The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to Vatican City:
Vatican City – an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical[1] state, being the sovereign territory of the Holy See and ruled by the Bishop of Rome—the Pope, the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church. The territory of this landlocked sovereign city-state consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of approximately 49 hectares (121 acres)[2] and a population of about 825.[3] This makes Vatican City the smallest independent state in the world by both area and population.
General reference
- Pronunciation: /ˈvætɪkən/ ⓘ
- Common English country name: Vatican City
- Official English country name: Vatican City State[4][5]
- Common endonym(s): Vatican City State
- Official endonym(s): Stato della Città del Vaticano (pronounced [ˈstaːto della tʃitˈta ddel vatiˈkaːno]),[6]
- Adjectival(s): Vatican
- Demonym(s): Citizen of Vatican City[7]
- Etymology: See Vatican Hill
- ISO country codes: VA, VAT, 336
- ISO region codes: none
- Internet country code top-level domain: .va
Geography of Vatican City
- Vatican City is:
- Land boundaries: Italy 3.2 km
- Coastline: none
- Population: 825 (2019) - 240th
- Size: 0.49 square kilometres (0.19 sq mi) - 258th
- Atlas of Vatican City
Location of Vatican City
- Vatican City is situated within the following regions:
- Extreme points of Vatican City High: unnamed location 75 m (246 ft); Low: Saint Peter's Square 33 m (108 ft)
Environment of Vatican City
- Climate of Vatican City
- Ecoregions in Vatican City: none
- Protected areas of Vatican City: none
Natural geographic features of Vatican City
Vatican City is an enclave in an urban area, and lacks the geographic features common to (much larger) countries:
- Lakes: none
- Mountains: none
- Rivers: none
- Valleys: none
- World Heritage Sites in Vatican City: Vatican City is itself a World Heritage Site
Regions of Vatican City
- None
- Vatican City is inside Rome, which in turn lies within the Lazio region of Italy
- Vatican City lies next to the Borgo district in Rome.
Ecoregions of Vatican City
- None
Administrative divisions of Vatican City
- Vatican City has no administrative divisions.
Demography of Vatican City
Government and politics of Vatican City
- Form of government: Ecclesiastical;[8] sacerdotal-monarchical;[1] absolute monarchy;[9] elective monarchy;[10] elective theocracy (disputed application).[11]
- Capital: Vatican City
- Association of Vatican Lay Workers
- Elections in Vatican City
- Political parties in Vatican City: none. Vatican City is in the jurisdiction of the Holy See, which has absolute authority over it.
- Political scandals of Vatican City Banco Ambrosiano; Gone with the Wind in the Vatican; Roman Question
- Vatican Apostolic Archive
Branches of the government of Vatican City
Executive branch of the government of Vatican City
- Head of state: Pope, currently Leo XIV
- De facto head of government: President of the Governatorate of Vatican City, Giuseppe Bertello
- Governatorate of Vatican City
Legislative branch of the government of Vatican City
Judicial branch of the government of Vatican City
Foreign relations of Vatican City
- Foreign relations of Vatican City – Vatican City State is a recognised national territory under international law, but it is the Holy See that conducts diplomatic relations on its behalf, in addition to the Holy See's own diplomacy, entering into international agreements in its regard. See also Foreign relations of the Holy See
- Diplomatic missions in Vatican City: none (Vatican City maintains diplomatic relations with no one, only the Holy See does. See below). Because Vatican City is too small, diplomatic missions accredited to the Holy See are situated in Rome, not in Vatican City. Diplomatic missions to the Holy See
- Diplomatic missions of Vatican City: none. (See below). The Holy See, which Vatican City is the sovereign territory of, maintains diplomatic relations with 176 countries. Diplomatic missions of the Holy See
International organization membership
International organization membership of Vatican City Vatican City State is a member of:[12]
Law and order in Vatican City
- Constitution: Fundamental Law of Vatican City State
- Capital punishment in Vatican City: abolished in 1969
- Crime in Vatican City (committed mostly by tourists)
- Human rights in Vatican City LGBT rights in Vatican City
- Lateran Treaty
- Law enforcement in Vatican City
Military in Vatican City
Vatican City State has no military, but resident within it is the Swiss Guard.
Military in Vatican City
- Command
- Forces — Vatican City lies within Rome, the capital of Italy, and therefore defense is the responsibility of Italy. Army of Vatican City: none, see Military in Vatican City; Army of Italy; Navy of Vatican City: none, see Navy of Italy; Air Force of Vatican City: none, see Aeronautica Militare; Special forces of Vatican City: none, see Special forces of Italy
- Military ranks in Vatican City
Local government in Vatican City
- Being a city-state, the government of Vatican City is also the local government.
History of Vatican City
- History of the Papacy
- Governor of Vatican City
- Military history of Vatican City History of the Swiss Guard; Sack of Rome (1527)
Culture of Vatican City
- Architecture of Vatican City
- National symbols of Vatican City Coat of arms of Vatican City; Flag of Vatican City; National anthem of Vatican City
- People of Vatican City
- Religion in Vatican City – Vatican City is the sovereign territory and headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and home of the Pope Christianity Catholicism Roman Catholic Church Pope; Vicar General for Vatican City
- World Heritage Sites in Vatican City: Vatican City is itself a World Heritage Site
Art in Vatican City
- Art in Vatican City
- Literature of Vatican City Vatican Library; Vatican Apostolic Archive
- Music of Vatican City
Sports in Vatican City
- Cricket in Vatican City
- Football in Vatican City Vatican City national football team
- Vatican City at the Olympics: has not competed
Economy and infrastructure of Vatican City
- Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007):
- Economy type: noncommercial (based on donations from church-goers) Church tax; Peter's Pence
- Agriculture in Vatican City: None. See Vatican Gardens.
- Banking in Vatican City Vatican Bank
- Communications in Vatican City Internet in Vatican City .va; Vatican Library; L'Osservatore Romano; Octava Dies; Vatican Radio
- Companies of Vatican City: none
- Currency of Vatican City: Euro (see also: Euro topics) Former currency: Vatican lira; ISO 4217: EUR
- Health care in Vatican City Vatican Pharmacy
- Mining in Vatican City: none
- Tourism in Vatican City
- Transportation in Vatican City Airports in Vatican City: none. Rome is served by two airports which are used by travellers to the Vatican.; Rail transport in Vatican City; Roads in Vatican City (see map) Being only 1.05 km long and 0.85 km wide,[13] Vatican City has no highways.; Vatican City has access roads and driveways. (See map)
Education in Vatican City
- Academies in Vatican City:
- Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vatican Library) Includes the Vatican School of Librarianship
- Congregation for Catholic Education
- Vatican School of Palaeography, Diplomacy, and Archivistry, run by the Vatican Apostolic Archive.
- Vatican City is too small to host extensive educational facilities, but the Holy See operates 64 academic institutions close by (in Rome). The major ones are: Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum); Pontifical Gregorian University; Pontifical Urbaniana University; Pontifical Lateran University; Pontifical University of the Holy Cross; Salesian Pontifical University; Pontifical University Antonianum
References
- 1.[1.2]"catholic-pages.com". catholic-pages.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- 2.The De Agostini Atlas Calendar listed the area of Vatican City as 0.44 km2 in its 1930 edition but corrected it to 0.49 km2 in its 1945–46 edition. The figure of 0.44 km2 is still widely cited by many sources despite its inaccuracy.
- 3.453 residents and 372 nonresident citizens.
- 4."Vatican City State Institutional Portal". Archived from the original on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
- 5."International Telecommunication Union Member States". Archived from the original on 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
- 6."Stato della Città del Vaticano" is the name used in the state's founding document, the Treaty between the Holy See and Italy Archived 2012-03-09 at the Wayback Machine, article 26.
- 7.Cf. The Geography Site, "What do call a person from ?" Archived 2008-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
- 8."Holy See (Vatican City)". CIA—The World Factbook. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- 9."Internet portal of Vatican City State". Vatican City State. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- 10.Gerhard Robbers, Encyclopedia of World Constitutions (Infobase Publishing 2006 Archived 2022-12-04 at the Wayback Machine ISBN 978-0-81606078-8), p. 1009
- 11.Nick Megoran, "Theocracy" in International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, vol. 11, Elsevier 2009 Archived 2016-03-09 at the Wayback Machine ISBN 978-0-08-044911-1, p.226| Quote:elective theocracy (although its representatives would be unlikely to accept that label)
- 12."Holy See (Vatican City)". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. July 2, 2009. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
- 13."Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-05-29. Retrieved 2020-03-15.