Vatican City Map

The Vatican city in Italy is a sovereign City-state, land-locked and enclaved within the City of Rome. It is the smallest independent Nation in the World. The Vatican City in Rome is just a vestige of a much larger and prosperous Papal State. The Lateran Treaty of 1929 created this 44 Hectares Papal sovereign State. The bastion of Christianity, the Vatican City in Italy is ruled by a non-hereditary,elected but absolute Monarch ,that is the Bishop of Rome,the Pope. The clergymen of the Catholic Church act as the State functionaries. It is at the Vatican City in Italy that the Pope resides in his Apostolic Palace. Thus while the Ecclesiastical seat of the Catholics is in Rome, the seat of bureaucracy is the Vatican City in Italy.

The Pope enjoys absolute executive, legal and judicial power and it is the College of Cardinals which acts as the chief advisory body of the Pope. The Pope is simultaneously also the supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church. With such all encompassing authority,the Pope is the only absolute monarch in Europe and the 'Holy See' expresses the totality of his governance.

The name 'Vatican' was born much before the birth Christianity. It was actually deduced from the Latin Mons Vaticanus,Vatican Hill. But today the name connotes the Christian Empire of Vatican City in Italy where the Pope rules absolute and Sovereign.

Facts about Vatican City
Name	Vatican City
Continent	Europe
Capital	Vatican City
Area	0.44 sq km (0.17 sq mi)
Population	836 (July 2012 est.)
National Day	11 February 1929
Currency	Euro (£)
Official language	Italian
Internet TLD	.va
Calling Code	379