Vatican City is the smallest sovereign state in the world.
A tiny enclave within the city of Rome, it occupies 109 acres and is
almost completely surrounded by medieval walls. As a result of the
Lateran Pacts of 1929, the Italian Government granted St. Peter’s
Basilica and Square and the surrounding area within the Vatican walls as
the Holy See’s sovereign and independent territorial base.
Besides St. Peter’s, Vatican City also includes the Apostolic Palace,
administrative and residential buildings, museums, archives, and
libraries, a cemetery, and gardens covering almost one-third of the
entire area.
The Vatican City is compact and the areas open to the public are
relatively limited.
More Vatican
 |
