Geography of Vatican City
Where is the country of Vatican City located on world map? According to COUNTRYAAH.COM, Vatican City is an independent nation located in Southern Europe. Vatican City celebrates its independence day on February 11th of each year. This day marks the signing of the Lateran Treaty in 1929, which established the Vatican as an independent city-state. The formal name of Vatican City is the State of Vatican City, which translates to “State” in English. The country’s symbols include the flag, which features two vertical bands of yellow and white; the national emblem, which consists of a pair of crossed keys and a tiara; and the national anthem, entitled “Inno e Marcia Pontificale” (Pontifical Hymn and March). See historyaah for Vatican City history.
Vatican City is the smallest independent state in the world, located within the city of Rome, Italy. It is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state ruled by the pope who is the Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. It has a population of around 800 people and covers an area of just 0.44 km2 (0.17 mi2). It has no military forces and relies on the Swiss Guard for its security. The economy is supported mainly by tourism, donations from Catholics around the world, and sales of postage stamps, coins and souvenirs. Vatican City has its own currency, post office, radio station, television station, newspaper and publishing house. Its main sights include St Peter’s Basilica and Square, Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo’s frescoes on its ceiling, Vatican Museums with works by Raphael and other Renaissance masters as well as ancient Greek sculptures; Castel Sant’Angelo fortress; Vatican Gardens; St Paul’s Outside-the-Walls basilica; Ponte Sant’Angelo bridge over Tiber River; Villa Pamphili park; St John Lateran basilica etc.
In 1309-77 the popes predominantly resided in Avignon due to the constant factional struggles in Rome. After pressure from Philip IV of France, Pope Klemens V moved the Pope to Avignon, which became part of the Pope’s vassals and in 1348 papal property. The 7 popes of the period were all French like 111 of the 134 Cardinals.
After Gregorio XI restored the pope’s seat in Rome, Klemens VII allowed the Cardinals in 1348 to declare the election of Urbano VI the pope for invalid. Klemens was elected antipope and took the vacant throne in Avignon. Europe was divided in the papal question. France supported Klemens, while Britain supported Urbano, and this was the backdrop of the centennial war between both kingdoms (1337-1453).
Throughout the centuries and especially during the Renaissance in the 14th century, the papacy made the Vatican one of the world’s most important cultural centers. Particular attention should be paid to St. Peter’s and Sistine Chapel (in the Pope’s Palace) decorated with frescoes by Miguel Angel, Boticelli and other Renaissance artists.
- AbbreviationFinder: Offer a full list of commonly used abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms related to the state of Vatican.
The majority of Vatican territory originated during the changing popes until 1797, when Napoleon Bonaparte’s French troops conquered the area and created the Roman Republic.
In 1801, Pius VII regained parts of his power, and after Napoleon’s fall, most of the Vatican’s territories were again assigned to it by the Vienna Congress in 1815.
In 1869 the first Vatican Council was conducted, in which the Pope’s infallibility was established as dogma. The Vatican’s existence ceased in 1870, when Italy’s first king, Víctor Manuel de Saboya, formalized the military occupation of the area which Giuseppe Garibaldi had initiated, and proclaimed Rome the capital of the entire Italian empire. The Guarantee Act of 1871 established that the pope’s person was motionless and at the same time assigned him to the Vatican. However, the Roman popes did not recognize this situation until February 11, 1929, when the Holy See signed the Treaty of Benito Mussolini, setting out the boundaries and privileges of the current state.
