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The Vatican City State

A governing centre of the Holy See and a spiritual centre of the Catholic Church
VATICAN City is the headquarter of the Catholic Church. It has a very long history. During the period from the 4" Century to 1870, the Vatican controlled the territory around Rome, which served as capital of the Papal States. The present day Vatican City State came into being with the Lateran Treaty stipulated between the Holy See and Italy in
1929.
The Pope is the Sovereign of the Vatican City State which serves as territorial support of the inherent independence and sovereignty of the Holy See, the central govern-ingbody of the Catholic Church.
The Vatican City State is situated on the west bank of the river Uber in Rome. The State territory covers an area of a square 108
acres (44 hectares). There are five entrances to the State, guarded by the Pontifical Swiss Guard and the Vatican Qty Guard. Since the Vatican City has limited space, many of the Holy See's Offices are in buildings in the city of Rome. According to the Lateran TYeaty, these buildings have the privilege of immunity recognized by international law for the diplomatic missions of foreign States (Embassies). The sites on which these buildings stand are commonly called "extraterritorial areas".
The entire territory of the Vatican City State is placed under the protection of the Hague Convention of 14" May 1954 on safeguarding cultural heritage In case ofwar. In 1984 the Vatican Qty was included in the world cultural and natural heritage list drawn up by the UNESCO Convention of 16 November 1972 to preserve these assets. The State is thus protected under International law as a moral, artistic and cultural heritage belonging to ali mankind.
The State has a population of around 750, of whom some 450 have Vatican citizenship and the remainder is only temporarily
authorised to reside in the State. Half of the citizens live outside the State in other countries, mainly for Foreign service reasons (in particular Diplomatic personnel.) The acquisition and loss of citizenship, authorisations to reside in the State territory and formalities of access are governed by special provisions Issued under the terms of the LateranTYeaty.
The flag of the Vatican City State has two fields divided vertically: one yellow next to the pole and the other white bearing the pontifical Tiara with the keys.
The Pope who is the head of State has full legislative, executive and judiciary powers. During the period, the Holy See being vacant, these powers are exercised by the College of Cardinals.
The Pope who represents the State, enters relations Aith other States of the world through the Secretariat of State. Both the Holy See, as the sovereign Body of the Catholic Church, and the Vatican Qty State have always received full recognition of their International legal personality; they are members of international Organizations, participate in international Confer-
ences and ratify conventions. At present the Holy See enjoys Its diplomatic relations with more than 171 countries of the wo rid.
The Vatican City State has its own telephone system, post office, gardens, astronomical observatory, radio station, banking system, and pharmacy, as well as a contingent of Swiss Guards respo nsible for the personal safety ofthePopes!ncel506.
The Vatican Museums and Galleries, the frescoes by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, the frescoes by Pinturicchio in the Borgia Apartment, and Raphael’s rooms attract critics, artists, and Docks of tourists. The Vatican Apostolic Library contains a priceless collection of some 150,000 manuscripts - many from the pre-Christian and early Christian times - and 1.6 million printed books. For pilgrims and tourists who would like to visit those places, it might be useful to know that the Vatican City State does no t request nor issue any visa for visitors. However, the Vatican can be reached only from Italy, which requires a visa that can only be Issued by the Italian Authorities.