The Smallest Cities in the World (And Some Surprise Bonus Cities)
While the majority of the world’s population live in cities, there’s no shortage of small cities in the world. But what makes a city varies, with some assigned formal status for reasons that have nothing to do with scale, and others once being large conglomerations that experienced population loss yet retained their city status.
And cities can be smaller in more ways than just their population size. How you define ‘smallest’ and how you define ‘city’ results in some unusual answers to this question:
What is the smallest city in the world?
Ten of the least-populated cities in the world
Ngerulmud, Palau
Assigned its status as the capital city of the Pacific Island nation of Palau in 2006, Ngerulmud may well be the least-populated city in the world. In fact, it’s possible that no-one lives there – population statistics are not recorded for the city alone. Ngerulmud is located in the state of Melekeok, which has a known total population of 318 people.
Hum, Croatia
Built as a city in the 11th century, medieval Hum is today home to only 30 people. Looking to escape the buzz of a megacity? There’s probably no better option than Hum which, despite its tiny population, is still home to some urban staples – a restaurant, churches, city walls and a city gate (crucial!), and an elected municipal council.
Adamstown, Pitcairn Islands
The Pitcairn Islands are located in the southern Pacific Ocean and have a population of only 49 people. That makes the islands the least-populated jurisdiction on the planet and home to the world’s least-populated capital city, in which all 49 of the island’s residents live. Almost all residents descend from the crew of the HMS Bounty – a British merchant vessel that settled on the islands in 1790.
Greenwood, British Columbia, Canada
Canada’s least-populated city and one of the least-populated cities in the world, Greenwood drew crowds in the 1800s on the hunt for gold. People weren’t quite that lucky, instead striking copper – the city’s most successful export. Despite its population declining to a little over 700 people, Greenwood retains its historical city status.
Hamilton, Bermuda
The tightly defined boundaries of Hamilton, Bermuda, means the city is only home to 849 people. That makes it one of the least-populated capital cities in the world. The city was founded in 1790, incorporated in 1793, became capital in 1815, yet only become an official city in 1897. Bermuda itself is home to 63,000 people.
Vatican City, Vatican
The world’s smallest fully independent nation state as well as one of the world’s least-populated cities, the Vatican City has a population of around 1,000 people. Looking for a new passport? You don’t need to have been born in the Vatican to become a citizen. In fact, most of its residents weren’t due to the city having no hospital. If you’re female, the odds aren’t in your favour – only 5.5% of the Vatican’s citizens are female.
St David’s, Wales, United Kingdom
St David’s is located in Pembrokeshire, Wales – one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom. Assigned city status in the 12th century, St David’s is Wales and the UK’s least-populated city, with approximately 1,800 residents.
St Asaph, Wales, United Kingdom
Our second Welsh entry on the list, St Asaph used to be just an ordinary town in Denbighshire, Wales. When Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, she decided to assign city status to three UK towns, and St Asaph got lucky. All 3,500 residents now consider themselves city-dwellers.
Norton City, Virginia, USA
Norton City is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Originally known as Prince’s Flats, the settlement was renamed after then-head of the railroad, Eckstein Norton, to attract investment, industry and citizens. Initial success as a hub for the timber trade was not sustained, and today the city has a population of only 3,687 people.
BONUS! Maza, North Dakota, USA: the former least-populated city in the USA
At 20 square kilometres (8 square miles) and a population of five (yes, five), Maza was both the least-populated city in the USA and its least densely populated city. The reason for the past tense? Despite its foundation as a city back in 1893, Maza’s city status was dissolved in 2002.
The smallest cities in the world by geographical area
Vatican City
Though a historic walled enclave surrounded entirely by the city of Rome, the Vatican City only became an independent city-state in 1929. Vatican City is back again on this list as it is only 0.44 square kilometres in size (0.17 square miles).
Monaco City, Monaco
The capital city of the micro-city-state of Monaco, Monaco City itself is a mere 0.196491 square kilometres (0.075866 square miles) in size. The nation of Monaco is not that much bigger, coming in at only 2.08 square kilometres (0.80 square miles).
Funafuti, Tuvalu
Capital city of the island nation of Tuvalu, Funafuti is home to 60% of the island’s population, as well as its port facilities and city government. The city stretches across a mere 2.4 square kilometres (0.9 square miles).
Gibraltar
City and British Overseas Territory, Gibraltar stretches across a mere 6.8 square kilometres (2.6 square miles), much of which is taken up by ‘The Rock’ – a large, mountainous nature reserve with sides so steep it renders development unviable.
Yaren, Nauru
Yaren is potentially an impostor in this list, being the de facto, rather than formal, capital city of Naura – an island country and microstate in the Central Pacific. The total area of the country is 21 square kilometres (8.1 square miles), much of which is taken up by Yaren.
BONUS CONTENT! Other ‘smallest’ cities in the world
Jericho, West Bank: the lowest city
Jericho is a Palestinian city in the West Bank and, at 258m (846ft) below sea level, the lowest city in the world. One of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, archeologists have found evidence of inhabitation dating back 11,000 years. Its 20,000 residents benefit from a cable car as a form of transportation, connecting the region to the peak of the Mount of Temptation, which is home to a Greek Orthodox monastery and some fantastic panoramic views.
Bo, Sierra Leone: the shortest city name
Though often referred to locally as Bo Town, Sierra Leone’s second largest city is officially called Bo, making it the shortest city name in the world. The town is said to be named after the generosity of its people, with the story being that a past elephant killing drew people from surrounding villages to receive a share. The hunter spent many days saying “bo-lor,”as he distributed it, which translates as both “this is yours” and “this is Bo”. Over 230,000 people now call the city home.
City of London, England: a small city within a city
At 1,583 square kilometres (611 square miles) and almost 9 million residents, London is no small city. But within London lies the City of London, known locally as the City or the Square Mile. During the Medieval period, the City of London was pretty much all of London, but as London grew the City of London’s boundaries remained the same. To this day, it still has city status in its own right, with its own Mayor and police force, despite only being 2.9 square kilometres (1.12 square miles) in size
Photos: Yang Jing, Chris Czermak, Michael Mrozek.
