Not everyone knows that the Vatican is a separate independent country, which is also the state with the smallest population in the world. In addition, it is the only city-state in which Latin is the official language.
Instructions
Step 1
The Vatican is the spiritual capital of the entire Catholic population of the world, the permanent residence of the Pope and the city with the most famous architectural monuments.
Step 2
The Vatican dwarf state is located on the territory of another, more famous country - Italy, namely inside the Italian capital, in the city of Rome. The territory of this country is only 0.44 km ². The Vatican border inside Rome has a length of 3, 2 kilometers, and outwardly it is a defensive wall. This fence was built to prevent illegal and unauthorized government entry of the inhabitants of Rome into the territory of the city-state.
Step 3
The population of the Vatican country is not all the inhabitants of Rome, but only the servants of the throne of the Pope, whose number is only 836 people. Most of the citizens of the Vatican are the cardinals of the Pope, representatives of the clergy of the Catholic Church, members of the Swiss and palace guards, as well as the papal gendarmerie. Ethnically, the entire population of the Vatican is Italians, with the exception of the Swiss and palace guards. Most citizens of the dwarf state of the Vatican live outside the country itself, and come there only during the daytime to carry out their work duties. Vatican citizenship cannot be obtained at birth or inherited, it is only obtained by adults who, by the nature of their work, are official ministers of the Holy See. Marriage with a minister of the Holy See is also not a basis for obtaining Vatican citizenship. As soon as a person ceases to work in the Vatican clergy, his citizenship is immediately revoked and Italian citizenship is granted.
Step 4
Although the Vatican is a globally accepted independent state, it does not establish any diplomatic relations with other countries or conclude treaties with them, nor is it a member of any international political organizations. At the same time, the Vatican maintains relations with all countries that have papal nuncios and is a member of such international organizations as UNESCO, OSCE, FAO, WHO and WTO. In order to visit the Vatican, a valid Schengen visa is required, since the state is located in Italy.
