Vatican City, officially the State of the Vatican City, is a
landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave
within the city of Rome, the capital city of Italy. It has an area of
approximately 44 hectares, and a population of just over 800.
Vatican City is a city-state that came into existence in 1929. It
is distinct from the Holy See, which dates back to early Christianity and is
the main Episcopal see of 1.147 billion Latin and Eastern Catholic adherents
around the globe.
Ordinances of Vatican City are published in Italian; official
documents of the Holy See are issued mainly in Latin. The two entities even
have distinct passports: the Holy See, not being a country, only issues
diplomatic and service passports; the state of Vatican City issues normal
passports. In both cases the passports issued are very few.
Vatican City is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state,
ruled by the bishop of Rome - the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all
Catholic clergymen of various nationalities. It is the sovereign territory of
the Holy See (Sancta Sedes) and the location of the Pope's residence, referred
to as the Apostolic Palace. The Popes have resided in the area, that in 1929
became Vatican City, since the return from Avignon in 1377.
