The term "shortest" can refer to either the average height of a country's population or the country's land area.
- By Average Height: Timor Leste, also known as East Timor, is the country with the shortest average height in the world, with an average height of just 156.42 centimeters.
- By Land Area: Vatican City is the smallest country in the world by land area, followed by Monaco and Nauru.
The question is ambiguous, so it's essential to consider both interpretations of "shortest" to find the most appropriate answer.
