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Vatican City Facts

By Vatican.com 5/22/2018

Vatican city facts

There are numerous facts about the Vatican City; some are famous while others may be unknown to some people. Most of these facts are about what to see at the Vatican or what to do in the Vatican. Here is a few of these facts. First, Vatican City is a landlocked independent state and it has a territory that consists of a walled conclave within the city of Rome, Italy. There is a lot about the Vatican City and what to see in Vatican is exemplary. The city is approximately 44 hectares with a population of slightly above eight hundred people. The city’s size and population has made it one of the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world.

The Vatican City was established as an independent state in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty which was signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri on behalf of Pope Pius XI, and by Prime Minister and Head of Government Benito Mussolini on behalf of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. Therefore the Vatican City is less than 100 years old.

The Vatican City is ruled by the Bishop of Rome, that is, the Pope. The Pope is the president of the city and he designated the executive, legislative and judicial authorities to other organs to implement on his behalf. However, before any law being implemented, it must be approved by the Pope. The Pope’s residence is referred to as the Apostolic Palace.

The main population of the Vatican City is composed of the Pope, cardinals, bishops, the Swiss Guards and a few workers. The Vatican City also issues its own euros. These coins bear the figure of the Pope and they are very limited though on high demand. The city also issues its own passports to the Pope, Swiss Guards, cardinals and ordained priests.

It is also in Vatican City alone where Latin ATMs are to be found. Therefore you must understand Latin for you to withdraw money from the Vatican bank’s ATM.

8% of the Italians’ annual taxes are donated to Vatican City instead of paying it to the Italian government.

Vatican City has its radio station called Vatican Radio. The station is located in a tower in the Vatican Gardens and it broadcasts in more than 20 different languages, all over the world.

Vatican city is rated the state with the highest rate of crime. But this should be understood clearly; it is not based on the highest number of crimes but the highest number of crimes when compared to its population. There have even been attempts to assassinate the Pope, murdering a member of Swiss Guard, among other crimes. Therefore, despite it being headquarter of the Catholic Church and being considered among the holiest places in the world, crimes are not exempted.

The Vatican City also has some of the spectacular architectural structures and artworks in the world among them being the St. Peter’s Square, Vatican museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, Michelangelo’s Pieta, Vatican library, Vatican Observatory, Vatican Railway Station, etc.

Vatican.com

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