National parks are often seen as a badge of environmental pride. They’re a country’s way of saying, “This land matters.”
But while more than 100 countries around the world have established national parks, a small handful still haven’t.
Some are tiny and urban, others are facing conflict, and a few simply define nature protection differently.
Here’s a closer look at the countries with no officially designated national parks. We also look at why that might be.
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Countries Without National Parks
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1. Monaco
Why: The second-smallest country in the world, Monaco is just over half a square mile. It’s essentially one urban sprawl clinging to the Mediterranean coast. There’s no room for a national park, but the country maintains some small green areas and marine protection zones.
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2. San Marino
Why: This mountaintop microstate in Italy is only 24 square miles. While it has scenic vistas and a UNESCO-listed old town, it lacks designated parkland due to its compact size and urbanized landscape.
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3. Vatican City
Why: At just 0.17 square miles, the Vatican is the world’s smallest independent state — consisting entirely of religious and administrative buildings. A national park simply wouldn’t fit.
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4. Singapore
Why: Technically has no national parks by traditional definition, though it features a sophisticated network of nature reserves and green corridors. Singapore is a case of redefining conservation within a dense urban environment. However, it does seem like Singapore could have a protected body of water around its city/state.
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5. Bahrain
Why: This island nation in the Persian Gulf has protected areas (like the Al Areen Wildlife Park), but no officially designated national parks. Much of its land is urbanized or desert, and conservation has not been a historical priority.
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6. Qatar
Why: Though rich in desert landscapes and mangroves, Qatar has no designated national park system. There are some natural preserves and UNESCO biosphere zones, but nothing under a unified national park framework.
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7. Somalia
Why: Political instability and decades of conflict have made environmental governance difficult. Somalia has stunning natural areas, but no formal protection via national parks.
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8. North Korea
Why: Information is limited, but North Korea has no officially listed national parks under global conservation databases. There are nature reserves, but their access and management are tightly controlled.
Image by Marla Prusik via Unsplash
The absence of a national park doesn’t mean a country doesn’t value nature, but it often reveals something about land use, priorities, and policy.
In an age of climate urgency and habitat loss, the act of protecting land should be paramount, provided a country is able to make space for it.
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