1. a very small independent country or nation

Examples

• Monaco is often cited as an example of a ministate in Europe.
• The ministate had a population of fewer than 50,000 people.
• Vatican City is the world’s smallest ministate by area.
• Despite being a ministate, it maintained its sovereignty.
• The island nation qualified as a ministate due to its tiny size.
• Several ministates in the Pacific rely heavily on tourism.