See the 5 most 'useless' countries in the World

Contents

1. Nauru 2. Tristan da Cunha 3. Sealand 4. Pitcairn Islands 5. Venezuela

However, some countries or micro-nations are struggling in various ways.

These countries are unknown to many and if they were to disappear, their absence would likely go unnoticed.

1. Nauru

This is a tiny island country in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a population of merely 12,000 people. They have only one source of income; they operate a controversial detention centre for Australia, referred to as “Australia’s Guantanamo Bay”. Nauru was once a source of great wealth, but bad choices caused it to crash.

Phosphate, used as a fertilizer and a key component in explosives, had been discovered on Nauru in the early 1900s and Nauru once enjoyed wealth thanks to phosphate mining. However, the country’s story took a drastic turn when bad investments, a failed airline, and environmental destruction took their toll.

By the early 2000s, Nauru was facing bankruptcy as there was no more phosphate. The environmental impact of mining left much of the land inhospitable, and the country now faces the threat of rising sea levels, and only one-fourth of the citizens could possibly afford a ticket to escape.

2. Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha is known as the most remote inhabited place on Earth. It is part of the British Overseas Territories though they largely run as a de-facto autonomous country. With a population of about 300, the island’s only industry is crayfish processing, and its agriculture is limited to potato farming.

This tiny island has no airport, and its harsh volcanic terrain makes it difficult to develop further. The islanders live a quiet life with limited access to modern amenities. There’s a school for children, a tiny hospital, two churches, a shop, a swimming pool, and a post office. You get four hours of very expensive Internet a day, and two hours of FM radio.

In 1961, there was a volcanic eruption in Tristan. Every last Tristanian was moved to Calshot, UK. But, as soon as the volcano stabilised, all of them came back to their quiet life of potato farming and nothing else. Tristan has nothing. Tristan wants nothing. Tristan has nothing to offer. They just want to be left alone.

3. Sealand

Sealand is a self-declared micronation located on an old World War II sea fort. It has a population of just 27 people and boasts a GDP of $600,000. Despite having no official recognition from other countries, Sealand has its own flag, government, and even a football team. Its claim to fame lies in its eccentricity, such as offering knightships for £99.99 and other quirks of its self-proclaimed sovereignty.

4. Pitcairn Islands

The Pitcairn Islands, which include four islands in the South Pacific, are home to just about 50 people. Most of them are descendants of the infamous Fletcher Christian, of Mutiny on the Bounty fame. With no airport and limited resources, the islands have little economic activity besides tourism and the sale of stamps and coins.

As to their religion, they are all Christians, of the Seventh-Day Adventist variety. A large number of them have been convicted of sexual assault, and confined to a prison that they had to build themselves. The Supreme Court has three judges, all of whom live in New Zealand.

There is no airport, and until recently, the only telephone link was a manual telephone exchange connected via satellite, and there is no internet. Pitcairn Islands is too small to be granted independence and too remote to be made part of a neighbouring country.

5. Venezuela

Venezuela, once one of the wealthiest countries in Latin America due to its vast oil reserves, has experienced a dramatic fall from grace. Poor governance, over-reliance on oil, and economic mismanagement during the tenure of Hugo Chávez and his successor Nicolás Maduro led the country into an economic crisis.

Almost every household was pushed to do jobs in oil companies and they imported everything from other countries and did nothing to build any infrastructure. When oil prices hit $45 around 2014, it was game over. They couldn’t survive. Now, Venezuela is suffering hyperinflation.

Ultimately, it’s human beings who make a place useless or prosperous. These countries are “useless” because the people who live there made choices and built cultures that defined their fate.

See the 5 most ‘useless’ countries in the World