What is the Vatican City?
A: Vatican City is an independent city-state and enclave surrounded by Rome,
Italy.
Also known simply as the Vatican, when did the state
become independent from Italy?
A: In 1929.
With an area of 49 hectares (121 acres) and a
2019
population of about 453,[10] it is the smallest state in the world both by
what?
A: Area and population.
As governed by the Holy See, Vatican City State is an
ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state ruled by whom?
A: The pope who is the bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church.
The highest state functionaries are all what?
A: Catholic clergy of various national origins.
The Holy See dates back to when?
A: Early Christianity and is the principal episcopal see of the Catholic
Church.
It has approximately 1.329 billion baptized Catholics
in the world as of when?
A: 2018.
When did the independent state of Vatican City, on the
other hand, came into existence?
A: On 11 February 1929 by the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy.
Vatican City contains religious and cultural sites such
as St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and what?
A: The Vatican Museums.
They feature some of the world's what?
A: The world’s most famous paintings and sculptures.
The unique economy of Vatican City is supported
financially by what?
A: Donations from the faithful, by the sale of postage stamps and souvenirs,
fees for admission to museums, and sales of publications.
Vatican City has no taxes and items are what?
A: Duty-free.
Popes ruled the Papal States, which covered a large
portion of the Italian peninsula, for more than a thousand years until the
mid-19th century, when all the territory belonging to the papacy was seized
by whom?
A: The newly created Kingdom of Italy.
On 11 February 1929, the Lateran Treaty between the
Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy was signed by whom?
A: Prime Minister and Head of Government Benito Mussolini on behalf of King
Victor Emmanuel III and by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri for
Pope Pius XI.
The treaty, which became effective on 7 June 1929,
established what?
A: The independent state of Vatican City and reaffirmed the special status
of Catholic Christianity in Italy.
What is Vatican City's climate like?
A: It has a temperate, Mediterranean climate with mild, rainy winters from October to mid-May and hot, dry summers from May to September.
Some minor local features, principally mists and dews,
are caused by what?
A: The anomalous bulk of St Peter's Basilica, the elevation, the fountains,
and the size of the large, paved square.
What was the highest temperature ever recorded?
A: 40.7 °C (105.3 °F), on both 2 August 2017 and 27 June 2022.
On 26 November 2008, the Vatican itself put into effect
a plan announced in May 2007 to cover the roof of the Paul VI Audience Hall
with what?
A: Solar panels.
Within the territory of Vatican City are the Vatican
Gardens which account for about how much of this territory?
A: About half.
The gardens, established during the Renaissance and
Baroque era, are decorated with what?
A: Fountains and sculptures.
The gardens cover approximately how many hectares?
A: 23 hectares (57 acres).
Vatican City is one of the few widely recognized
independent states that has not become a member of what?
A: The United Nations.
The Holy See, which is distinct from Vatican City
State, has permanent observer status, with all the rights of a full member
except for what?
A: A vote in the UN General Assembly.
