Most of the world’s population lives in large urban areas. According to the latest study published by the United Nations, more than half of the eight billion inhabitants of the planet -55%- live in large metropolises, a trend that, according to their forecasts, will only grow, until stand at 68% in 2050.
The data for 2022 make Tokyo, with 37.3 million inhabitants, the most populous city in the world, followed by New Delhi, with 31 million, although everything indicates that, in the coming years, the Indian capital will surpass the Japanese. Third place on this list corresponds to another Asian city: Shanghai, followed by São Paulo and Mexico City.
The concept of a city is usually associated with a large demographic area, imposing skyscrapers, streets crowded with people and traffic and, above all, a high population density. There is no general rule that establishes when a locality is a town or a city. In the past, attempts were made to standardize the concepts at a European level, but the initiative did not prosper. In Spain, for example, nuclei with more than 10,000 inhabitants are considered cities, while the United States sets the urban area limit at 2,500 residents and, on the other hand, France sets it at 2,000.
However, despite this, this is not always the case. There are tiny cities that defy the norm, and in which a much smaller number of people live. In other words, some are so small that one might think that it is a town or even a village, but it is not. The reasons are usually historical. These small towns retain a special charm that makes them worth visiting. The ones that we present to you below are some of the smallest on the planet. Known and unknown -depending on the case-, they are the ideal destination for travelers looking for unique corners.
Walking the streets of this delightful medieval town lost in the heart of Istria, considered the smallest city in the world, takes no more than a couple of hours. It is located on top of a peak, protected by a citadel, and it is surprising for its small dimensions – it measures around 100 meters long and just under 400 meters wide. Its cobbled streets and houses full of flowers, in which barely thirty residents live, are in a good state of preservation and show signs of a peaceful existence.
The last census gave a population of 267 inhabitants although, if they did not know it, any visitor would believe they were in a tiny monumental town. Located to the north of the province of Burgos, FrÃas has the urban category of city -the smallest in Spain-, granted in 1435 by King Juan II of Castile. Crowning the hill of La Muela, on the banks of the Ebro, it stands out, among other buildings, for the castle and its beautiful medieval bridge.
Despite the loss of population experienced since its creation, at the end of the 19th century, -it has gone from a thousand to around 670 inhabitants- Greenwood retains its title as a city. Located in British Columbia – Canada’s westernmost province – it is a destination with a rich history and one of its only two mining towns still in existence today.
Located in Wallonia, 45 kilometers from Liège, at a strategic crossroads in Europe, the town is home to a veritable labyrinth of small cobbled streets, houses with slate roofs dating back to the 17th century, churches and a castle in its historic center. . City since 1331, when John I of Bohemia granted it the title, the municipality is also known for the megaliths of Wéris and Oppagne, the most spectacular set of dolmens and menhirs in Belgium.
The capital of the third smallest state on the Old Continent -not part of the European Union- is a small city with narrow streets and historic buildings that stretches out on the slopes of Mount Titano. Three towers, the Guaita castle, the Cesta or Fratta castle, and the Montale tower, dominate San Marino, a city with no more than four thousand inhabitants.
Oia has become one of the most picturesque and chic corners of Santorini. Built on the edge of a caldera, the city, which has less than two thousand inhabitants, attracts tourists eager to contemplate its image of whitewashed houses and windows and blue domes facing the Aegean, and to immortalize its sunset. Among its innumerable attractions, the small fishing port of Ammoudi and its taverns where you can eat the fish of the day stand out.
The seat of the Catholic Church is a small sovereign state of only 0.44 km2 and 806 inhabitants, according to the last population census carried out at the beginning of 2023. Nestled inside Rome, Vatican City has a small railway – 300 meters of tracks-, its own security service -the Swiss Guard-, and a cultural and architectural heritage of incalculable value. The square of San Pedro and its basilica stand out, inside which is the extraordinary Sistine chapel.
It is possibly the least known city of how many we have presented here. Capital of Palau, a paradise of 340 islands in the middle of the Pacific, Ngerulmud currently has fewer than 400 inhabitants, being surpassed in population by Koror, which reaches 14,000. The city is located on the most important island of the archipelago and basically stands out for its government buildings.
Malta’s capital, one of only three inhabited islands in the archipelago, is a 16th-century walled city that was once the city of the Knights of the Order of St. John. Declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, it has a population of close to six thousand inhabitants who live among historic buildings, churches, cathedrals, palaces and winding alleys. Known as the Golden City, it is famous for its sunrises and sunsets, when the light gives off absolutely beautiful hues.
It is located between Monaco and Nice, in the heart of the Italian Riviera, and it is a picturesque medieval town that looks out over the Mediterranean from the top of a cliff. With a population of less than three thousand inhabitants, for decades it has captured the attention of aristocrats, writers and the wealthy, who seek here the tranquility that they cannot find in other areas of the Costa Azul. The old city is entered through an imposing fortified gate dating from the 14th century.
