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Vatican City is an independent state. It is an enclave within the city of Rom, Italy. It is surrounded by Rome. The entire state is about 44 hectares and thus it is a European microstate. It is the smallest nation in the world, which is created in 1929 by the Lateran treaties and a vestige of the much larger former Papal States. Since it is governed by the Bishop of Rome and serves as the world headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. So Vatican City can be said to be the governmental capital of the Catholic Church.
| Country Name : | Vatican City |
| Capital : | Vatican City |
| Largest City : | Vatican City |
| Official Language : | Latin, Italian |
| Government : | Absolute elective monarchy |
| President : | (Governor) Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo |
| Prime Minister : | (Head of State) Pope Benedict XVI |
| Area : | 0.44 kmē |
| Area Rank : | 232nd |
| Population : | 932 |
| Population Rank : | 229th |
| Density : | 1,780/kmē |
| Density Rank : | 6th |
| GDP Total : | N/A |
| GDP Total Rank : | N/A |
| GDP per Capita : | N/A |
| GDP per Capita Rank : | N/A |
| Currency : | Euro |
| Time Zone : | CET (UTC+1) |
| Internet TLD : | .va |
| Calling Code : | +39 |
| Geographic Coordinates : | 41 54 N, 12 27 E |
| Railways : | N/A |
| Highways : | N/A |
| Waterways : | N/A |
| Internet Users : | 93 |
| Radio Users : | N/A |
| Mobile Users : | N/A |
| Telephone Users : | 5,120 |
| Population Growth : | 0.01% |
| Birth Rate : | N/A |
| Death Rate : | N/A |
| Airport : | N/A |
Description :
Pre-History: - Before the arrival of Christianity, it is supposed that this was originally uninhabited part of Rome. The area was also the site of worship to the Phrygian goddess Cybele and her consort Atfis during Roman times. Agrippina the Elder drained the hill and environs and built her gardens there in the 1st century A.D. Caligula started construction of a circus in AD 40 that was then after completed by Nero. This area became the site of martyrdom of many Christians after the great fire of Rome in AD 64. Ancient tradition holds that it was in circus that St. Peter was crucified upside down. Opposite the circus was a cemetery separated by the Via Cornelia. Before the construction of the Constantine Basilica of St Peter, funeral monuments and mausoleums, small tombs, and altars to pagan gods were also constructed Remains of this ancient necropolis were brought to light sporadically during renovations by various popes throughout the centuries increasing in frequency during the Renaissanee until it was systematically excavated by Pius XII.
The tome of St Peter: - In 326, the Constrainian basilica was built over the site that later Catholic apologists argue was the tomb of St. Peter, buried in a common cemetery on the spot.
19th Century: - Popes in their secular role gradually came to govern neigghbouring regions and through the Popal States, ruled a large portion of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when most of the territory of the Popal States was seized by the newly created Kingdom of Italy.
18th to 19th Century: - In 1870, the Pope's holdings were left in an uncertain situation when Rome itself was annexed by the Piedmontese after a nominal resistance by the papal forces. The popes were left between 1870 and 1929 in a situation like that of the last emperor of China. They were undisturbed in their palace and given certain recognitions by the love of Guarantors, including the right to send and receive ambassadors. But they did not recognize the Italian kings right to send and receive ambassadors. But they did not recognize the Italian kings right to reign in Rome, and they refused to leave the Vatican compound until the dispute was resolved in 1929. Pope Pius IX was the last ruler of the Papal Sates. He told that he became a "Prisoner in the Vatican" after Rome was annexed. This situation was resolved on 11th Feb 1929 under the premiership of Mussolini, by the three treaties, which established the independent State of the Vatican City and granted Catholicism special status in Italy.
Art: - The Vatican City is of great cultural significance. Its St. Peters Basilica and the Sister Chapel are very beautiful buildings in the world. The Vatican Library and the collections of the Vatican Museums are of the highest historical, scientific and cultural importance. In 1984, the Vatican was added by UNESCO to the list of World Heritage Sites Adjacent to the basilica and square is the Palace of the Vatican, which also known as the Papal Palace. It is a complex of buildings that has more than 1000 rooms and houses the papal apartments, the government offices of the Roman Catholic Church, several chapels and museums and the Vatican library. The very well known part of the palace is the Sistine Chapel. Its most attracted place is its barrel-vaulted ceiling, which was painted by Michelangelo. Well-known artists like Sandro Botticelli, Pinturicchio, Luca Signorells and Domenico Ghirlandaio painted the chapel's walls. Great artist Raphael painted its rooms.
Museums: - The Gregorian Museum of Egyptian Art, the Gregorian Museum of Ethuscan Art, the Pio clementino Museum, the Vatican Pinacoteca and its art gallery are outstanding examples of Vatican museums.
Dress Code: - Vatican City has a strict dress code-enforced within its city walls. In this dress code, Sleeveless shirts, shorts skirts above the knees, shirts exposing the navel and hats are prohibited.
Location: - Vatican City is an enclave, which located within the city of Rome, Italy. It is surrounded by Rome.
Area: - The total area of Vatican City is about 0.44 sq. km. Moreover the country occupies a triangular area on Vatican Hill, in northwestern Rome, just west of the Tiber River. The Vatican City is the smallest sovereign state in the world at 0.44 sq. km.
Population: - According to the 2005 estimate, the total population of the Vatican City was about 783.
Climate: - The climate of the Vatican City is the same as Rome's, a temperate, Mediterranean climate with mild rainy winters from September to mid-May and hot, dry summers from May to August.
Capital: - Vatican City is a capital as well as the largest city of the country.
euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
| 1.00 - (Vatican City ) | = | USD - (United States Dollars) |
| 1.00 USD - (United States Dollars) | = | - (Vatican City ) |
| Unit | Currency Name | EUR/Unit | Unit/EUR |
The economy of Vatican City is not also unique but also non-commercial, which is financially supported by contributions from Catholics, the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementoes, fees for admission to museums and the sale of publications.
Transport and Communications: - The Vatican City has no airports. There is only one heliport and an 852 meters standard gauge railway that connects to Italy's network at Rome's Saint Peter's station. The railway was planned to transport pilgrims, as was intended during the reign of Pius XI but have only been rarely used to transport passengers. Pope John XXIII was the first to make use of the railway and Pope John Paul II was known to have used it as well very rarely. The railway is mainly used only to transport freight.
Vatican City has its independent, modern telephone system, and post office.
Currency: - Vatican City has used the euro as its currency since January 1, 1999 from a special agreement with the EU.
Bank: - Vatican City has its own bank.
Population: - Vatican City has about 932 citizens, who live inside the country's walls. Its population consists manly of clearly, including high dignitaries, priests, nuns and Swiss Guard. There are also about 3,000 lay workers.
Religion: - Roman Catholicism is the main religion of the Vatican City. All the citizens of the city are Roman Catholic. There are no other places of worship inside the Vatican City other than private Catholic Chapels and St Peter's Basilica.
Latin is the official language of the Vatican City. Italian and some other languages are generally used for mostly conversations, publications and broadcasts. German is the official language of the Swiss Guard. The Vatican's official website languages are Italian, German, English, French Spanish and Portuguese.
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