Nations of the world - Vatican City

Geography and History

• The Vatican City State is located in the heart of Rome, Italy, on the west bank of the Tiber River.
• Its official name is "Vatican City State," also known by its Latin name "Status Civitatis Vaticanæ".
• The Vatican has been associated with Vatican Hill, one of Rome's hills, since ancient times.
• The Lateran Accords signed in 1929 between Benito Mussolini and Pope Pius XI gave the Vatican the status of an independent state.
• The Vatican is the world's smallest independent and least populous nation, with an area of 0.44 km² and around 800 inhabitants.
• The head of state of the Vatican is the Pope, who is also the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Languages and Diplomacy

• Italian is the official language of the Vatican for day-to-day business, while Latin is mainly used in liturgical contexts.
• French has been the Vatican's official diplomatic language since the 17th century.
• The Vatican's spiritual entity is known as the "Holy See," which represents the Pope and the organs of pontifical government.

Vatican Buildings and Museums

• St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the West, is located in the Vatican and was built to replace an old basilica.
• The Sistine Chapel, one of the Vatican Museums' chapels, is famous for its ceiling fresco by Michelangelo.
• The Vatican Museums include the Pinacoteca, which exhibits Italian religious paintings, and other museums, galleries, chapels and rooms.
• The Vatican Gardens, laid out in the 13th century, occupy a third of Vatican City and combine different garden styles.
• St. Peter's Square is an elliptical esplanade lined with colonnades designed by Bernini, with an obelisk in the center.

Religion and the Papacy

• The Vatican is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, where the Pope exercises his ministry.
• Conclaves for the election of a new pope take place in the Sistine Chapel, and the announcement is made with white smoke and the words "Habemus papam" (We have a pope).
• The Vatican has its own Swiss Guard for the security of the Pope and Vatican City.

Culture and Art

• The Vatican Museums house important art collections, including frescoes by Michelangelo, works by Raphael and ancient sculptures.
• Vatican City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its artistic, cultural and architectural importance.

Miscellaneous

• The Vatican has its own national soccer team, although it is not a member of FIFA or UEFA.
• Tourism, thanks largely to the Vatican Museums, is the Vatican's main source of revenue.
• The euro has been the Vatican's official currency since 1999.
• The Vatican railroad line is the world's shortest national rail network, linking the Vatican railway station to the Rome-San Pietro railway station.
• The Italians bombed the Vatican in 1943 during the Second World War because of suspicions that Vatican Radio was sending coded messages to the Allies.

Further Information

• The Vatican City (Wikipedia)
• Vatican Museums (official website)
• Official website of the Vatican City State