This year's World Cup has five countries with less than 5 million people, but one country has won the world championship

With many countries participating in this year's World Cup, besides their passion for sports, this is also an opportunity for their country names to be mentioned more by the world.

From nearly 200 countries around the world, through many selection and competition mechanisms, only 32 countries are competing for the 2018 World Cup which is taking place in Russia.

Among them, there are countries that everyone knows, but there are some countries where our fans are quite strange. Because these are countries with small area, population, or economy, income, sports . are not among the top in the world.

For them, the World Cup is also an opportunity for the whole world to mention their country more. For example, the following 5 countries - have a population of less than 5 million people - but are being watched by billions of ball fans!

For easy visualization, you can compare with our capital Hanoi, with a population of about 7.7 million people in 2016; Ho Chi Minh City has about 8.4 million people.

 

Iceland, also known as Ice Island, is bordered on the North Pole, so it is extremely cold and has numerous glaciers.

Iceland was so cold that the houses had to be brightly painted to feel "relaxed".

But this country is also located on the volcanic belt, so there are many volcanoes, hot springs and huge geothermal resources. So, take a dip in the hot spring at . cold country - that is the wonderful relaxation habit of people and tourists when coming here.

The first person to live in Iceland was said to be a Norwegian captain in 874. Today, Iceland is a thriving country. Having a system of social welfare, per capita income, and human development index are all leading in the world.

Talking about football, Iceland is an example of how a small population will partly affect sports development. With less than 335,000 people, four faces the Atlantic Ocean, far from continental Europe - it will be challenges for the country to seek and recruit football talent.

Melody "thunder clap" - thunder clap to celebrate or "vision" of the Viking descendants.

Fortunately, the Icelandic Football Association (KSÍ) has been providing economic support for those who want to pursue a career in football over the past 20 years. A way to make use of internal resources.

Iceland is the smallest country (in population) who participated in the World Cup!

2. Uruguay: A Swiss in South America, paradise of . meat dishes

The coastline overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and barbecue dishes invite visitors to Uruguay.

Uruguay is Brazil's neighbor to the north and Argentina to the west and southwest; bordering the Atlantic Ocean in the Southeast. But unlike two neighbors, Uruguay is a small country in terms of area (more than 176km2, 90th in the world) and about population.

However, the country is a developed economy in South America, with a high GDP and ranked 50th in quality of life in the world.

Uruguay also has a democratic tradition, dubbed the "Swiss of South America". They have high, corrupt social welfare at least in South America. In 2007, it was also the first country in Latin America to allow civil unions among gay people.

Talking about food culture, CNN humor shows that "Uruguay is not a vegetarian destination", because it is a paradise of meat dishes - from beef, horse to chicken, pig, fish - prepared turn to Mediterranean or German, English native .

Beef and horse meat are processed and exported very much and play an important role in the economy.

3. Panama: honors the world with Panama Canal and precious dense forest

The city of Panama (the capital of this country) is most famous in Central America.

With about 4 million people, Panama is a small country in Central America - both in size and population.

But this is the Panama Canal's location, crossing the isthmus in Central America, connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

The Panama Canal was one of the most difficult and monumental construction at the time of its construction (1904 - 1914), mainly by the United States.

It is estimated that 27,500 workers died in the process of creating it.

Today, revenue from canal taxes still accounts for a significant portion of the country's GDP. Besides, trade, banking, tourism are also developing, making Panama the second most competitive economy in Latin America.

Even so, the country still preserves forests very well, accounting for 40% of the land area with many rare and precious tropical flora and fauna!

2018 was the first year Panama participated in the World Cup, but lost to Belgium in the opening match. They will also play against England on June 24 and Tunisia on June 29.

4. Croatia: The country of historic cities and 8 national parks

Ancient and mysterious beauty of Croatia.

Croatia is also a small country with a population of 4.2 million and an area of ​​about 57 square kilometers (rank 124), speaking in its own language (Croatian).

This country is located in Central Southern Europe, bordering Slovenia and Hungary in the North. Croatia has a high per capita income and human development index.

Croatia has people living from prehistoric times. By the 7th century was the residence of Croats.

By the 20th century, it was part of the Austrian empire, then belonged to the Kingdom of Persia. Croatia declared independence on June 25, 1991.

With such history, Croatian culture is the crystallization of 14-century thick, with many old cities and buildings.

The country also owns 7 World Heritage sites and 8 rich national parks. Also contributing to the world the first pen or tie.

5. Costa Rica: Smoking the most tourists in Central America

Costa Rica - address saved in the manual of nature and adventure lovers.

Like other countries in Central America, Costa Rica has an area, a small population (4.9 million people). But if you're an ecotourist, this country is a paradise. Because this is the place with the most diverse biological density in the world, the "magnet" attracts visitors in Central America.

Besides 1/4 territory as ecological conservation areas, Costa Rica also has a long coastline of 1,290km, terrain with many overlapping mountains and rivers, suitable for sports such as kayaking or rafting.

However, one of the controversies of the country's tourism industry is about " sex tourism" , which is estimated to account for 10% of the industry's revenue.

And do you know .

Another surprising thing is that nearly 1/4 of the countries participating in this year's World Cup have a population of less than 8 million people, smaller than Ho Chi Minh City (about 8.4 million people in 2016). Meanwhile, in addition to the above-mentioned five countries, there are two very few people, Denmark (5.7 million) and Serbia (7.1 million).

In addition, countries such as Switzerland (8.4 million people), Sweden (9.9 million), Portugal (10.3 million), Tunisia (11.4 million), Belgium (11.4 million) ) also has a modest population.

The most populous countries participating in this year's World Cup are Japan (127 million people), Mexico (127.5 million), Russian hosts (144.3 million), Nigeria (186 million) and "giants" Brazil (207.7 million).

With such a large population, don't be surprised at home! On the other hand, it is impossible to underestimate the remaining "small" countries, with relatively "heavy" candidates such as Portugal or Belgium.