VATICAN CITY                                                                    
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 0.438 km2; land area: 0.438 km2                                     
                                                                                
Comparative area: about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in                       
Washington, DC                                                                  
                                                                                
Land boundary: 3.2 km with Italy                                                
Coastline: none--landlocked                                                     
                                                                                
Maritime claims: none--landlocked                                               
                                                                                
Climate: temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with             
hot, dry summers (May to September)                                             
                                                                                
Terrain: low hill                                                               
                                                                                
Natural resources: none                                                         
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures              
0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%                                          
                                                                                
Environment: urban                                                              
                                                                                
Note: landlocked; enclave of Rome, Italy; world's smallest state;               
outside the Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo              
(the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights                     
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 778 (July 1991), growth rate NEGL% (1991)                           
                                                                                
Nationality: no noun or adjectival forms                                        
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: primarily Italians but also Swiss and other                   
nationalities                                                                   
                                                                                
Religion: Roman Catholic                                                        
                                                                                
Language: Italian, Latin, and various other languages                           
                                                                                
Literacy: 100% (male NA%, female NA%)                                           
                                                                                
Labor force: high dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000                 
lay workers who live outside the Vatican                                        
                                                                                
Organized labor: Association of Vatican Lay Workers, 1,800 members              
(1987)                                                                          
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: State of the Vatican City; note--the Vatican City               
is the physical seat of the Holy See, which is the central government of        
the Roman Catholic Church                                                       
                                                                                
Type: monarchical-sacerdotal state                                              
                                                                                
Capital: Vatican City                                                           
                                                                                
Independence: 11 February 1929 (from Italy)                                     
                                                                                
Constitution: Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March                 
1968)                                                                           
                                                                                
National holiday: Installation Day of the Pope (John Paul II),                  
22 October (1978); note--Pope John Paul II was elected on 16 October 1978       
                                                                                
Executive branch: pope                                                          
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral Pontifical Commission                            
                                                                                
Judicial branch: none; normally handled by Italy                                
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State--Pope JOHN PAUL II (Karol WOJTYLA; since 16                      
October 1978);                                                                  
                                                                                
Head of Government--Secretary of State Archbishop Angelo SODANO                 
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders: none                                             
                                                                                
Suffrage: limited to cardinals less than 80 years old                           
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
Pope--last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of             
the current pope);                                                              
results--Karol WOJTYlA was elected for life by the College of Cardinals         
                                                                                
Communists: NA                                                                  
                                                                                
Other political or pressure groups: none (exclusive of influence                
exercised by church officers)                                                   
                                                                                
Member of: CSCE, IAEA, ICFTU, IMF (observer), INTELSAT, IOM                     
(observer), ITU, OAS (observer), UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU,             
WIPO, WTO (observer)                                                            
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: Apostolic Pro-Nuncio Archbishop                      
Agostino CACCIAVILLAN; 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;       
telephone (202) 333-7121;                                                       
                                                                                
US--Ambassador Thomas P. MELADY; Embassy at Villino Pacelli,                    
Via Aurelia 294, 00165 Rome (mailing address is APO New York 09794);            
telephone  396  639-0558                                                        
                                                                                
Flag: two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with                  
the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal tiara centered in the white       
band                                                                            
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: This unique, noncommercial economy is supported                       
financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman                
Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps, tourist             
mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications.          
The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to,              
or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work in the city             
of Rome.                                                                        
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $76.6 million; expenditures $168 million,                      
including capital expenditures of $NA (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Electricity: 5,000 kW standby capacity (1990); power supplied by                
Italy                                                                           
                                                                                
Industries: printing and production of a small amount of mosaics                
and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities                  
                                                                                
Currency: Vatican lira (plural--lire);                                          
1 Vatican lira (VLit) = 100 centesimi                                           
                                                                                
Exchange rates: Vatican lire (VLit) per US$1--1,134.4 (January                  
1991), 1,198.1 (1990), 1,372.1 (1989), 1,301.6 (1988), 1,296.1 (1987),          
1,490.8 (1986), 1,909.4 (1985); note--the Vatican lira is at par with the       
Italian lira which circulates freely                                            
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Railroads: 850 m, 750 mm gauge (links with Italian network near the             
Rome station of Saint Peter's)                                                  
                                                                                
Highways: none; all city streets                                                
                                                                                
Telecommunications: stations--3 AM, 4 FM, no TV; 2,000-line                     
automatic telephone exchange; no communications satellite systems               
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Note: defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards                
are posted at entrances to the Vatican City                                     
                                                                                
