Geography
Economics
Demographics
Military
Politics
Surface
Surface (in square kilometers)
Surface (in square miles)
Surface (water)
Water Surface (in square kilometers)
Water Surface (in square miles)
Share of water (%)
Temperature
Average temperature (in Celcius)
Average temperature (in Farenheit)
Average high temperature (in Celcius)
Average high temperature (in Farenheit)
Average low temperature (in Celcius)
Average low temperature (in Farenheit)
Rainfall
Average rainfall (mm)
Average rainfall (inch)
Distance to other capitals (kilometers)
Distance to other capitals (miles)
Proximity
Economic organizations
Gross Domestic Product (US$)
Gross Domestic Product per capita
Amount of memberships (economic organizations)
Absolute earnings for every 1$
Relative earnings
GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)
GDP in PPP per capita
Gross Domestic product (in million US$)
GDP per capita (in US$)
Surface GDP
GDP per square kilometer (in US$)
GDP per square mile(in US$)
Relative GDP in PPP
Population
Population density
Emigration
Immigration
Literacy
Health
Population density (in km2)
Population density (in mi2)
Religion
Christianity (share of the total population)
Islam (share of the total population)
Buddhism (share of the total population)
Hinduism (share of the total population)
Judaism (share of the total population)
Other religions (share of the total population)
Non-religious (share of the total population)
Military spending (in % of GDP)
Military spending
There is no official military budget that is allocated to the Swiss guards.
The Vatican doesn't have a military, but it has the Swiss guard. The main task of the Swiss guards is to ensure the security of the Pope, have ceremonial duties and ensure the security of the buildings of the Holy See.
Military membership
The Vatican is also a member of two international military organizations which makes it the 118th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:
- Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
- International Atomic Energy Agency
Military membership
International wars
The Vatican has partaken in seven international wars. These are:
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Little War in Hungary 1530-1551
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Comacchio war [de] 1708-1709
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War of the League of Cambrai 1508-1516
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Second Desmond Rebellion 1579-1583
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Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815
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First Italian War of Independence 1848-1849
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Expedition of the Thousand 1860-1860
Number of international wars fought
Military spending (in US$ million)
Membership (international political organizations)
It is a member of two international political organizations which makes it the least politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:
- Member state of the United Nations
- International Labour Organization
Political Membership
Democracy/dictatorship rating
As the only non-hereditary monarchy in the world, its new leader is elected by its cardinals when the current pope has died or resigned. This makes the Holy See somewhat democratic and ranks it as the 176th most democratic state.
Democracy/Dictatorship
The politics of the Holy See are characterized by a theocratic monarchy in which the Pope is the supreme leader in the executive, judicial and legislative branch.
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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Honduras.
Holy See
Known for being the center of Catholicism, the world-famous paintings of Michelangelo as well as the smallest state in the world, Holy See or Vatican City has been the last remnants of the papal states. The papal states were present in parts of Italy from the eighth century when the decline of the Byzantine Empire gave way to sovereign rule of smaller states. The papal states grew when several kingdoms donated their land to the papal states as well as the expansion during the Renaissance. However, the papal states declined after the unification of Italy with only the church and square of St. Peter as well as the home and the garden of the Pope remains under control of the papal states by 1871. Territorial disputes between the papal states and Italy were settled by Benito Mussolini in 1929 when it was agreed upon that the remaining territories would be recognized as a new and sovereign state. .
The Holy See is an enclave that is located inside the city of Rome, the capital of Italy. Its terrain is fully made out of buildings with the exception of the garden and is located on a low hill. As an enclave of Italy, it only borders Italy on all sides.
It is the smallest state in the world and ranks 194th. It is only smaller than Monaco.
It has a total water surface area of 0 square kilometers or 0 square miles. This makes the Holy See the smallest state in the world by water surface area.
Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.
Aside from several fountains, the Holy See does not have any permanent bodies of water. However, it is closely located near the Tiber River.
Afghanistan's share of water, as well as the other states are displayed below.
The climate of the Holy See is a Mediterranean climate. This means that it has hot and dry summers and mild winters. The average temperature fluctuates heavily, but is on average 17.5 degrees Celsius or 45.5 degrees Fahrenheit which makes the Holy See the 172nd warmest state in the world.
Its warmest temperature is between April and August and reaches 19.9 degrees Celsius or 67.8 degrees Fahrenheit.
Its colder period is from November to March with an average temperature of 10.9 degrees Celsius or 51.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
During the colder periods, the Vatican is regularly showered with rain as well as snow. On average, the Vatican receives 81.3 centimetres or 31 inches of rainfall per year which makes it the 120th states with the highest amount of rainfall.
The capital of the Holy See, Vatican City is a home to 859 people. The capital that is closest located to Vatican City is Rome Italy of which it is a part. The capital that is furthest removed from Vatican City is Wellington New Zealand with a distance of 18,579 kilometers or 11,545 miles.
The economy of the Vatican is highly dependent on a few economic sources. The largest of these sources are donations from all over the world, the sale of coins and book publications and the entrance fee to its museum. it is almost fully dependent on Italy for all of its imports and does not have a single large export partner.
The Vatican is a member of three international economic organizations which makes it the 192nd most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:
Its GDP is the 195th highest in the world and is estimated to be US$21 million which is the lowest in the world.
However, its GDP per service area is the fifth highest in the world and stands at US$42.6 million per square kilometer or 110 million US dollars per square mile.
Its GDP per capita is the 32nd highest in the world and is estimated to be US$29,315.
The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.
Its purchasing power however is the 120th highest in the world and is around US$10,745.
The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states
Because it is a city state it has a 100 percent urbanization rate and with its 859 people, the Vatican is the 195th most populous state in the world.
It has the fifth highest population density in the world with 1450 people per square kilometer or 3750 people per square mile.
There are no official statistics of emigration from the Holy See, but it is estimated that less than 100 people have migrated from the Holy See. This makes Vatican City the 194th highest in terms of migration.
There are no official immigration statistics from the Holy See, but the only people that are legally allowed to live in Vatican City is the Pope and members of its Swiss guard.
The Holy See has the second highest literacy rate in the world which is estimated to be 99.6 percent. It provides its education through more than 50 institutions that are located throughout Rome as well as providing education opportunities all around the world.
Despite being an independent state, it does not have a health care system and is fully dependent on the Italian health care system. The average life expectancy is unclear, but it is estimated that women reach an average age of 81 years while men reach an average age of 74 years.
The Pope, which is also the Bishop of Rome, is the head of the Holy See. The Holy See is considered to be a theocratic state which heads the Catholic church has more than 1.3 billion followers worldwide.
All of its followers are Christian Catholics which makes Vatican City the most Christian state in the world.
On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed
There is no Islamic population in the Holy See.
There is no Buddhist population in the Holy See.
There is no Hindu population in the Holy See.
There is no Judaic population in the Holy See.
There is no other religious population in the Holy See.
There is no irreligious population in the Holy See.
