The Vatican by Hannah Jones

The Vatican City is the smallest state in the world; it is even smaller than Central Park in New York City. In addition to being the smallest state in the world, it is an independent city-state with an Absolute Monarchy, led by the Pope who is the head of the Monarchy. The only country bordering the Vatican City, or officially Stato della Citta del Vaticano, is Italy. Italy shares a two-mile border with the Vatican City, thus the official languages of the Vatican City are Italian and Latin, due to Roman influence. Not only is the Vatican City the only country in the world that is also a UNESCO heritage city, but it also has one of the highest crime rates in the world. However, the high crime rate is attributed to the small size of the city. Ironically, the Vatican City does not have a prison; instead, convicts are transported to Italy. Citizens of the Vatican City do not have to pay taxes because the city lacks taxation. All of the revenue comes from admission fees, selling of stamps, and souvenir items. So basically, were paying their taxes by visiting the Vatican, but who’s complaining. St. Peter’s Basilica, the world’s largest Catholic Church and second largest Christian church, sits on top of an ancient burial site in the Vatican. St. Peter’s Basilica is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, which is fitting since 100% of the Vatican population is Roman Catholic. During a fire caused by Emperor Nero on the Vatican Hill, St. Peter was crucified and buried on top of the hill; thus, the basilica was named after him after Emperor Constantine constructed it in the 4th century. The Sistine Chapel was designed as a chapel for the pope, but exists as the site of elections for the new pope. The Vatican Museums were founded by Pope Julius II, are 9 miles long, and are filled with art and paintings. The Obelisk is a huge sundial located in St. Peter’s Square. It was transported from Heliopolis, a city in Egypt, to the Vatican Hill in 1586. For 60 years during the 1800s and 1900s, the Popes refused to conform to the Italian government, and thus refused to leave the Vatican. However, popes did not live at the Vatican until the 14th century. Prior to the 14th century, the Popes ruled from Avignon, France until 1377. The Vatican was signed into existence by Benito Mussolini in 1929 to end a dispute between the Italian government and the Roman Catholic Church. This signing was called the Lateran Pacts and allowed the Vatican to be a sovereign state. Lastly, the Vatican is the only country, besides the Philippines, that does not have divorce laws.