Vatican City

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Vatican City

Area: 0.17 sq mi (0.44 sq km) / World Rank: 207
Location: Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, in southern Europe, surrounded by Italy.
Coordinates: 41°54?N, 12°27?E
Borders: 2 sq mi (3.2 sq km), all with Italy
Coastline: None
Territorial Seas: None
Highest Point: unnamed location, 246 ft (75 m)
Lowest Point: unnamed location, 62 ft (19 m)
Longest River: None
Largest Lake: None
Natural Hazards: None
Population: 890 (July 2001 est.) / World Rank: 206
Capital City: Vatican City
Largest City: Vatican City, 890 (2001 est.)

OVERVIEW

Vatican City (the Holy See; the Vatican) is an urban, landlocked, enclave of Rome, Italy. It is the world's smallest state, located on the west bank of the Tiber River and to the west of the Castel Sant'Angelo. On the west and south it is bounded by the Leonine Wall. Vatican City is the administrative center of the Roman Catholic Church and the home of the Pope. It contains the following buildings and landmarks: St. Peter's Square; St. Peter's Basilica, the largest Christian church in the world; a quadrangular area north of the square containing administrative buildings and the Belvedere Park; the pontifical palaces to the west of Belvedere Park; and the Vatican Gardens, which occupy about half the area.

Certain areas in and near Rome are designated as extraterritorial to the Holy See, and receive tax exemption from the Italian government because of their association with the Vatican. Outside Rome, the sites include Castel Gandolfo, the pope's summer villa and its environs (almost 100 acres / 40 hectares) and Santa Maria de Galeria (about 1,037 acres / 420 hectares), some 12 mi (19.3 km) from Rome.

MOUNTAINS AND HILLS

The principality is built on a slight hill, but the variation in elevation is less than 200 ft (60 m).

INLAND WATERWAYS

Italy's Tiber River flows nearby, but there are no waterways within the Vatican City itself.

THE COAST, ISLANDS, AND THE OCEAN

Vatican City is landlocked.

CLIMATE AND VEGETATION

Temperature

Vatican City's climate may be characterized as temperate. The temperature in January averages 45°F (7°C) and in July, 75°F (24°C). The gardens of Vatican City, featuring cultivated plants such as orchids, are world-renowned.

Rainfall

The rainy season is winter (September to mid-May), while there is very little rainfall from May to September. The annual rainfall averages 20 in (50 cm).

HUMAN POPULATION

Due to its small size and unusual nature, Vatican City does not have natives in the usual sense of the word. Its population is made up entirely of clergymen and other functionaries of the Roman Catholic Church who were born elsewhere.