is the Milky Way is the smallest galaxy in the Local Group?

Answer 1

Nope, in fact it's one of the largest. The Local Group consists of the Andromeda Galaxy (a spiral galaxy a lot like the Milky Way, but a tad bit larger and more massive), the Milky Way, and a bunch of other "dwarf" galaxies that are barely worth mentioning. Go to this web site for more information: http://www.seds.org/messier/more/local.html