In this article, we'll share 10 facts about the tiny state of Vatican City. The Vatican is located in Rome, the capital of Italy. Its area is just under half a square kilometer, and the total length of its borders is 3 kilometers and 200 meters, making it the smallest country in the world.
1. How did the Vatican City State come to be? It wasn't always so small. The Vatican traces its origins to 752, with the creation of the Papal States, located in part of modern-day Italy, which lasted until 1860. The Pope himself ruled. In 1860, the lands of the Papal States were seized by the Kingdom of Italy, and the Italian king himself demanded that the Pope recognize his actions as legitimate. The latter categorically refused and remained in the capital, calling himself a "prisoner of the Vatican." The rulers of the Kingdom of Italy, fearing the reaction of the rest of the Catholic world, did not dare seize the Vatican by force, but simply stationed troops around it and waited for the Pope to change his mind. As a result, the Holy See was "besieged" for almost 60 years, with popes changing, but the Vatican did not change its mind. This continued until 1927, when Italian dictator Benito Mussolini declared the Vatican a sovereign state governed by the Pope, granting it land. In exchange, the Holy See began supporting Mussolini. This is a very simplified and brief history of the Vatican, but the point is clear.
2. The Vatican will never be accepted into the European Union. Although it is located within the territory of Italy, an EU member, its theocratic structure contradicts the EU's primary criterion for admitting new countries: a democratic system. Although the Vatican is not a member of the EU, it is very closely tied to it; for example, its official currency is the euro, and there is no border between the Vatican and Italy.
3. This small country has a permanent population of about 1,000, but many more work there – about 3,000. Most of them are Italians who work in the Vatican during the day, for example, in museums, and live in Rome. All people who live in the Vatican permanently are citizens and servants of the Holy See.
4. An unusual fact: there are no women among the citizens of the Vatican. In most cases, citizenship is acquired either through inheritance from parents or by birth in the country. Since the Vatican is a male-only state-owned institution, citizenship is granted by a special government agency. Citizenship can be obtained by Catholic priests or soldiers of the Swiss Guard—the Pope's personal bodyguard—but sometimes it can also be obtained by laypersons holding various positions at the Holy See. In any case, all citizens must serve the See, and when a person leaves service, they also lose citizenship. However, it is not at all necessary to renounce their previous citizenship; many clergy hold two or even more passports.
5. The Vatican, the seat of the Catholic Church, only recognized the Earth's rotation around the Sun in 1992. In his address, Pope John Paul II expressed regret for Galileo Galilei, calling the overly blunt interpretation of the Bible by the clergy of his time a mistake, which led to him being declared a heretic and forced to recant. The Pope also called Galileo one of the greatest scientists in history. However, the Catholic Church has still not rehabilitated Giordano Bruno, who was burned at the stake on charges of heresy, specifically for sharing Galileo's views on the structure of the cosmos.
6. Despite this historically strange relationship between the Vatican and astronomy, the Holy See has its own observatory. It is located in Arizona, USA. The observatory houses a very powerful telescope and is designed to study celestial bodies.
7. Like other independent states, the Vatican has established diplomatic relations with other countries and maintains embassies of these countries. However, the Vatican's territory is so small that there simply wasn't room for them; all embassies are located within Italy. Even the Italian embassy in the Vatican is located in Italy, making this unique in global diplomatic practice.
8. The Vatican has its own national football team. It consists of museum curators, guards, and members of the Pontifical Council. The team has even played four international matches. There's even a stadium on Vatican grounds, but it only holds a small number of spectators, so it's used more for training than for matches.
9. The Vatican has the only ATM in the world that has an interface in addition to English and Italian, in the «dead» Latin language.
10. The Vatican compiles a list of the most handsome young Catholic priests. Calendars featuring their photos are released and available for purchase by tourists for 15 euros. Such a calendar would surely make an excellent souvenir for Catholic women.
