According to bridgat, Vatican City [v], officially Italian Stato della Città del Vaticano [t ʃ it ta], German State of Vatican City, is an independent, ranging from Rome by the Lateran Treaty in 1929 created papal territory with (2019) 1000 residents.
Population
Citizens of the Vatican City are exclusively the Curia Cardinals residing in Rome, the diplomatic representatives abroad, the prelates and religious of the church government, the members of the Swiss Guard and a small number of civil employees.
National symbols
The state flag of the Vatican City was hoisted for the first time on June 8, 1929 after the Lateran Treaty was concluded. It is square and vertically divided into yellow and white. The coat of arms of the Vatican City hovers in the white field at the flying end.
The coat of arms has been in use since the middle of the 15th century; it was legally established in the Basic Law of Vatican City on June 7, 1926. In the red shield it shows the papal triple crown (tiara) in gold and silver, including the crossed Petri keys (one gold and one silver). They symbolize the highest spiritual power in the church (power to “bind” and “loosen”). The state coat of arms of the Vatican City is not to be confused with the coat of arms of the ruling Pope (papal coat of arms).
The national holiday on March 13th commemorates the inauguration of Francis (2013). In addition, February 11th (anniversary of the signing of the Lateran Treaty) is a national holiday.
Media
Press: “L’Osservatore Romano” appears daily in Italian (founded in 1861), as well as weekly editions in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and German. The official journal Acta Apostolicae Sedis (founded in 1909) is also published monthly for the publication of papal pronouncements and encyclicals.
News Agency: The Vatican Information Service publishes daily a summary of the official news on the activities of the Pope and the dicasteries made available by the Press Office of the Holy See in Italian, English, French and Spanish.
Radio: The 1931 Pope Pius XI. Radio Vaticana, which was founded, broadcasts advertising-free programs in 47 languages. The station’s task is to spread the teaching of the Catholic Church, to report on the activities of the Vatican and the life of Catholics around the world, as well as to discuss important events in other denominations and religions and to answer questions of the time from the perspective of faith. The Vatican television center “Centro Televisio Vaticano” (CTV, founded in 1983) has the exclusive rights for television recordings from the Vatican.
Since 1951, the Vatican radio station on Italian territory has also been under papal sovereignty.
Business
Due to a currency union with Italy, the euro has been legal tender in Vatican City since January 1st, 2002. The economic interests of the Vatican City are represented by numerous banks, it is also involved in several industrial companies and has considerable real estate holdings. There is no tax liability. In 2013, income of € 308.0 million was offset by expenses of € 326.4 million.
The administration of the Vatican City employs around 1,900 people, plus around 2,800 employees of the authorities of the Roman Curia. The Vatican issues its own postage stamps and coins (coveted collector’s items), has a printing works, workshops, a power station, a post and telegraph office and is connected to the network of the Italian state railways with its own train station.
Culture
World Heritage Sites of the Vatican City
World Heritage Sites
- Places of the Holy See in Rome and Basilica “San Paolo fuori le mura” (“Saint Paul Outside the Walls”) (1980)
- Vatican City (1984)
