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22 Mice That Roar ... World's Tiniest Nations
by John T. Cullen
Category: Politics/Government/Reference
Description: Here are 22 of the world's tiniest nations, many full of whacky surprises: one nation's army consists of a marching band and a few cars; another nation consists largely of bird poop; and a third of these midgets is basically a shopping mall. Don't miss the fun. Entertaining and informative nonfiction for today's reader on the go.
eBook Publisher: Clocktower Books and Far Sector SFFH (magazine), 2003 Infonana
Filament eBookStore Release Date: January 2003
 
91 Reader Ratings:
Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [36 KB]
Words: 6400
Reading time: 18-25 min.
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED
In 1958, the great British comedian Peter Sellers starred in a very funny movie called The Mouse That Roared. The premise of this four-star spectacular, directed by Jack Arnold and starring Sellers, Jean Seberg, and Leo McKern, involves a fictitious tiny nation (loosely patterned after some real European states) that is financially broke. The little mouse-nation decides to declare war on the United States in order to lose the war and then receive vast sums in a kind of Marshall Plan from the generous Americans.
Some of us live in really huge countries and others of us live in the most amazingly tiny little dollhouse nations. Some of these midget nations have significant clout on the world scene, including voting rights or similar status in the United Nations, status in world courts, and more. Here is a short informal compendium of some of the world's smallest sovereign states starting with Luxembourg (just under 1,000 square miles) and working down. Take this enlightening and surprising journey through the tangle of world history, religion, and military affairs to understand how a nation can have an army consisting of one marching band, or a sovereign state can consist essentially of a shopping mall, or a nation's entire landmass can consist largely of bird poop--yes, it's all true, and it's taking place right here on Earth today as you read this informative and entertaining article. As we move through the list from the largest to the smallest, you'll think: okay, now this has to be it, and sure enough, there seems to always be yet one smaller sovereign state.
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