10. Tonga
The archipelago that makes up Tonga, with about 170 islands of which 36 are inhabited, is neighbored by Fiji to the northwest, Samoa to the north and NIU to the northeast. The nation has reportedly kept the coronavirus off of its shores by restricting cruise ships in the early stages of the pandemic, closing airports and even instituting a national lockdown, according to The Associated Press, though the country has still seen no cases.
9. Tokelau
Consisting of three tropical coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, Tokelau is a dependent territory of New Zealand, although both governments in New Zealand and Tokelau call it a nation. The three atolls have a combined land area of 4 square miles, and the capital rotates annually between the three atolls.
With no airport, Tokelau is accessible primarily by ship. With a population of about 1,500 residents, Tokelau calls itself the first nation to be completely powered by renewable energy.
8. Saint Helena
A British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean, Saint Helena is considered one of the most remote locales in the world, lying more than 1,200 miles from the west coast of southwestern Africa and 2,500 miles east of Rio de Janeiro on the South American coastline. A population of roughly 4,500 occupies the 10 mile-by-5 mile island, which was uninhabited until its discovery by the Portuguese in 1502.
7. Pitcairn Islands
The Pitcairn Islands are a group of four volcanic islands that form the only British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. Believed to have fewer than 50 full-time residents, the islands are among the least populous national jurisdictions in the world. Residents are biracial, having descended primarily from Tahitians and, famously, mutineers of the British HMS Bounty, who arrived at Pitcairn in 1790.
Despite no reported COVID-19 cases, the U.S. government has warned of a high risk of contracting infectious diseases on the islands.
6. North Korea
North Korea is one of only two non-island nations to make this list, although its reporting of zero cases of the novel coronavirus has been questioned. North Korea shares a border with China and South Korea, which some believe would make the reporting of zero cases improbable. North Korea, the largest nation to report zero cases, with a population of 25 million, has instituted a strict lockdown, travel restrictions, and closed its borders, according to The Associated Press.
5. NIU
Located about 1,500 miles northeast of New Zealand where it is politically associated, the island nation of NIU is one of the world’s largest coral islands, and the westernmost island of the Cook Islands, although it operates independently. The country has received support from New Zealand to help combat COVID-19.
4. Nauru
Neighboring Kiribati, Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world by size; the single island, just over 8 square miles, is home to one of the smallest populations in the world for a country, at around 10,000. The country has reportedly kept the coronavirus at bay through similar travel restrictions to their neighboring island nations.
3. Kiribati
Thirty-two atolls, circular coral reefs, and one raised limestone island, make up Kiribati, located about 2,000 miles southwest of Hawaii. The country, one of the few nations located in all four hemispheres, instituted travel restrictions to combat COVID-19 early on, made easier given that only a handful of airlines make the trip to the remote nation.
2. Federated States of Micronesia
While the Federated States of Micronesia, made up of more than 600 islands, take up fewer than 300 combined square miles of land between four states, it occupies around 1 million square miles of ocean. Although the country has reported zero cases of COVID-19 according to the World Health Organization, it has received support from the United States, China and Japan throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
1. Cook Islands
Made up of 15 small islands, the Cook Islands is an island nation located in the South Pacific, more than 2,000 miles northeast of New Zealand, where it is politically linked. The country has reportedly kept the virus out with mandatory quarantining upon entry, and temporarily banning recreational boats from its ports, including cruise ships.
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