Wiki / Europe / Vatican City

Vatican City

Vatican City State

Europe VA · VAT landlocked not a UN member

Not studied yet.

Study Europe flags

Vatican City (the Holy See) is a UN non-member observer state — the world’s smallest sovereign state.

Official name
Vatican City State Stato della Città del Vaticano · Italian
1 more name Status Civitatis Vaticanæ · Latin
Capital
Vatican City
Region
Southern Europe
Population (2018 est.)
≈ 825
Area
0 km²
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Neighbours
Italy
Internet / phone
.va · +3906698

Where it is

Notable facts

  • Vatican City is the smallest sovereign state in the world at about 0.49 km², with a population of a few hundred.
  • It is an absolute elective monarchy: the Pope is head of state, chosen by the College of Cardinals.
  • The Vatican Library and Apostolic Archive hold documents going back more than a thousand years.
  • It has the world’s only ATM with instructions in Latin.

World Heritage 2 sites

National dish

Vatican City has no cuisine of its own; food there is Roman. Fettuccine alla papalina, created for Pius XI, is the dish most associated with the papal table.