History UsefulNotes / VaticanCity

* '''Highest point:''' Vatican Hill (71 m/233 ft) (206th)

* '''Highest point:''' Vatican Hill (71 m/233 ft) (191st)

* '''Highest point:''' Vatican Hill (71 m/233 ft) (190th)

* '''Area:''' 0.49 km² (0.19 sq mi) (194th)

* '''Lowest point:''' Saint Peter's Square (33 m/108 ft) (47th)

* '''Lowest point:''' Pacific Ocean (33 m/108 ft) (47th)

** The Vatican has been assigned the calling code 379, but does not use it, choosing instead to integrate its phone system with that of Italy.

* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' VA

* '''Area:''' 0.49 km (0.19 sq mi) (194th)

** Sovereign entity
Holy See

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The Holy See (''not'' the Vatican as a state which is member of jack squat) is not a member of the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations, but has Permanent Observer status. Remarkably, this situation is the result of the Church's sense of honor: since the UN holds freedom and democracy as one of its highest values, and the Vatican is neither free nor democratic (as it is technically an absolute monarchy and all its inhabitants are either clergy or Swiss Guards oath-bound to obey the Pope), it declines full membership out of honesty. This isn't to say that the Church is opposed to freedom or democracy -- quite the opposite -- but that the Vatican works best as it is, and nobody complains (it is the only state in the world where everyone who lives there has made an active and completely voluntary choice to do so[[note]]For very obvious reasons, no one can be a natural born citizen of Vatican City. Even in the off chance of, say, a pregnant tourist going into labor and delivering without being able to be transported to a Roman hospital, Vatican City has a policy of ''jus officii'', where citizenship is granted only to those who have an official position and therefore a reason to be there. A child born in that position would be considered to be born on Italy. As Italy itself does not grant primary citizenship based on birthplace (''jus soli''), the child's citizenship would be governed by the relevant laws of his/her parent's home country. The legal fiction of a Vatican child being a born Italian was established as an ObviousRulePatch, in case such a child were born to stateless parents, in order to give the child a citizenship of last resort; Italy doesn't grant ''primary citizenship based on birthplace, but a child can claim Italian citizenship if he/she is not otherwise entitled to any other.[[/note]]). Vatican City also does not participate in UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion, its income primarily consisting of contributions from believers around the world, as well as its tourist sector, although it uses the Euro as currency and has a deal with the EU to mint - highly sought after - "Vatican Euros".[[note]] The same goes for UsefulNotes/{{Monaco}} and UsefulNotes/SanMarino but not for UsefulNotes/{{Kosovo}} and UsefulNotes/{{Montenegro}}, which use the Euro unilaterally. Andorra until 2014 used the Euro without minting its own coins but has since signed a treaty with the EU to that effect[[/note]]

The Holy See (''not'' the Vatican as a state which is member of jack squat) is not a member of the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations, but has Permanent Observer status. Remarkably, this situation is the result of the Church's sense of honor: since the UN holds freedom and democracy as one of its highest values, and the Vatican is neither free nor democratic (as it is technically an absolute monarchy and all its inhabitants are either clergy or Swiss Guards oath-bound to obey the Pope), it declines full membership out of honesty. This isn't to say that the Church is opposed to freedom or democracy -- quite the opposite -- but that the Vatican works best as it is, and nobody complains (it is the only state in the world where everyone who lives there has made an active and completely voluntary choice to do so[[note]]For very obvious reasons, no one can be a natural born citizen of Vatican City.[[/note]]). Vatican City also does not participate in UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion, its income primarily consisting of contributions from believers around the world, as well as its tourist sector, although it uses the Euro as currency and has a deal with the EU to mint - highly sought after - "Vatican Euros".[[note]] The same goes for UsefulNotes/{{Monaco}} and UsefulNotes/SanMarino but not for UsefulNotes/{{Kosovo}} and UsefulNotes/{{Montenegro}}, which use the Euro unilaterally. Andorra until 2014 used the Euro without minting its own coins but has since signed a treaty with the EU to that effect[[/note]]

* The Vatican's mentioned as a minor background character in ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia,'' primarily as an aging (and apparently grumpy) priest who's at odds with both Italies. And who has a grudge with England (see UsefulNotes/HenryVIII).

* In ''[[Literature/DonCamillo Don Camillo: Monsignor]]'' (1961 film), Don Camillo becomes a ''Monsignore'' (bishop) and briefly goes to the Vatican at the beginning.

The country is ruled by UsefulNotes/{{the Pope}}, which is also the ruler of the Holy See, that is, the government of the Roman Catholic Church whose influence extends far outside the city's walls. This makes the pope one of the Roman Catholic religious leader that also leads a country, the other being the Bishop of Urgell of UsefulNotes/{{Andorra}}. While Castel Gandolfo (the summer residence of the pope and current home to "pope emeritus" Joseph Ratzinger) and other places belong to the church, they are ''not'' as is often assumed exclaves of the Vatican in any diplomatic sense. However, UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} does not usually press the matter, so the point is moot for all but geography nerds.

* ''Film/TheAgonyAndTheEcstasy'', which tells the story of the creation of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling fresco paintings and the feud between Creator/MichelangeloBuonarroti and his patron, UsefulNotes/PopeJuliusII.

* Shows up in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' as the site of the final mission, with the bulk of it taking place in the Sistine Chapel. In [[ShownTheirWork a nod to history]], the Chapel's ceiling lacks its famous fresco painting, as the level takes place in the year 1499, before the fresco was put in. The sequel, ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'', also features the Vatican prominently (what with the game being set in Rome and all), and has you breaking in several times.

The country is ruled by [[UsefulNotes/ThePope the pope]], which is also the ruler of the Holy See, that is, the government of the Roman Catholic Church whose influence extends far outside the city's walls. This makes the pope one of the Roman Catholic religious leader that also leads a country, the other being the Bishop of Urgell of UsefulNotes/{{Andorra}}. While Castel Gandolfo (the summer residence of the pope and current home to "pope emeritus" Joseph Ratzinger) and other places belong to the church, they are ''not'' as is often assumed exclaves of the Vatican in any diplomatic sense. However, UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} does not usually press the matter, so the point is moot for all but geography nerds.

Vatican City, officially known as Vatican City State ('''Italian:''' ''Stato della Città del Vaticano'', '''Latin:''' ''Status Civitatis Vaticanae''), is the world's smallest country, a sovereign city-state located entirely within UsefulNotes/{{Rome}}. Created by the Lateran Treaties of 1929, it had a previous, and far more powerful incarnation - UsefulNotes/ThePapalStates. It is perhaps the only currently existing RealLife example of TheTheocracy as well as one of the most famous examples of a HolyCity. It is also unique in the modern world in having Latin as its official language[[note]]Technically, Latin is the official language of the Holy See, the Christian body which oversees the administration of the city-state[[/note]], though its newspaper, ''L'Osservatore Romano'', is published primarily in Italian.

Vatican City, officially known as Vatican City State ('''Italian:''' ''Stato della Città del Vaticano''), is the world's smallest country, a sovereign city-state located entirely within UsefulNotes/{{Rome}}. Created by the Lateran Treaties of 1929, it had a previous, and far more powerful incarnation - UsefulNotes/ThePapalStates. It is perhaps the only currently existing RealLife example of TheTheocracy as well as one of the most famous examples of a HolyCity. It is also unique in the modern world in having Latin as its official language, though its newspaper, ''L'Osservatore Romano'', is published primarily in Italian.

The country is ruled by [[UsefulNotes/ThePope the pope]], which is also the ruler of the Holy See, that is, the government of the Roman Catholic Church whose influence extends far outside the city's walls. This makes the pope one of the Roman Catholic religious leader that also leads a country, the other being the Bishop of Urgell of UsefulNotes/{{Andorra}}. While Castel Gandolfo (the summer residence of the pope and current home to "pope emeritus" Joseph Ratzinger) and other places belong to the church, they are ''not'' as is often assumed exclaves of the Vatican in any diplomatic sense. However, Italy does not usually press the matter, so the point is moot for all but geography nerds.

The Holy See (''not'' the Vatican as a state which is member of jack squat) is not a member of the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations, but has Permanent Observer status. Remarkably, this situation is the result of the Church's sense of honor: since the UN holds freedom and democracy as one of its highest values, and the Vatican is neither free nor democratic (as it is technically an absolute monarchy and all its inhabitants are either clergy or Swiss Guards oath-bound to obey the Pope), it declines full membership out of honesty. This isn't to say that the Church is opposed to freedom or democracy -- quite the opposite -- but that the Vatican works best as it is, and nobody complains (it is the only state in the world where everyone who lives there has made an active and completely voluntary choice to do so[[note]]For very obvious reasons, no one can be a natural born citizen of Vatican City.[[/note]]). Vatican City also does not participate in UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion, its income primarily consisting of contributions from believers around the world, as well as its tourist sector, although it uses the Euro as currency and has a deal with the EU to mint - highly sought after - "Vatican Euros".[[note]] The same goes for Monaco and San Marino but not for Kosovo and Montenegro, which use the Euro unilaterally. Andorra until 2014 used the Euro without minting its own coins but has since signed a treaty with the EU to that effect[[/note]]

The smallest city/state devotes much of its money back outside, often leaving it slightly in the red. While it gained $355.5 million in revenue in 2008, it spent $356.8 million. Vatican City does house a vast and priceless collection of art collected over its multi-millenial existence, but chooses to keep the treasures for all to see; else, a private collector could buy and shut it away forever.

A common misnomer: while Vatican City is surrounded by Rome, the religion's official name is simply the "Catholic Church". The term "Roman" (or "Latin") just defines one of the rites, or liturgical practices, of a bulk of their followers. There are numerous Eastern Catholic churches (e.g. the Ukrainian Catholic Church, the Maronite Catholic Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Armenian Catholic Church, the Assyrian Catholic Church...), which use various non-Latin rites: namely, the Byzantine Rite (broadly similar to the Eastern Orthodox liturgy), Alexandrian Rite (broadly similar to the Oriental Orthodox), the Antiochan/West Syrian Rite, and the East Syrian Rite. There are also variant Latin/Western rites, including the Ambrosian Rite (still used in Milan), the Mozarabic Rite (formerly used by the Catholics of Muslim Spain), the Sarum Rite (formerly used in England), and the Anglican Use (used by congregations which were once Anglo-Catholic--i.e. Catholicizing members of the Anglican Communion--who decided to have done with it already and join the Catholic Church, but retained the Anglican liturgy).

Mostly Catholic.

* ''Literature/AngelsAndDemons'', where someone begins a series of ritual murders in the city. [[spoiler:...well, Rome actually.]]

[[CaptainObvious Mostly Catholic]].

The country is ruled by [[UsefulNotes/ThePope the pope]], which is also the ruler of the Holy See, that is, the government of the Roman Catholic Church whose influence extends far outside the city's walls. This makes the pope one of the Roman Catholic religious leader that also leads a country, the other being the Bishop of Urgell of [[UsefulNotes/Andorra Andorra]]. While Castel Gandolfo (the summer residence of the pope and current home to "pope emeritus" Joseph Ratzinger) and other places belong to the church, they are ''not'' as is often assumed exclaves of the Vatican in any diplomatic sense. However, Italy does not usually press the matter, so the point is moot for all but geography nerds.

The country is ruled by [[UsefulNotes/ThePope the pope]], which is also the ruler of the Holy See, that is, the government of the Roman Catholic Church whose influence extends far outside the city's walls. This makes the pope one of the religious leader that also leads a country, the other being the Bishop of Urgell of UsefulNotes/Andorra. While Castel Gandolfo (the summer residence of the pope and current home to "pope emeritus" Joseph Ratzinger) and other places belong to the church, they are ''not'' as is often assumed exclaves of the Vatican in any diplomatic sense. However, Italy does not usually press the matter, so the point is moot for all but geography nerds.