Map of Holy See | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: Popes in their secular role ruled much 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 Vatican 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 the failing health of Pope John Paul II interreligious dialogue and reconciliation and the adjustment of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.


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Location: Southern Europe an enclave of Rome (Italy)

Geographic coordinates: 41 54 N 12 27 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 0.44 km²
Land: 0.44 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington DC

Land boundaries
Total: 3.2 km
Border countries: (1) Italy 3.2 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; mild rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot dry summers (May to September)

Terrain: low hill

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: unnamed location 19 m
Extremes highest point: unnamed location 75 m

Natural resources: none

Land use
Arable land: 0%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 0%
Forests and woodland: 0%
Other: 100% (urban area)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (1993)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: urban; landlocked; enclave of Rome Italy; world's smallest state; outside the Vatican City 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights


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Population: 890 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 1.15% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: none
Adjective: none

Ethnic groups: Italians Swiss other

Languages: Italian Latin French various other languages

Religions: Roman Catholic

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.15% (2001 est.)

Birth rate

Death rate

Net migration rate

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA
International agreements party to: none of the selected agreements
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: 100%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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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: Vatican City

Administrative divisions

Dependent areas

Independence: 11 February 1929 (from Italy)

National holiday: Coronation Day of Pope JOHN PAUL II 22 October (1978)

Constitution: Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968)

Legal system: NA

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: limited to cardinals less than 80 years old

Executive branch
Chief of state: Pope JOHN PAUL II (since 16 October 1978)
Head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo SODANO (since 2 December 1990)
Cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope
Elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope
Election results: Karol WOJTYLA elected pope

Legislative branch: unicameral Pontifical Commission

Judicial branch: none; normally handled by Italy

Political parties and leaders: none

International organization participation: CE (observer) IAEA ICFTU Intelsat IOM (observer) ITU NAM (guest) OAS (observer) OPCW OSCE UN (observer) UNCTAD UNHCR UPU WHO (observer) WIPO WToO (observer) WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele MONTALVO
In the us chancery: 3,339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 333-7,121
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
From the us embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00162 Rome
From the us mailing address: PSC 59, Box F, APO AE 9,624
From the us telephone: [39] (06) 4,674-3,428
From the us fax: [39] (06) 5,758,346

Flag description: two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal miter centered in the white band

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: This unique noncommercial economy is supported financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos fees for admission to museums and the sale of publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to or somewhat better than those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products

Industries: printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities

Industrial production growth rate

Labor force: NA
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%; note - dignitaries priests nuns guards and 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican

Unemployment rate

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $209.6 million
Expenditures: $198.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports

Imports

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001) 1.0854 (2000) 0.9386 (1999); Vatican lire per US dollar - 2,099 (2000) 1817.2 (1999) 1736.2 (1998) 1703.1 (1997) 1542.9 (1996); note - the Vatican lira is at par with the Italian lira; the Vatican will start using euros in 2002 in conjunction with Italy at a fixed rate of 1936.17 lire per euro


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Electricity access

Electricity production
By source fossil fuel: NA%
By source hydro: NA%
By source nuclear: NA%
By source other: NA%

Electricity consumption: NA kWh

Electricity exports

Electricity imports: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system
General assessment: automatic exchange
Domestic: tied into Italian system
International: uses Italian system

Broadcast media

Internet country code: .va

Internet users: NA

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: none

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 862 m; note - a spur of the Italian Railways system, serving Rome's Saint Peter's station
Standard gauge: 862 m 1.435-m gauge (1999)

Roadways

Waterways: none

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs