According to countryaah, Vatican City or like the country officially called the state Vatican City is the smallest independent country in the world. The country lies entirely within the city limits of Rome and is thus an enclave in Italy. The history of Vatican City, which has only existed in its current form since 1929, can be traced back to the fourth century AD. At this time, people still spoke of the Papal State or Papal State. Over the centuries, the largest of this state has been subject to many changes. When the ecclesiastical state was at its peak it consisted of large parts of the regions of Romanga, Marche, Umbria and Lazio. This power of the Pope was called his temporal power. In the nineteenth century, the ecclesiastical state was abolished by France, only to be re-established at the beginning of the nineteenth century and then annexed again by France. Later, when the French troops left Italy, the Pope’s power was recognized but he was not assigned any land. Pope Pius IX and his successors felt trapped by this and refused to leave Vatican City for years. It would take until 1929 before the Vatican City was recognized as an independent state at the hands of Mussolini. This is known as the Lateran Treaty. With this treaty, the territory of Vatican City became a sovereign state. Pope Pius IX and his successors felt trapped by this and refused to leave Vatican City for years. It would take until 1929 before the Vatican City was recognized as an independent state at the hands of Mussolini. This is known as the Lateran Treaty. With this treaty, the territory of Vatican City became a sovereign state. Pope Pius IX and his successors felt trapped by this and refused to leave Vatican City for years. It would take until 1929 before the Vatican City was recognized as an independent state at the hands of Mussolini. This is known as the Lateran Treaty. With this treaty, the territory of Vatican City became a sovereign state.
Today, Vatican City is still the residence of the Pope and is considered one of the most important places of the Roman Catholic faith. The Pope gives several speeches every year from his balcony on St. Peter’s Square, which are always very crowded. The many sights in Vatican City attract many millions of visitors to the country every year. Vatican City is not part of the European Union and has not signed the Schengen Agreement, but it is one of the euro countries with its own euro currency.
Sights
The sights in Vatican City can simply be divided into two parts. Firstly the sights in the city itself and secondly the extraterritorial possessions of the Vatican City.
The main attractions in the Vatican City are St. Peter’s Square, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums, the Vatican Gardens, the Apostolic Palace, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana and the Archivio Segreto Vaticano. The last two are unfortunately not open to the general public but can only be visited by scientists and scholars on request. Of these sights, the Sistine Chapel with its magnificent ceiling painted by Michelangelo is probably the most visited. Closely followed by St. Peter’s Basilica, this beautiful sixteenth-century church is still the largest and most important building of faith in the world.
The Vatican City’s extraterritorial possessions include the Complex of San Giovanni in Laterano, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide, the Vicariato Palace, and the Palace of Cancelleria. All of these places of interest can be found outside the country borders of the Vatican City but within the city limits of Rome. There are also two extraterritorial possessions of the Vatican City outside of Rome. These include Papal Palace in Castel Gandolfo and Santa Maria di Galeria.
UNESCO
The Vatican in its entirety is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This registration includes St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Peter’s Square, the Sistine Chapel, The various Vatican Museums, the Gardens of the Vatican City and the Apostolic Palace. Of these landmarks, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are the most notable structures. What is special is that Vatican City also has a second registration. This concerns the possessions of the Holy See in Rome including Saint Paul outside the walls. These papal possessions are on Italian territory but belong to the Vatican City through special territorial rights.
Climate
Vatican City has a Mediterranean climate that is partly influenced by the Mediterranean Sea. This influence ensures that there are virtually no weather extremes in Vatican City. However, the mercury can rise considerably in the summer months. Temperatures of over thirty degrees Celsius are the rule rather than the exception. Because almost the entire surface of the Vatican City is built-up, the wind has little or no influence on the climate of the country. As a result, the summer months sometimes seem even warmer than they actually are.
The winter period in Vatican City is cool but rarely really cold. In extreme cases, night frost can occur in the country, but that is a rarity. The average daytime temperature in this period is above ten degrees Celsius.
Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. If there is a clear dip in the summer months. The month of July is normally the driest month of the year and November the wettest. On an annual basis, there is an average of about 1000 millimeters of precipitation in the country.
Geography
Vatican City is the smallest self-contained independent country in the world. It lies entirely within the city limits of Rome and has only borders with Italy, the total length of this border is 3.2 kilometers. Vatican City is therefore an enclave within Italy. The country has a total area of 0.44 square kilometers. There are no rivers or lakes within the borders of Vatican City. The country is located on the Vatican Hill from which the country owes its name. This hill is located opposite the Seven Hills of Rome on the right bank of the River Tiber. Much of the area of Vatican City is taken up by the many sights of the country. Think of the St. Pier Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. But about half of the country is made up of the Vatican Gardens. These gardens can be found behind the Vatican Museums. The gardens are located on top of the Vatican Hill at about 60 meters altitude, which is also the highest point in the country.
Travel advice
There are no particular security concerns for a trip to Vatican City. There are no other security risks in Vatican City than there are in the Netherlands. Be extra alert in large crowds or if you are waiting in a line somewhere. Despite the fact that the Vatican is a microstate, pickpockets and pickpockets still occur. As in the rest of Europe, there is a general threat of terrorism in Italy. Vatican City is under the protection of the Swiss Guard. Just like in many countries and cities nowadays, if you want to visit a museum or other place of interest, you first have to go through a security check.
Travel documents
Vatican City is not a Schengen country but does have open borders with Italy. This makes it possible for residents of Schengen countries to travel freely to and from Vatican City. However, as in the Netherlands, people are obliged to identify themselves, this also applies to children. There are severe penalties for possessing both soft and/or hard drugs, as well as trading them.
Info table
| Capital city | Vatican CITY |
| Phone (country code) | 379 |
| Internet domain | .va |
| Language(s) (official) | Latin |
| Language(s) (colloquial) | Italian, French, Portuguese, German and English |
| Religion(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Time zone(s) | UTC+1 |
| Time difference summer | In Vatican City, time runs parallel with the Netherlands |
| Time difference winter | In Vatican City, time runs parallel with the Netherlands |
| Daylight Saving Time Control | yes, this is the same as in the Netherlands |
| Currencies | euros |
