Vatican City

At a Glance

Official Name: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City)

Continent: Europe

Area: 0.17 square miles (0.44 sq. km)

Population: 880

Capital City: Vatican City

Largest City: Vatican City

Unit of Money: Vatican lira

Major Languages: Italian, Latin

Literacy: N/A

Land Use: 100% other

Natural Resources: None

Government: Monarchical-sacerdotal state

Defense: N/A

The Place

Vatican City is an independent state under the authority of the Pope, who is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At 0.17 square miles (0.44 square kilometers), Vatican City is the smallest independent country in the world.

Vatican City was established in 1929 and includes 10 buildings in Rome, as well as the Pope's residence at Castel Gandolfo. Called the "Holy See," Vatican City is the seat of the Catholic Church.

Located on Vatican Hill in northwestern Rome, this country is surrounded by walls built during medieval and Renaissance periods. The most important structure is Saint Peter's Basilica, built between the 15th and 17th centuries, and designed by several artists, including Michelangelo. Another important structure is the Palace of the Vatican, which has 1,000 rooms. It houses the papal apartments, government offices of the Roman Catholic church, and the famous Sistine Chapel.

Vatican City has its own currency, mail system, telephone and telegraph systems, water supply, bank, and jail. The Vatican also has its own railroad station, which uses its 300 yards (270 meters), of track to carry freight.

The People

About 1000 people live in Vatican City permanently, but hundreds of thousands of visitors pass through each year. Most visitors come from Italy, Germany, Spain, and South America. Up to 100,000 people listen to the Pope's annual Easter Message in St. Peter's Square each year. The inhabitants of the City, primarily priests and nuns, also include several hundred laypersons who work in secretarial, domestic, trade, and service occupations.

The Vatican City University was founded by Pope Gregory XIII and is highly regarded for its philosophical and theological studies. There are 79,141 elementary and 31,406 secondary Catholic schools throughout the world.

The Pope and the Vatican staff have the highest standard of living of any country in the world.