Always remember that \(1\) is excluded from the set of prime numbers.
The set of prime numbers starts as: \(\{2, 3, 5, 7, 11, \dots\}\).
This makes \(2\) the smallest and only even prime number.
Step 1: Define a prime number. A prime number is a natural number greater than 1 that has exactly two distinct factors: 1 and itself. Step 2: Check if 1 is prime. The number 1 has only one factor (itself), so it does NOT qualify as a prime number by definition. Step 3: Verify that 2 is the smallest prime. The number 2 has exactly two factors (1 and 2), making it prime. It is also the only even prime number, so it is the smallest. \[ \boxed{2} \]