| GEOGRAPHY |
| 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) |
| Capital: |
Vatican City |
| Location: |
Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy) |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
41 54 N, 12 27 E |
| Area: |
total: 0.44 sq km
land: 0.44 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
| Land
Boundaries: |
total: 3.2 km
border countries: 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 |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: unnamed location 19 m
highest point: unnamed location 75 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
none |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
ecclesiastical |
| Administratives
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 Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the 8th century |
| National
Holiday: |
Coronation Day of Pope JOHN PAUL II, 22 October (1978) |
| Constitution: |
new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces the first Fundamental Law of 1929) |
| Legal
System; |
based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it |
| Suffrage |
limited to cardinals less than 80 years old |
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19 April 2005)
head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo SODANO (since 1 December 1990)
cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope
elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope
election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected pope |
| Legislative
Branch: |
unicameral Pontifical Commission |
| Judicial
Branch: |
there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See
note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pius XII on 1 May 1946 |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
none |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
921 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
|
| Median age: |
|
| Nationality: |
noun: none
adjective: none |
| Ethnic groups: |
Italians, Swiss, other |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic |
| Languages: |
Italian, Latin, French, various other languages |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
NA |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
NA |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: automatic exchange
domestic: tied into Italian system
international: country code - 39; uses Italian system |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 2 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
1 (1996) |
| Internet country
code: |
.va |
| Internet hosts: |
9 (2004) |
| Internet users: |
NA |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
none; all city streets |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
none |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| Airports: |
none (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
|
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
|
| Heliports: |
|
