The synthesis of highly strained [5]cycloparaphenylene ([5]CPP), a structural unit of the periphery of C-60 and the shortest possible structural constituent of the sidewall of a (5,5) carbon nanotube, was achieved in nine steps in 17% overall yield. The synthesis relied on metal-mediated ring closure of a triethylsilyl (TES)-protected masked precursor 1c followed by removal of the TES groups and subsequent reductive aromatization. UV-vis and electrochemical studies revealed that the HOMO-LUMO gap of [5]CPP is narrow and is comparable to that of C-60, as predicted by theoretical calculations. The results suggest that [5]CPP should be an excellent lead compound for molecular electronics.