Vatican City: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 6, 2026

News •

Pope introduces new communications chief who shows a more informal approach • Nov. 6, 2026, 4:03 PM ET (AP)

A popemobile exhibition at the Vatican features the vehicle popes have used since 1930 • Oct. 29, 2026, 11:09 PM ET (AP)

Ahead of Rome tipoff, basketball powerhouse Villanova embraces 'Pope Leo effect' • Oct. 27, 2026, 8:37 AM ET (AP)

Vatican confirms Pope Leo's Latin America trip after post-surgery checkup • Oct. 26, 2026, 12:53 PM ET (AP)

Pope Leo tells faithful in St. Peter's Square he will gradually resume duties after cancer surgery • Oct. 18, 2026, 1:10 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	State of the Vatican City • Stato della Città del Vaticano
Population	(2024 est.) 882
Form Of Government	Papacy
Official Name(S)	State of the Vatican City; Stato della Città del Vaticano (Italian)
Total Area (Sq Km)	0.44
Total Area (Sq Mi)	0.17

Photos and Videos

St. Peter's Basilica

Map of Vatican City highlighting major streets, gardens, and landmarks, including St. Peter's Basilica, St. Peter's Square with its central obelisk, the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Gardens, Vatican Apostolic Library, Government Palace, and surrounding walls. The map also shows adjacent roads in Rome and includes a small inset locating Vatican City within Italy.

Map of southern Europe highlighting Italy and surrounding countries, with a red star marking the location of Vatican City within Rome as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The map shows major seas, neighboring nations, and provides geographic context for Vatican City's position in central Italy.

Vatican City: St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's, Vatican City, colonnade and piazza designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, begun 1656.

St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's, Vatican City, Rome, by Carlo Maderno, 1607.

Aerial view of the Vatican Museums complex with long, rectangular buildings and courtyards, surrounded by trees and the cityscape of Vatican City, Italy.

The architecture of St. Peter's Basilica

Vatican City: A world center of art and culture

Joseph Ratzinger's life before becoming Pope Benedict XVI

Discover Columbus's voyage to America and the majestic cathedrals and basilicas bear witness to the spread of Catholicism in the South

National anthem of Vatican City

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Topics

nation-state World Heritage site state St. Peter’s Basilica Caritas Internationalis Lateran Treaty L’Osservatore Romano Christianity Roman Catholicism Sistine Chapel United States India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

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