5 Surprising Facts About The Vatican

The Vatican is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Rome. Except it’s not actually part of Rome. It’s its own country. Here are five other facts most people don’t know about the city.

Vatican City is the Smallest Country In the World

Vatican City is an independent country that covers just over 100 acres of land. It is governed by a monarchy and it prints its own euros and even issues its own passports.

Benito Mussolini Created Vatican City

It was Benito Mussolini who signed Vatican City into existence. He allowed the Vatican to become its own sovereign state in 1929 following disputes between the Italian government and the Catholic Church.

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Its Citizens Don’t Live There

In 2011, the number of people who held Vatican citizenship was just 594. The odds of meeting someone with a Vatican passport is therefore extremely rare. Of these 600 citizens, over half hold diplomatic positions around the world. So they don’t actually live there.

The City Contains World Famous Art

The Vatican city contains some of the world’s greatest art including Michael Angelo’s famous painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

100% Of The City-State is Catholic

Although many countries have one official religion, there is no other country in the world that can confidently say 100% of its citizens follow the same religion. Except for the Vatican City.