VATICANO.

Vatican City Listeni/ˈvætɨkən ˈsɪti/, officially Vatican City State (Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano;[note 4] pronounced [ˈstaːto della t͡ʃitˈta (d)del vatiˈkaːno]), is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. It has an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of around 840.[1] This makes Vatican City the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world by both area and population.

Vatican City is an ecclesiastical[1] or sacerdotal-monarchical[2] state, ruled by the Bishop of Rome—the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergymen of various national origins. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See (Latin: Sancta Sedes) and the location of the Pope's residence, referred to as the Apostolic Palace. The Popes have generally resided in the area that in 1929 became Vatican City since the return from Avignon in 1377, but have also at times resided in the Quirinal Palace in Rome and elsewhere.

In the city are cultural sites such as St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. They feature some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. The unique economy of Vatican City is supported financially by the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications.

The independent city-state was established in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty, signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri, on behalf of Pope Pius XI and by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini on behalf of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.[7] The treaty spoke of it as a new creation (Preamble and Article III), not as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756–1870) that had previously encompassed much of central Italy.

Vatican City State is distinct from the Holy See,[note 5] which dates back to early Christianity and is the main episcopal see of 1.2 billion Latin and Eastern Catholic adherents around the globe. Ordinances of Vatican City are published in Italian; official documents of the Holy See are issued mainly in Latin. The two entities have distinct passports: the Holy See, not being a country, issues only diplomatic and service passports, whereas Vatican City State issues normal passports for its citizens.

Contents [hide]

1 Geography

1.1 Climate

1.2 Gardens

2 History

2.1 Early history

2.2 Papal States

2.3 Italian unification

2.4 Lateran treaties

2.5 World War II

2.6 1980s – present

3 Governance

3.1 Political system

3.2 Head of state

3.3 Administration

3.4 Military and police

3.5 Foreign relations

4 Economy

5 Demographics

5.1 Population and languages

5.2 Citizenship

5.2.1 Before 1 March 2011

5.2.2 After 1 March 2011

6 Culture

7 Infrastructure

7.1 Transport

7.2 Communications

8 Crime

9 See also

10 References

10.1 Notes

10.2 Footnotes

10.3 Bibliography

11 External links

Geography[edit]

Main article: Geography of Vatican City

Territory of Vatican City State according to the Lateran Treaty

The name "Vatican" predates Christianity and comes from the Latin Mons Vaticanus, meaning Vatican Mount.[8] The territory of Vatican City is part of the Mons Vaticanus, and of the adjacent former Vatican Fields. It is in this territory that St. Peter's Basilica, the Apostolic Palace, the Sistine Chapel, and museums were built, along with various other buildings. The area was part of the Roman rione of Borgo until 1929. Being separated from the city, on the west bank of the Tiber river, the area was an outcrop of the city that was protected by being included within the walls of Leo IV (847–55), and later expanded by the current fortification walls, built under Paul III (1534–49), Pius IV (1559–65) and Urban VIII (1623–44).

Map of Vatican City, highlighting notable buildings and the Vatican gardens

When the Lateran Treaty of 1929 that gave the state its form was being prepared, the boundaries of the proposed territory were influenced by the fact that much of it was all but enclosed by this loop. For some tracts of the frontier, there was no wall, but the line of certain buildings supplied part of the boundary, and for a small part of the frontier a modern wall was constructed.

The territory includes St. Peter's Square, distinguished from the territory of Italy only by a white line along the limit of the square, where it touches Piazza Pio XII. St. Peter's Square is reached through the Via della Conciliazione which runs from close to the Tiber River to St. Peter's. This grand approach was constructed by Benito Mussolini after the conclusion of the Lateran Treaty.

According to the Lateran Treaty, certain properties of the Holy See that are located in Italian territory, most notably the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo and the major basilicas, enjoy extraterritorial status similar to that of foreign embassies.[9][10] These properties, scattered all over Rome and Italy, house essential offices and institutions necessary to the character and mission of the Holy See.[10]

Castel Gandolfo and the named basilicas are patrolled internally by police agents of Vatican City State and not by Italian police. According to the Lateran Treaty (Art. 3) St. Peter's Square, up to but not including the steps leading to the basilica, is normally patrolled by the Italian police.[9]

There are no passport controls for visitors entering Vatican City from the surrounding

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