The smallest country in Oceania is Nauru, at 21 km², about a tenth of Washington, D.C. It is also the world’s smallest republic and the third smallest state on Earth. Oceania has only 14 countries: ranking its ten smallest means naming the whole continent except Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and the Solomon Islands. Here is the ranking.
1. Nauru (21 km²)
A single coral island, with no official capital, home to about 12,000 people. Phosphate made Nauru one of the richest countries in the world per capita in the 1970s, before the deposit ran out and its economy collapsed.
2. Tuvalu (26 km²)
Nine atolls whose highest point barely exceeds 4 meters, making it one of the first countries threatened by rising seas. Its most profitable resource is an unexpected one: the .tv internet domain, leased to video platforms worldwide.
3. Marshall Islands (181 km²)
About 1,200 islands and islets spread over 29 atolls. Bikini Atoll, whose name inspired the swimsuit, hosted American nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958.
4. Palau (459 km²)
Exactly the area of the Seychelles, Africa’s smallest country. Independent since 1994, it is one of the world’s youngest states, and its southern lagoon is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
5. Micronesia (702 km²)
The Federated States of Micronesia gather 607 islands scattered across 2,700 km of ocean, four federated states and about 105,000 inhabitants. The country’s maritime area is 4,000 times its land area.
6. Tonga (747 km²)
The last kingdom of the Pacific, and the only country in Oceania never formally colonized: it was a British protectorate but kept its monarchy. About 170 islands, of which some forty are inhabited.
7. Kiribati (811 km²)
The only country in the world present in all four hemispheres: its 33 atolls straddle both the equator and the antimeridian. Its Line Islands live on UTC+14, the most advanced time zone on the planet.
8. Samoa (2,842 km²)
The Polynesian state switched time zones in 2011 by deleting December 30 from its calendar, to align with its Australian and New Zealand partners on the other side of the date line.
9. Vanuatu (12,189 km²)
An archipelago of more than 80 volcanic islands, a former Franco-British condominium where both administrations coexisted until independence in 1980. Land diving, the ancestor of bungee jumping, comes from Pentecost Island.
10. Fiji (18,272 km²)
About 330 islands, a hundred of them inhabited, and the heavyweight of this ranking with close to 900,000 inhabitants. The first Oceanian country outside this top 10, the Solomon Islands, is only 1.6 times its size; after that the gap widens, with New Zealand fifteen times larger.
The smallest countries in Oceania at a glance
| Rank | Country | Area (km²) | Population (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nauru | 21 | 12,000 |
| 2 | Tuvalu | 26 | 11,000 |
| 3 | Marshall Islands | 181 | 42,000 |
| 4 | Palau | 459 | 18,000 |
| 5 | Micronesia | 702 | 105,000 |
| 6 | Tonga | 747 | 107,000 |
| 7 | Kiribati | 811 | 120,000 |
| 8 | Samoa | 2,842 | 205,000 |
| 9 | Vanuatu | 12,189 | 320,000 |
| 10 | Fiji | 18,272 | 900,000 |
This ranking completes our tour of the continents: see also the smallest countries in the world, the smallest countries in Asia, the smallest countries in Europe, the smallest countries in Africa and the smallest countries in the Americas. Nauru and Tuvalu also appear in the world top 10, and Palau in the ranking of the newest countries in the world.
Frequently asked questions
What is the smallest country in Oceania?
Nauru, at 21 km² with about 12,000 inhabitants. It is also the world’s smallest republic and the third smallest country on Earth, behind Vatican City and Monaco.
How many countries are there in Oceania?
14 independent states, with Australia alone covering more than 90% of the continent’s area. The ten smallest together represent less than 0.5% of Oceania.
Why is Kiribati in all four hemispheres?
Its 33 atolls extend on both sides of the equator and of the antimeridian, the line opposite the Greenwich meridian. No other country straddles both lines at once.
Which country in Oceania is most threatened by rising seas?
Tuvalu, whose highest point barely exceeds 4 meters. The country is already negotiating migration agreements with Australia and studying a digital backup of its state in case of submersion.
