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Introduction - Holy See (Vatican City)
Background:
Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more
than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States
were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings
were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a
series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran
Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted
Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy
See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the
primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of
the Holy See include religious freedom, international development, the
environment, the Middle East, China, the decline of religion in Europe,
terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of
church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About one billion
people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.
Geography - Holy See (Vatican City)
Location:
Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)
Geographic coordinates:
41 54 N, 12 27 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 0.44 sq km
country comparison to the world: 249
land: 0.44 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 0.7 times the size of The National Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 3.2 km
border countries: Italy 3.2 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
Current Weather
temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to
September)
Terrain:
urban; low hill
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: unnamed location 19 m
highest point: unnamed location 75 m
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (urban area) (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
NA
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; beyond the
territorial boundary of Vatican City, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 grants the Holy
See extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome and five outside of Rome,
including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence)
People - Holy See (Vatican City)
Population:
829 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 235
Population growth rate:
0.004% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
Urbanization:
urban population: 100% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: none
adjective: none
Ethnic groups:
Italians, Swiss, other
Religions:
Roman Catholic
Languages:
Italian, Latin, French, various other languages
Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100%
Government - Holy See (Vatican City)
Country name:
conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City)
conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City)
local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano)
local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)
Government type:
ecclesiastical
Capital:
name: Vatican City
geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in
October
Administrative divisions:
none
Independence:
11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the three treaties signed with Italy on 11
February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the full sovereignty of the
Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal
States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced
back to the 8th century
National holiday:
Election Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 19 April (2005)
Constitution:
Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective
22 February 2001 (replaced the first Fundamental Law of 1929)
Legal system:
based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage:
limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Executive branch:
chief of state: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19 April 2005)
head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio BERTONE (since 15
September 2006)
cabinet: Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City appointed by the
pope
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held
on 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of the current pope);
secretary of state appointed by the pope
election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected Pope BENEDICT XVI
Legislative branch:
unicameral Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State
Judicial branch:
there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within
Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See
note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio, papal directive, of
Pope PIUS XII on 1 May 1946
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)
International organization participation:
CE (observer), IAEA, Interpol, IOM (observer), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, OAS (observer),
OPCW, OSCE, Schengen Convention (de facto member), UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR,
Union Latina (observer), UNWTO (observer), UPU, WFTU, WIPO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Pietro SAMBI
chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121
FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Miguel Humberto DIAZ
embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome
mailing address: PSC 833, Box 66, APO AE 09624
telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428
FAX: [39] (06) 575-3411
Flag description:
two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the arms of the Holy
See, consisting of the crossed keys of Saint Peter surmounted by the
three-tiered papal tiara, centered in the white band; the yellow color
represents the pope's spiritual power, the white his worldly power
Economy - Holy See (Vatican City)
Economy - overview:
The Holy See is supported financially by a variety of sources, including
investments, real estate income, and donations from Catholic individuals,
dioceses, and institutions; these help fund the Roman Curia (Vatican
bureaucracy), diplomatic missions, and media outlets. The separate Vatican City
State budget includes the Vatican museums and post office and is supported
financially by the sale of stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; by fees
for admission to museums; and by publications sales. Moreover, an annual
collection taken up in dioceses and direct donations go to a non-budgetary fund
known as Peter's Pence, which is used directly by the Pope for charity, disaster
relief, and aid to churches in developing nations. The incomes and living
standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the
city of Rome.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$NA
Labor force:
NA
Labor force - by occupation:
note: essentially services with a small amount of industry; nearly all
dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and the approximately 3,000 lay workers live
outside the Vatican
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Budget:
revenues: $355.5 million
expenditures: $356.8 million (2008)
Industries:
printing; production of coins, medals, postage stamps; mosaics and staff
uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities
Electricity - production:
NA kWh
Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh
Electricity - imports:
NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy; a small portion of electricity is
self-produced from solar panels
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7338 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964
(2006), 0.8041 (2005)
Communications - Holy See (Vatican City)
Telephones - main lines in use:
5,120 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 212
Telephone system:
general assessment: automatic digital exchange
domestic: connected via fiber optic cable to Telecom Italia network
international: country code - 39; uses Italian system
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2008)
Internet country code:
.va
Internet hosts:
63 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 205
Military - Holy See (Vatican City)
Military branches:
Pontifical Swiss Guard Corps (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera Pontificia) (2010)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Italy; ceremonial and limited security duties
performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard
Transnational Issues - Holy See (Vatican City)
Disputes - international:
none
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