] || 1920 || 1935 || [[Saarland]], [[Germany]] || Following World War I, the Saar was a League of Nations mandate under French control, until a [[Saar status referendum, 1935|referendum in 1935]] saw over 90% of voters opt to return to Germany. 
|-
| [[Saar Protectorate]] || 1945 || 1956 || [[Saarland]], [[Germany]] || Following World War II, France governed the Saar directly as a protectorate, surrounded by France proper to the west and the [[Allied-occupied Germany#French Zone of Occupation|French Zone of Occupation]] of Germany to the east.
|-
|[[Free Territory of Trieste]] || 1947 || 1954 || Divided between [[Italy]], [[Slovenia]] and [[Croatia]] || Trieste had been occupied by Italy following the end of World War I, and was notionally recreated as a Free Territory following the end of World War II, when it was divided between areas of Allied and Yugoslav control, formalised in 1954 with the Allied part being returned to Italy.
|-
|}

=== Historical dependencies ===
[[File:Aerial image of Heligoland.jpg|thumb|Heligoland]]
Several historical territorial dependencies and colonies have also formerly existed in Europe, under the sovereignty of another [[sovereign state|state]] or [[monarch]]. These include:

* [[Heligoland]] ([[colony]] of the United Kingdom from 1807 to 1890), an island off the coast of Germany (of which it is now part)
* [[Ada Kaleh]] (1878–1913) exclave of the [[Ottoman Empire]] comprising an island on the [[Danube]] omitted from the [[Congress of Berlin]].

== Culture and sports ==
* [[Association football]] club [[AS Monaco FC|AS Monaco]], though based in Monaco, plays in the [[French football league system]]. In contrast, Malta maintains its own [[Maltese football league system|league system]] with a 14-team [[Maltese Premier League|top division]].
* Some of the European microstates are members of the [[Games of the Small States of Europe]] (GSSE); several of the island dependencies compete in the [[Island Games]], alongside several other island dependencies from elsewhere in the world. Countries that participate at the Games of the Small States of Europe are: Andorra, Cyprus, [[Iceland]], Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, [[Montenegro]] and San Marino.
* Monaco ([[Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest|from 1959 to 1979 and 2004 to 2006]]), Malta ([[Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest|since 1971]]), Andorra ([[Andorra in the Eurovision Song Contest|from 2004 to 2009]]),  and San Marino ([[San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest|debut in 2008, then from 2011 onwards]]) are or were contestant countries of [[Eurovision Song Contest]].
* The [[San Marino national football team]] is the lowest-ranked FIFA-affiliated national football team, and is widely considered to be the worst association football team of all time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=9 Reasons Why San Marino Really Is the Worst Football Team of All Time |url=https://www.complex.com/sports/a/corey-pellatt/9-reasons-why-san-marino-worst-football-team-all-time |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=www.complex.com |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Europe}}
* [[Enclave and exclave]]
* [[Games of the Small States of Europe]], a biannual sports competition

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://uniset.ca/naty/news/econ_micronations.html Article from ''The Economist'', 24 December 2005, "Castles in the Air"]
* [http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Microstates.htm GlobaLex, "The Micro-States and Small Jurisdictions of Europe"]

{{Europefooter}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:European Microstates}}
[[Category:Microstates| Europe]]
[[Category:Microstates in Europe|*]]