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 threats against minority Christian communities in Africa and the Middle East sexual misconduct by clergy international development interreligious dialogue and reconciliation and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1.2 billion people worldwide profess Catholicism - the world's largest Christian faith.

Geographic coordinates: 41 54 N 12 27 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 0.44 km²
Land: 0.44 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 257
Comparative: about 0.7 times the size of the National Mall in Washington DC

Land boundaries
Total: 3.4 km
Border countries: (1) Italy 3.4 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: 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
Extremes highest point: unnamed elevation 75 m

Natural resources: none

Land use
Agricultural land: 0%
Forest: 0%
Other: 100% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2011)

Natural hazards: NA

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)

Population: 842 (July 2014 est.)
Rank: 236
Growth rate: 0% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 195
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: none
Adjective: none

Ethnic groups: Italians Swiss other

Languages: Italian Latin French various other languages

Religions: Roman Catholic

Population growth rate: 0% (2014 est.)
Rank: 195

Urbanization
Urban population: 100% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.03% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: VATICAN CITY (capital) 1000 (2014)

Environment
Current issues: NA
International agreements party to: Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution Environmental Modification

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Education expenditures: NA

Country name
Conventional long form: The Holy See
Conventional short form: Holy See
Local long form: La Santa Sede
Local short form: Santa Sede

Government type: ecclesiastical

Capital
Name: Vatican City
Geographic coordinates: 41 54 N 12 27 E
Time difference: UTC+1
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 Holy See and established its territorial extent; however the origin of the Papal States which over centuries varied considerably in extent may be traced back to 754

National holiday: Election Day of Pope FRANCIS 13 March (2013)

Constitution: previous 1929 1963; latest adopted 26 November 2000 effective 22 February 2001 (Fundamental Law by Pope JOHN PAUL II); note - Pope Francis in October 2013 appointed a group of cardinals to revise the constitution (2013)

Legal system: religious legal system based on canon (religious) law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Suffrage: election of the pope is limited to cardinals less than 80 years old

Executive branch
Chief of state: Pope FRANCIS
Head of government: Secretary of State Archbishop Pietro PAROLIN ; note - previous Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio BERTONE will remain as Camerlengo (fiscal administrator) a position he has held since 4 April 2007
Cabinet: Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City appointed by the pope
Electionsappointments: pope elected for life or until voluntary resignation by the College of Cardinals; election last held on 13 March 2013 ; Secretary of State appointed by the pope
Election results: Jorge Mario BERGOGLIO formerly Archbishop of Buenos Aires elected Pope FRANCIS

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State or Pontificia Commissione per lo Stato della Citta del Vaticano

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court or Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura ; note - judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio papal directive of Pope PIUS XII on 1 May 1946; most Vatican City criminal matters are handled by the Republic of Italy courts
Judge selection and term of office: cardinal prefect appointed by the Pope; the other 2 cardinals of the court appointed by the cardinal prefect on a yearly basis
Subordinate courts: Appellate Court of Vatican City; Tribunal of Vatican City

Political parties and leaders: none

International organization participation: CE (observer) IAEA Interpol IOM ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) OAS (observer) OPCW OSCE Schengen Convention (de facto member) SICA (observer) UN (observer) UNCTAD UNHCR Union Latina (observer) UNWTO (observer) UPU WIPO WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Carlo Maria VIGANO
In the us chancery: 3,339 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 333-7,121
In the us FAX: [1] 337-4,036
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Kenneth Francis HACKETT
From the us embassy: Villa Domiziana Via delle Terme Deciane 26 00153 Rome
From the us mailing address: Unit 5,660 Box 66 DPO AE 9,624-0066
From the us telephone: [39] 4,674-3,428
From the us FAX: [39] 575-8,346

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

National symbols: crossed keys beneath a papal tiara; national colors: yellow white

National anthem
Name: 'Inno e Marcia Pontificale' ; often called The Pontifical Hymn
Lyrics and music: Raffaello LAVAGNA/Charles-Francois GOUNOD
Note: adopted 1950

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. Moreover an annual collection taken up in dioceses and from 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. Donations increased between 2010 and 2011. 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 publication sales. Its revenues increased between 2010 and 2011 because of expanded opening hours and a growing number of visitors. However the Holy See has not escaped the financial difficulties engulfing other European countries; in 2012 it started a spending review to determine where to cut costs to reverse its 2011 budget deficit of $20 million. The Holy See generated a modest surplus in 2012 before recording a $32 million deficit in 2013 driven primarily by the decreasing value of gold. Most public expenditures go to wages and other personnel costs; the incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome. In February 2014 Pope FRANCIS created the Secretariat of the Economy to oversee financial and administrative operations of the Holy See part of a broader campaign to reform the Holy See’s finances.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $N/A

Industries: printing; production of coins medals postage stamps; mosaics staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities

Labor force: 2,885 (December 2011)
Rank: 226
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: $308 million
Expenditures: $326.4 million
Surplus or deficit: NA%

Taxes and other revenues: NA%

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exchange rates:

Telephone system
General assessment: automatic digital exchange
Domestic: connected via fiber optic cable to Telecom Italia network
International: country code - 39; uses Italian system

Broadcast media: the Vatican Television Center (CTV) transmits live broadcasts of the Pope's Sunday and Wednesday audiences as well as the Pope's public celebrations; CTV also produces documentaries; Vatican Radio is the Holy See's official broadcasting service broadcasting via shortwave AM and FM frequencies and via satellite and Internet connections (2008)

Internet
Country code: .va

Military service age and obligation: Pontifical Swiss Guard Corps (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera Pontificia): 19-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; must be Roman Catholic a Swiss citizen with a secondary education (2013)

Disputes international: none