Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, covering just 0.44 square kilometers (about 110 acres) within the city of Rome, Italy. This extraordinary sovereign state is home to the Pope, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and some of the most visited and celebrated art and architecture on the entire planet. Despite its minuscule size, Vatican City holds enormous cultural, religious, political, and historical significance that extends far beyond its physical boundaries.
In this comprehensive guide, you will learn everything there is to know about Vatican City — its history, government, population, economy, and what makes it officially the world’s smallest country. You will also discover other remarkably small countries that follow closely behind Vatican City on the list of the world’s tiniest nations, including Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein, and the island nations of the Pacific. Whether you are a student, a curious traveler, or someone preparing for a trivia night, this article covers every angle of the topic with depth and authority.
By the end of this guide, you will understand not just the facts but the full story of how a country this small came to exist, how it operates, what it looks like from the inside, and why it matters so much to the world.
Vatican City: The World’s Smallest Country
Size, Location, and Basic Facts
Vatican City officially measures 0.44 square kilometers, making it the smallest internationally recognized sovereign state in the world by both area and population. It is located entirely within Rome, Italy, surrounded on all sides by the city’s urban landscape, which makes it a unique enclave unlike any other nation on Earth. The country sits on the west bank of the Tiber River, occupying a small hilltop area known as Vatican Hill, from which it derives its historical name. Despite its tiny dimensions, Vatican City contains an extraordinary concentration of art, history, architecture, and religious heritage that draws approximately six million visitors every single year.
The borders of Vatican City are defined by the ancient Leonine Wall, built in the ninth century to protect the area from invasion, as well as by the more visible boundary of St. Peter’s Square and its famous colonnade. Within those borders, you will find St. Peter’s Basilica, the Apostolic Palace, the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, Vatican Gardens, and dozens of other structures and institutions. The country has its own postal system, radio station, television center, newspaper, pharmacy, and even a small railway station. Everything that a functioning nation needs exists in compressed, remarkable form within a space smaller than many golf courses.
Population of the Smallest Country
The population of Vatican City hovers around 800 people, though the number fluctuates slightly from year to year depending on how many clergy, members of religious orders, and Swiss Guards are officially residing within its walls. Citizenship in Vatican City is not passed down through family lines in the traditional sense — it is granted based on employment or appointment within the state’s service, and it ends when that role concludes. This makes Vatican City citizenship one of the most unique and temporary forms of national identity in the world. Tens of thousands of additional workers commute into Vatican City daily from Rome, but they are not counted as residents or citizens of the Holy See.
The Swiss Guard, which has been protecting the Pope since 1506, forms one of the most recognizable groups within the Vatican’s tiny population. These soldiers, famous for their colorful Renaissance-era uniforms, are recruited exclusively from Switzerland and must meet very specific requirements including Swiss citizenship, Catholic faith, military training, and a minimum height requirement. The Vatican’s residents include cardinals, bishops, priests, nuns, lay workers, and administrative staff who keep the institutions of the Catholic Church running day to day. Despite the small number, the permanent residents of Vatican City represent one of the most educated and internationally connected populations of any nation on Earth.
The History of Vatican City
How Vatican City Was Created
Vatican City became an independent nation on February 11, 1929, when the Lateran Treaty was signed between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy under Prime Minister Benito Mussolini and Pope Pius XI. This treaty ended decades of bitter conflict between the papacy and the Italian state that had begun in 1870 when Italian forces seized Rome and ended the temporal power of the Pope over the Papal States. For nearly sixty years between 1870 and 1929, the Pope refused to leave the Vatican and referred to himself as a prisoner of the Vatican, a period historians call the Roman Question. The Lateran Treaty resolved this dispute by creating a new, small sovereign state that gave the Pope independent territory and full sovereignty over it.
Before 1929, the Papal States had been a much larger territory covering a significant portion of central Italy, including areas that today make up Lazio, Umbria, Marche, and parts of Emilia-Romagna. At their height in the Middle Ages, these lands gave the Pope enormous political and economic power across Europe. The slow erosion of papal temporal power through the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Age of Enlightenment culminated in the Italian unification movement of the nineteenth century, which absorbed the Papal States into the new Kingdom of Italy. The creation of Vatican City in 1929 gave the papacy a symbolic but internationally recognized territorial base, preserving its independence and sovereignty in a dramatically reduced but legally secure form.
Ancient History of Vatican Hill
Long before the Catholic Church built its most important institutions on Vatican Hill, the area was known to ancient Romans as a place of religious significance and mystery. The word “Vatican” is believed by many historians to derive from the Latin term “Vaticanus,” referring to an Etruscan settlement in the area or possibly connected to the Latin word “vates,” meaning a soothsayer or prophet. Ancient Romans considered the area somewhat cursed or unlucky, and it was used primarily as a necropolis, or burial ground, during the early centuries of the Roman Empire. It was also in this area, according to Christian tradition, that the apostle Peter was crucified and buried around 64 AD during the reign of Emperor Nero.
The first major Christian church on the site was commissioned by Emperor Constantine I in the fourth century, built directly over what was believed to be the tomb of Saint Peter. This original St. Peter’s Basilica stood for over a thousand years before it began to fall into disrepair, eventually leading to the construction of the current magnificent Renaissance-era basilica, which began in 1506 and was not fully completed until 1626. The decision to tear down Constantine’s ancient church and replace it with the new building was deeply controversial at the time, and some historians argue it contributed to the Protestant Reformation by helping to justify Martin Luther’s criticisms of papal excess. The history of Vatican Hill is therefore inseparable from the entire sweep of Western Christianity, European politics, and the history of art and architecture.
Government and Political Structure of Vatican City
How Vatican City Is Governed
Vatican City is an absolute monarchy governed by the Pope, who holds supreme legislative, executive, and judicial authority within the state’s borders. This form of government is unique in the modern world, as the Pope’s authority is considered both spiritual and temporal, derived from his position as the head of the Roman Catholic Church rather than from a democratic mandate. The Pope is elected for life by the College of Cardinals through a process called a conclave, held in the Sistine Chapel, during which the cardinals are locked inside until they reach a two-thirds majority decision. When a Pope dies or, as has happened in modern times, resigns, the sede vacante period begins, during which the Vatican is administered by the Cardinal Camerlengo until a new Pope is chosen.
The day-to-day administration of Vatican City is handled by the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, a body of cardinals appointed by the Pope, along with the Governorate of Vatican City, which functions somewhat like a city government managing infrastructure, security, and public services. The Vatican has its own legal code that is based partly on Canon Law (the law of the Catholic Church) and partly on Italian law adapted to the Vatican’s specific needs. Despite being an absolute monarchy, Vatican City maintains full diplomatic relations with over 180 countries and holds Permanent Observer status at the United Nations, giving it significant influence in international affairs. The Holy See, which is the governing authority of the Catholic Church worldwide, is legally distinct from Vatican City State but operates from the same physical location and is recognized separately by international law.
The Pope: Head of State and Spiritual Leader
The Pope serves simultaneously as the head of state of Vatican City and the spiritual leader of approximately 1.3 billion Roman Catholics worldwide, making him one of the most influential figures on the planet despite ruling what is technically the world’s smallest country. The current Pope is Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, who was elected on March 13, 2013, becoming the first Pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit Pope, and the first to take the name Francis. His papacy has been marked by a focus on social justice, humility, environmental advocacy, and outreach to people on the margins of society. Pope Francis has also made significant administrative changes within the Vatican, including reforms aimed at improving financial transparency and reducing corruption.
The history of the papacy stretches back over two thousand years, making it one of the oldest continuous institutional roles in human history. There have been 266 popes since Saint Peter, though historians debate the exact numbering because of antipopes (rival claimants) and other historical complications. Some popes have been extraordinarily influential in shaping world history, including Leo I, Gregory the Great, Innocent III, and John Paul II, while others were largely political figureheads with little lasting impact. The papacy as an institution has survived the fall of the Roman Empire, the Crusades, the Protestant Reformation, the French Revolution, two World Wars, and the Cold War, demonstrating a remarkable institutional resilience that continues to fascinate historians and political scientists alike.
Vatican City’s Economy: How the World’s Smallest Country Funds Itself
Sources of Income and Revenue
Vatican City’s economy is unlike any other in the world, relying on a combination of tourism revenues, museum entrance fees, the sale of postage stamps and coins, real estate income, and financial contributions from Catholics worldwide through a system known as Peter’s Pence. The Vatican Museums are among the most visited museums on Earth, welcoming approximately six million visitors per year, and the entrance fees they generate represent one of the most significant sources of income for the state. Vatican City also issues its own euro coins, which are legal tender across the eurozone even though the Vatican is not a member of the European Union — these coins are highly prized by collectors and often sell for many times their face value. The Vatican’s pharmaceutical offerings are famously generous, offering medications at prices far below Italian market rates, serving both residents and specially authorized visitors.
The Holy See also manages a significant investment portfolio and real estate holdings, particularly in Rome and other parts of Italy, that were originally provided as part of the 1929 Lateran Treaty settlement. Financial management at the Vatican has historically been controversial, with scandals and investigations into mismanagement occurring throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Pope Francis established the Secretariat for the Economy in 2014 to bring greater transparency and professionalism to Vatican finances. The Vatican has also signed tax information exchange agreements with several countries and has made efforts to comply with international anti-money-laundering standards in recent decades.
Vatican City and the Euro
Vatican City uses the euro as its official currency despite not being a member of the European Union, a right it obtained through a special monetary agreement with the EU that acknowledges its unique status as a sovereign entity within Rome. This agreement allows Vatican City to mint a limited number of euro coins each year, featuring images of the reigning Pope on one side and the standard euro design on the other side. These coins are legal tender throughout the entire eurozone, meaning you could theoretically spend a Vatican City euro coin in a café in Paris or a grocery store in Athens, though in practice collectors immediately snap them up. The Vatican’s coin mintage is strictly limited, which keeps the numismatic value of these coins extremely high.
Before the adoption of the euro in 2002, Vatican City issued its own lira coins under a similar arrangement with Italy, and these older coins have also become valuable collectibles over time. The Vatican Post Office is equally famous among collectors, issuing distinctive and beautifully designed postage stamps that are valid for postage from within Vatican City but not from Italian post boxes. Many philatelists consider Vatican stamps among the most artistically significant and collectible in the world, with older series fetching significant prices at auction. The Vatican’s savvy approach to numismatics and philately represents a fascinating example of how a tiny state can generate meaningful revenue through the cultivation of niche global markets.
Landmarks and Attractions of Vatican City
St. Peter’s Basilica: The World’s Largest Church
St. Peter’s Basilica is the most famous structure in Vatican City and is considered by many to be the greatest church in the world, both in terms of its physical size and its artistic and religious significance. The current basilica, which replaced the original fourth-century structure commissioned by Constantine, was designed by some of the greatest architects and artists of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, including Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Michelangelo, who took over as chief architect in 1547 at the age of 72, designed the iconic dome that dominates the Roman skyline and that took decades after his death in 1564 to complete. The basilica can accommodate over 20,000 worshippers and covers approximately 2.3 hectares (about 5.7 acres), making it the largest church building in the world by interior volume.
Inside St. Peter’s Basilica, visitors encounter an almost overwhelming concentration of artistic masterpieces, including Michelangelo’s Pietà (completed in 1499, when he was just 24 years old), Bernini’s monumental bronze baldachin (canopy) over the papal altar, which stands 29 meters tall and took eleven years to build, and countless side chapels decorated with mosaics, sculptures, and marble inlays. Beneath the basilica lies the Vatican Grottoes, containing the tombs of dozens of popes, as well as what is believed to be the original tomb of Saint Peter himself, discovered through archaeological excavations conducted between 1939 and 1949. Visitors can also climb to the top of the dome for a breathtaking panoramic view of Rome, making the experience both spiritually and visually extraordinary. Admission to the basilica itself is free, though climbing the dome costs a small fee and access to certain areas requires advance booking.
The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel
The Vatican Museums represent one of the greatest collections of art and antiquities ever assembled, encompassing 54 galleries spread across a complex that takes most visitors an entire day to explore even at a brisk pace. The collection was begun by Pope Julius II in the early sixteenth century and has been expanded by virtually every pope since, growing to include ancient Roman and Greek sculptures, Egyptian antiquities, Renaissance paintings, modern religious art, cartographic galleries, tapestry collections, and much more. The most famous attraction within the museum complex is undoubtedly the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, whose ceiling depicts the creation story from Genesis and whose altar wall features the awe-inspiring Last Judgment, painted between 1534 and 1541. The ceiling alone covers approximately 500 square meters and contains over 300 individual figures, representing one of the greatest single artistic achievements in human history.
The Sistine Chapel today serves a dual purpose as both a world-famous museum attraction and an active place of worship, most notably as the location where the conclave to elect a new Pope is held. During a conclave, the chapel is sealed off from the public completely, and the chimney installed in the chapel’s roof becomes the focus of world attention as white smoke signals the election of a new Pope and black smoke indicates no decision has been reached. Visiting the Sistine Chapel requires purchasing a ticket to the Vatican Museums, which as of recent years costs around 17-20 euros for adults, though pre-booked tickets cost slightly more and allow visitors to skip the often very long queues. Early morning or late afternoon visits tend to be less crowded, and several tour operators offer early access tickets that allow visitors to enter before the museums officially open to the general public.
St. Peter’s Square and Bernini’s Colonnade
St. Peter’s Square is the massive oval-shaped piazza in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and constructed between 1656 and 1667 under the patronage of Pope Alexander VII. The square is framed by two sweeping semicircular colonnades, each consisting of four rows of Doric columns, totaling 284 columns and 88 pilasters, topped by 140 statues of saints. At the center of the square stands an ancient Egyptian obelisk, brought to Rome by Emperor Caligula in 37 AD and erected in its current location in 1586. The square can hold approximately 300,000 people and has been the scene of some of the most significant moments in modern Catholic history, including the announcements of new popes, Papal Masses on major feasts, and the Sunday Angelus prayer that the Pope delivers from his window in the Apostolic Palace.
The engineering brilliance of Bernini’s design includes two white marble discs set into the pavement of the square, marked with the word “centro,” from which, if you stand directly on the disc, each of the four rows of columns in either colonnade appears to collapse into a single row of columns — a perfect optical illusion that demonstrates Bernini’s mastery of perspective and theatrical design. The square is freely accessible to the public at all hours, though security has been significantly tightened since 2010 with the installation of metal detectors and bag screening at the entrances. On Wednesday mornings, the Pope holds a General Audience in St. Peter’s Square (or in the Paul VI Audience Hall when weather is poor), which is open to any visitor who obtains a free ticket through the Vatican’s official website in advance. Witnessing a Papal Audience is considered by many visitors to be the most memorable experience of their visit to Vatican City.
Other Small Countries of the World
Monaco: The Second Smallest Country
Monaco is the second smallest country in the world by area, covering just 2.02 square kilometers on the French Riviera, squeezed between the French coast and the Mediterranean Sea. Despite its tiny size, Monaco is one of the wealthiest countries in the world per capita, famous for its casino in Monte Carlo, its Formula One Grand Prix circuit, its luxury hotels, and its status as a tax haven attracting billionaires and high-net-worth individuals from around the globe. The principality is ruled by the House of Grimaldi, which has governed Monaco in some form since 1297, making it one of the oldest ruling dynasties in Europe. With a population of approximately 39,000 people, Monaco has the highest population density of any country in the world, packing more people per square kilometer than almost anywhere on Earth.
Monaco’s economy is built primarily around financial services, tourism, gambling, and the events industry, with no income tax for residents being a major draw for wealthy individuals. The annual Monaco Formula One Grand Prix, held on the winding streets of the principality itself, is one of the most prestigious events in motorsport and draws enormous global attention. Monaco has its own national football team, its own currency arrangements (using the euro through agreement with the EU), and its own postal stamps. Despite being entirely surrounded by France and relying on French defense, Monaco maintains a distinct national identity and sovereign status recognized by the international community.
San Marino: The World’s Oldest Republic
San Marino, the third smallest country in the world at approximately 61 square kilometers, claims to be the world’s oldest surviving republic, with a founding date traditionally given as September 3, 301 AD. It is a landlocked microstate entirely surrounded by Italy, located on and around Mount Titano in the Apennine Mountains of northeastern Italy. San Marino has a population of approximately 34,000 people and is governed by a unique system in which two Captains Regent serve simultaneously as heads of state, elected every six months — one of the most unusual governmental arrangements in the world. The country has no airports but is easily accessible by road from the nearby Italian city of Rimini on the Adriatic coast.
San Marino’s economy relies heavily on tourism, banking, electronics manufacturing, ceramics, and the sale of postage stamps and coins. It has the highest per capita GDP of any small nation that is not a tax haven and boasts one of the world’s lowest unemployment rates. San Marino’s historic center and Mount Titano were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, recognizing the extraordinary preservation of its medieval architecture and urban landscape. Visitors can explore the three ancient towers that crown the ridge of Mount Titano — Guaita, Cesta, and Montale — as well as the historic city of San Marino with its narrow medieval streets, churches, museums, and government buildings.
Liechtenstein: The Tiny Alpine Principality
Liechtenstein is the fourth smallest country in the world and one of only two doubly landlocked countries (surrounded entirely by landlocked nations), bordered by Switzerland to the west and Austria to the east. It covers approximately 160 square kilometers and has a population of around 38,000 people, making it both geographically and demographically tiny by any international standard. Liechtenstein is one of the wealthiest countries per capita in the world, with a highly developed economy centered on financial services, precision manufacturing, dental products, and tourism. The country is ruled by the House of Liechtenstein, a constitutional monarchy with Prince Hans-Adam II as the current head of state, though his son Alois has managed most of the princely duties since 2004.
Despite its size, Liechtenstein has no airport and no railway of its own beyond a few hundred meters of transit track, relying entirely on Swiss infrastructure for air and rail travel. The country uses the Swiss franc as its currency and has an open border with Switzerland, making it practically integrated with its western neighbor in many ways while maintaining full sovereign status. Vaduz, the capital city, is home to the Liechtenstein royal family’s castle, which looms dramatically over the Rhine Valley and the city below — though it remains a private residence and is only open to the public on national day, August 15. Liechtenstein’s small size has not prevented it from becoming an important player in international finance, with more businesses registered there than there are people living in it.
Nauru: The World’s Smallest Island Nation
Nauru is the smallest island nation in the world and the third smallest country overall, covering just 21 square kilometers in the Pacific Ocean northeast of Australia. With a population of approximately 10,000 people, Nauru was once one of the wealthiest countries per capita in the world during the 1970s and 1980s, thanks to massive deposits of phosphate (used in fertilizers) that were mined and exported on an enormous scale. However, the phosphate reserves were nearly exhausted by the 1990s, and decades of poor financial planning left Nauru in a state of severe economic decline, with a heavily degraded environment and a population suffering from extremely high rates of obesity, diabetes, and other lifestyle diseases. Today, Nauru’s economy is heavily dependent on Australian aid and revenues from hosting Australia’s offshore immigration detention center.
The environmental devastation wrought by decades of phosphate mining has left roughly 80% of Nauru’s interior looking like a lunar landscape of jagged coral pinnacles, making agriculture nearly impossible and forcing the country to import almost all of its food. Nauru has no rivers and relies on rainwater collection and desalination for its fresh water supply. Despite these challenges, Nauru maintains full international sovereignty and is a member of the United Nations, the Pacific Islands Forum, and various other international organizations. The story of Nauru is frequently cited in economic and environmental circles as a cautionary tale about resource dependency, poor governance, and the consequences of treating a country’s natural resources as an inexhaustible cash machine.
Tuvalu, Palau, and Other Pacific Micro-Nations
The Pacific Ocean is home to a remarkable collection of small island nations that collectively paint a picture of extraordinary geographic, cultural, and political diversity compressed into some of the most remote locations on Earth. Tuvalu, covering just 26 square kilometers across nine coral atolls, is particularly notable as one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, with its highest point reaching just 4.6 meters above sea level, making it acutely threatened by rising sea levels caused by climate change. Palau, covering 459 square kilometers and home to approximately 18,000 people, is celebrated for its extraordinary marine biodiversity, including jellyfish lakes, pristine coral reefs, and underwater caves — making it one of the world’s premier scuba diving destinations. The Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Kiribati, and Samoa round out a group of Pacific nations that, despite their small size, grapple with enormous challenges including climate change, economic dependency, and the preservation of indigenous cultures.
The Marshall Islands holds a particularly tragic place in history as the site of extensive American nuclear weapons testing between 1946 and 1958, including the famous Bikini Atoll tests, which displaced native populations and contaminated vast areas of land and ocean with radioactive fallout. Compensation disputes between the Marshall Islands government and the United States continue to this day, making it one of the longest-running nuclear justice cases in international law. Kiribati, meanwhile, is widely expected to become the first country to be entirely uninhabitable due to climate change, potentially within the next several decades if sea level rise continues at current rates. The Kiribati government has already purchased land in Fiji as a potential future home for its population — a historically unprecedented situation that raises profound questions about sovereignty, statehood, and what it means to be a nation when your territory no longer exists.
Practical Information: Visiting Vatican City
Opening Hours and Access
Vatican City is open to visitors throughout most of the year, though access to different areas varies significantly depending on which part of the tiny country you wish to explore. St. Peter’s Basilica is generally open to the public from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM (closing at 6:00 PM in winter months from October to March), and admission to the main basilica floor is completely free of charge, though queues can stretch for well over an hour during peak tourist season. The Vatican Museums are open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM (last entry at 4:00 PM), and on the last Sunday of each month they open for free from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM — a fact that makes those particular Sundays exceptionally crowded. The Vatican Gardens require a separate guided tour booking and are not open to independent visitors.
The most important practical consideration for visiting Vatican City is booking your Vatican Museums tickets well in advance, particularly if you are traveling between April and October when visitor numbers are at their peak. Walk-up queues for the museums can easily exceed two to three hours, while pre-booked tickets allow visitors to enter through a separate, faster line. Several licensed tour operators offer early morning access tours (beginning before 8:00 AM) that allow visitors to experience the Sistine Chapel in relative peace before the main crowds arrive — these tours are generally considered worth the premium price for anyone who finds crowds overwhelming. The dress code in Vatican City is strictly enforced: shoulders and knees must be covered for entry into any church or religious building, and anyone arriving in sleeveless tops, shorts, or miniskirts will be turned away at the door.
Getting to Vatican City
Vatican City is located within Rome, Italy, making it one of the most accessible small countries in the world for international travelers who are visiting Rome for any reason. The nearest metro station is Ottaviano on Line A, which is approximately a 10-minute walk from St. Peter’s Square and is well signposted for tourists. Numerous bus lines also serve the area, with stops very close to the Vatican walls, and the Tram Line 19 stops near Piazza Risorgimento on the northern edge of Vatican City. Taxi services are readily available throughout Rome and can drop passengers directly at St. Peter’s Square, though driving restrictions in central Rome make walking or using public transport the most practical option for most visitors.
Rome’s main airports, Leonardo da Vinci (Fiumicino) and Ciampino, both serve as the primary international gateways for visitors coming specifically to see Vatican City, with Fiumicino being the larger and better-connected of the two. From Fiumicino, the Leonardo Express train runs directly to Roma Termini station, from which the metro or buses serve the Vatican area. Budget airlines serving Ciampino airport connect Rome with many European cities, making a day trip specifically to visit Vatican City feasible for travelers already based elsewhere in Europe. Once in Rome, Vatican City is best approached on foot from the Castel Sant’Angelo, following the Via della Conciliazione — a grand boulevard laid out in the 1930s that leads directly to St. Peter’s Square in what ranks among the most dramatic pedestrian approaches to any building in the world.
Costs and Budgeting for Vatican City
Visiting Vatican City can range from entirely free (if you only visit St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square) to moderately expensive if you include the Vatican Museums, dome climbing, guided tours, and souvenirs. The Vatican Museums standard adult ticket costs approximately 17-20 euros for walk-up visitors (when available) and slightly more for online pre-booking, but the convenience and time saved by pre-booking usually makes the extra cost worthwhile. Children under 6 years old enter the Vatican Museums for free, and reduced rates apply for children between 6 and 18 years old as well as for students with valid ID. Climbing to the top of St. Peter’s dome costs around 8 euros if you take the elevator partway and 6 euros if you climb all the stairs from the bottom — the walk involves over 500 steps at the upper section, regardless of which option you choose.
Guided tours of Vatican City can cost anywhere from 25 euros for a basic group tour to well over 150 euros for a private or early morning access experience. Lunch and refreshments inside Vatican City are available at a small cafeteria within the museum complex, with prices roughly comparable to standard tourist-area restaurants in Rome. The Vatican’s own official post office, located in St. Peter’s Square, offers unique Vatican-stamped postcards and letters — many visitors specifically send a postcard from Vatican City as a keepsake, with international postage costing just a few euros. Budget-conscious visitors can experience much of what Vatican City has to offer for under 25 euros total by limiting themselves to the free basilica and spending their main museum budget elsewhere in Rome, though most visitors find the Vatican Museums well worth the investment.
Why Small Countries Matter in the Modern World
Sovereignty, Diplomacy, and International Law
The existence of very small countries like Vatican City, Monaco, and the Pacific micro-nations raises fascinating questions about the nature of sovereignty, statehood, and international recognition in the modern world. Under international law, a state is generally defined by four criteria outlined in the 1933 Montevideo Convention: a permanent population, a defined territory, an effective government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. All of the world’s recognized micro-states meet these criteria, even if their populations are measured in hundreds rather than millions and their territories in acres rather than square kilometers. The principle that all sovereign states are legally equal, regardless of size, is a cornerstone of the international system and means that Vatican City’s vote at international forums carries the same theoretical weight as that of the United States or China.
Small countries often punch well above their weight in global affairs through the power of soft influence, moral authority, and specialized roles. Vatican City’s influence on issues of peace, human rights, and social policy is felt across the entire world through the teaching authority of the Catholic Church, which guides the beliefs and actions of 1.3 billion people. Monaco’s importance in international finance and luxury tourism gives it a presence in global economic circles far disproportionate to its size. San Marino’s unique constitutional arrangements have been studied by political scientists as models of democratic innovation for centuries. The Pacific micro-states have become powerful voices in global climate negotiations, drawing attention to the existential threat posed by rising sea levels to low-lying island communities.
FAQs
What is the smallest country in the world?
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, covering just 0.44 square kilometers within the city of Rome, Italy. It was established as an independent sovereign state on February 11, 1929, through the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy. Vatican City is home to the Pope, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, and approximately 800 permanent residents. It is recognized by the international community as a fully sovereign nation with its own government, laws, currency arrangements, and diplomatic relations.
How big is Vatican City in comparison to everyday things?
Vatican City covers approximately 0.44 square kilometers or about 110 acres, which is roughly the size of 65 American football fields placed side by side, or slightly smaller than the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Central Park in New York City is approximately 17 times larger than the entire country of Vatican City. The Vatican is so small that you could walk from one end to the other in under 30 minutes at a casual pace. Despite this extraordinary smallness, Vatican City contains at least 11 separate chapels, 55 corridors, 20 courtyards, and over 1,000 rooms within the Apostolic Palace alone.
What is the smallest country in the world by population?
Vatican City is also the smallest country in the world by population, with approximately 800 official residents. Citizenship in Vatican City is uniquely tied to employment or appointment within the Vatican’s service rather than birth or ancestry. When people leave Vatican employment, they typically lose their Vatican citizenship and revert to their previous nationality. This makes Vatican City citizenship one of the most transient and unusual forms of national belonging in the entire world.
What is the second smallest country in the world?
Monaco is the second smallest country in the world, covering just 2.02 square kilometers on the French Riviera between France and the Mediterranean Sea. Despite its small size, Monaco is one of the wealthiest nations per capita on Earth, with an economy built on financial services, luxury tourism, and gambling at the famous Monte Carlo Casino. Monaco has a population of approximately 39,000 people and is governed by the Prince of Monaco from the House of Grimaldi, which has held power in some form since 1297. The principality is also famous for hosting the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix on its narrow city streets every year.
Can you visit Vatican City without a passport?
You can generally enter Vatican City without showing your passport, as there are no formal border controls between Vatican City and Italy for ordinary tourists visiting the main attractions like St. Peter’s Square and the basilica. However, you should always carry your passport when traveling internationally as it may be required for museum bookings, in case of any security checks, or in the event of any emergency situation. Access to sensitive or administrative areas of Vatican City is strictly controlled and requires specific authorization. The Swiss Guard stationed at various entrances do check bags and apply security screening, but they do not typically stamp passports or perform immigration checks.
Is Vatican City a country or a city?
Vatican City is both a city-state and a fully sovereign country recognized under international law. It is technically called the Vatican City State, distinguishing it from the Holy See, which is the ecclesiastical authority of the Catholic Church that also has international legal personality and maintains its own separate diplomatic relations. As a city-state, Vatican City is a single urban settlement that simultaneously constitutes an entire independent nation, much as the ancient Greek city-states like Athens and Sparta were. The distinction between Vatican City State and the Holy See is often confusing but is important in international legal contexts, as they are two separate entities that happen to occupy the same physical territory.
How many countries are smaller than 100 square kilometers?
Six countries in the world cover less than 100 square kilometers: Vatican City (0.44 km²), Monaco (2.02 km²), San Marino (61 km²), Liechtenstein (160 km² — just over the threshold), Nauru (21 km²), and Tuvalu (26 km²). All of these nations are fully recognized sovereign states that are members of or observers at the United Nations and maintain their own governments, laws, and diplomatic relations. The existence of so many tiny sovereign states reflects the principle enshrined in international law that the right to self-determination and sovereignty is not contingent on physical size or population numbers. Each of these micro-states has a distinct history, culture, and reason for its continued existence as a separate nation.
What language do they speak in Vatican City?
Vatican City has no single official language in the traditional sense, though Latin holds special status as the language of official documents and liturgy within the Catholic Church. Italian is the most widely spoken language in daily life within Vatican City, used for administrative communications, signage, and day-to-day interactions between staff and residents. The Swiss Guards who protect the Vatican speak German, French, and Italian depending on their regional origin within Switzerland. Visitors to Vatican City will find that English, Spanish, French, German, and many other languages are accommodated in museum tours, information materials, and by the multilingual staff that serves the millions of international visitors each year.
Does Vatican City have its own military?
Vatican City’s only military force is the Pontifical Swiss Guard, which has served as the personal bodyguard of the Pope since May 22, 1506, when Pope Julius II formally established the corps. The Swiss Guard currently numbers around 135 men, all of whom must be Catholic, Swiss citizens, between 19 and 30 years old, at least 174 centimeters tall, and in possession of a certificate of good conduct from their Swiss canton and the Swiss army. Their iconic colorful uniforms — popularly (though incorrectly) attributed to Michelangelo — were actually designed in the early twentieth century in a style meant to evoke the Renaissance era. The Vatican also has a small gendarmerie corps that handles civil policing functions within Vatican City, including traffic control, crowd management, and criminal investigations.
What is the currency of Vatican City?
Vatican City uses the euro as its official currency, a right granted through a special monetary agreement with the European Union that acknowledges the Vatican’s unique status as a sovereign entity. Under this agreement, Vatican City is permitted to mint a small annual quota of euro coins featuring images of the reigning Pope, which are legal tender throughout the eurozone. These Vatican euro coins are among the most sought-after collectibles in the numismatic world, often selling for many multiples of their face value because of their extremely limited mintage. Before the euro was adopted in 2002, Vatican City issued its own version of the Italian lira under a similar arrangement with Italy that had existed since the 1930 monetary convention following the Lateran Treaty.
Has Vatican City always been this small?
No, Vatican City as it exists today was created by the Lateran Treaty in 1929, and before that the papal territory was vastly larger. For centuries, the Pope governed the Papal States, a large swath of central Italy stretching from Rome northward to the Adriatic coast, encompassing modern regions including Lazio, Umbria, Marche, and parts of Emilia-Romagna. At their maximum extent in the early sixteenth century, the Papal States covered roughly 44,000 square kilometers — making them one of the larger states in the Italian peninsula at the time. The dramatic reduction to just 0.44 square kilometers occurred gradually through the Italian Risorgimento (unification movement) of the nineteenth century, culminating in the Italian army’s capture of Rome in 1870, after which the Pope retreated to the Vatican and refused to recognize Italian sovereignty until the 1929 treaty finally resolved the conflict.
Why is Vatican City located inside Rome?
Vatican City is located inside Rome because the Catholic Church established its most important institutional presence in Rome during the first centuries of Christianity, drawn by the city’s status as the capital of the Roman Empire and by the tradition that Saint Peter, the first Pope, was martyred and buried there. As Rome became Christianized following the conversion of Emperor Constantine in the fourth century, the area around Peter’s tomb on Vatican Hill became increasingly sacred and was developed into a major Christian pilgrimage site. Over the following centuries, successive popes built their residences and administrative buildings in close proximity to St. Peter’s tomb, gradually transforming Vatican Hill into the center of Catholic institutional power. When the Lateran Treaty of 1929 created Vatican City State, the boundaries were drawn specifically around the area that had historically been the core of papal administration, resulting in the enclave situation that exists today.
What is the smallest country in the world by area in Asia?
The Maldives is often cited as the smallest country in Asia by land area at approximately 298 square kilometers, though it consists of nearly 1,200 coral islands spread across a vast area of the Indian Ocean. If we include Middle Eastern countries in the Asian definition, Bahrain at 778 square kilometers is also frequently mentioned. Singapore, while extremely small at 728 square kilometers, is far more densely populated and economically developed than most micro-states. The question of the smallest Asian country depends significantly on how the geographic boundaries of Asia are defined and whether Pacific island nations are included in that classification.
How does Vatican City handle healthcare and education?
Vatican City provides healthcare services through its own pharmacy (one of the best-stocked in Rome, offering medications at below-market prices) and through the Bambin Gesù (Baby Jesus) Children’s Hospital, which is technically owned and operated by the Holy See and is one of the leading pediatric hospitals in Italy. Residents of Vatican City can access the full range of Italian healthcare services due to various arrangements between the Vatican and Italy. Education within Vatican City itself is minimal given the small population, but the Holy See maintains the Pontifical Universities of Rome, which are some of the world’s most prestigious centers of theological, philosophical, and canon law study. Vatican City does not have public schools in the traditional sense, as the children of Vatican employees typically attend schools in Rome.
What records does Vatican City hold beyond being the world’s smallest country?
Beyond being the world’s smallest country by area and population, Vatican City holds several other notable records and distinctions. It has the world’s highest crime rate per capita — not because it is dangerous, but because the enormous number of daily visitors (around 25,000-30,000 daily) means that pickpocketing and petty theft incidents, when calculated against the tiny permanent population of 800, produce a startlingly high crime ratio. Vatican City has the highest literacy rate of any country in the world at 100%, reflecting its highly educated resident population of clergy and scholars. The Vatican Library, which holds approximately 1.1 million books, 75,000 codices, and 8,500 incunabula (books printed before 1500), is one of the oldest and most significant libraries in existence and contains documents that cannot be found anywhere else on Earth.
To Conclude
Vatican City’s claim to the title of the world’s smallest country is just the beginning of what makes it truly extraordinary. In a world where size is often equated with power and significance, Vatican City stands as perhaps the most powerful counterexample imaginable — a nation of 0.44 square kilometers that influences the beliefs, values, and daily lives of over one billion people across every continent on Earth. Its art collections represent some of the greatest achievements of human creativity, its political voice carries weight in international forums, its diplomatic network spans the globe, and its history stretches back through nearly every major event in Western civilization.
The other small countries of the world — Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Nauru, Tuvalu, and the other Pacific micro-states — each tell their own unique story about how and why nations form, persist, and struggle to survive in a world dominated by larger powers. Some of these small nations are extraordinarily wealthy, some are fighting for their very physical survival against rising seas, and some represent living museums of governmental and cultural forms that have been preserved for centuries while the world around them changed beyond recognition.
Understanding the smallest countries in the world is ultimately about understanding sovereignty itself — the idea that a people, regardless of how few they are or how little land they occupy, have the right to govern themselves and to take their place in the community of nations on equal footing with the largest and most powerful states. That idea, enshrined in international law and embodied by the extraordinary variety of nations that exist on our planet today, is one of the most remarkable achievements of modern civilization, and Vatican City — tiny, ancient, and endlessly fascinating — sits at its very center.
Read More on Manchesterreporter