1988 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1988 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Climate
temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)
Comparative area
about one-four hundredth the size of Washington, D. C.
Environment
urban
Ethnic divisions
primarily Italians but also many other nationalities
Labor force
about 1,500; Vatican City employees divided into three categoriesexecutives, office workers, and salaried employees
Land boundary
3 km with Italy
Land use
0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other
Language
Italian, Latin, and various other languages
Literacy
100%
Population
738 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 0.14%
Religion
Roman Catholic
Special notes
landlocked; enclave of Rome, Italy; world's smallest state
Terrain
low hill
Total area
0.438 km2; land area: 0.438 km2
Total area
25Q meters Sec regional map V
Government
Administrative divisions
outside the Vatican, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights
Branches
the Pope possesses full executive, legislative, and judicial powers; he delegates these powers to the President of the Pontifical Commission, who is subject to pontifical appointment and recall; the administrative structure of the Roman Catholic Church is known as the Roman Curia; its most important temporal components include the Secretariat of State and Council for Public Affairs (which handles Vatican diplomacy) and the Prefecture of Economic Affairs; the College of Cardinals act as chief papal advisers
Capital
Vatican City
Communists
none known
Elections
Supreme Pontiff elected for life by College of Cardinals
Government leader
JOHN PAUL II, Supreme Pontiff (Karol WOJTYLLA, elected Pope 16 October 1978)
Legal system
Canon laws of 1929 serve some functions of a constitution
Member
IAEA, INTELSAT, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, UPU, WIPO, WTO; permanent observer status at FAO, OAS, UN, and UNESCO
National holiday
22 October (installation day of Pope John Paul II)
Official name
State of the Vatican City
Other political or pressure groups
none (exclusive of influence exercised by other church officers in universal Roman Catholic Church)
Suffrage
limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Type
monarchical-sacerdotal state
Economy
Electric power
3,000 kW capacity (1986) — power supplied by Italy
Monetary conversion rate
the Vatican issues its own coinage, which is interchangeable with the Italian lira; 1,337.0 lira=US$l (January 1987)
Communications
Highways
none (city streets)
Telecommunications
2 AM and 2 FM stations; 2,000-line automatic telephone exchange Defense Forces Defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City