The world's smallest country is smaller than most golf courses

Vatican City covers about 0.49 square kilometres, entirely enclosed within the city of Rome, making it the smallest internationally recognised state on Earth by both area and population. It's only been a sovereign state since the Lateran Treaty of 1929, when Mussolini's government formally recognised the Pope's independence.

— Wikipedia contributors, Vatican City — Sovereign since the Lateran Treaty, 1929