What is the smallest state in the world? In general, the differences in the area of different states are impressive. The largest, such as Russia, occupy the vast expanses of the continents, and their bowels contain tens of percent of the global reserves of various natural resources. But there are, on the contrary, shorty states whose size is comparable to the size of an average city. There are only a few such states in the world. They are mainly found inside other countries of the Mediterranean and on small isolated islands of the Pacific Ocean. The smallest state in the world is the Vatican. Most of this article is dedicated to him.
Location of the vatican
The Vatican is located on a hill called the Vatican, which is located in the northwestern part of Rome, near the Tiber. From all sides, the Vatican borders on Italy, thus being inside this southern European state.
Features of the Vatican City
The Vatican is the smallest state in the world by area. It covers an area of 0.45 square kilometers. If you measure along the border line, then the line length will be equal to 3200 meters. Along the border is a high stone fence. In territorial terms, the Vatican is part of Rome. Therefore, he - this is the smallest city-state in the world.
The Vatican has its own post office, train station, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, publishing house and police station. Until 2002, its own monetary unit, the papal lira, was also used here. After this year, it has become obsolete.
Since the country is not able to accommodate the embassies of other countries on its territory, they are located in the capital of Italy - Rome, of which the Vatican is a part.
Vatican History
The history of the Vatican has always been the history of a miniature state. In the period of antiquity in its place was a deserted zone. And this was due to the fact that this place was considered sacred. The first settlers appeared here in 326. State formation falls on 752 year. Until 1870, it was located on a much more impressive area - 41 square kilometers. Then it was called the Papal region. After the seizure of these lands in the mid-19th century by Italian troops, the territory became part of it.
In 1929, by mutually beneficial agreement between Pope XI and the authorities of the Kingdom of Italy , the Vatican city appears on the map in its current borders.
Inhabitants of the vatican
The Vatican is also the smallest state in the world by population. Only 850 people live there - the citizens of this country. They differ from ordinary residents in that they are servants of the Holy See. Only in this way can one become the holder of Vatican citizenship. If a person ceases to be him, then he immediately loses his citizenship.
The Vatican even has its own miniature army. It has a total of 100 people.
In addition to the citizens of this country, there are about 3,000 people here as labor migrants to carry out low-skilled work. Their places of residence are located outside the Vatican. Most of them are Italians.
Feature of the political system and language
The Vatican in terms of government is an absolute monarchy. The supreme authority in the republic is the Holy See. The pope is endowed with absolute power. This applies to the legislative, executive, and judicial systems. Dad himself is selected for life with the help of cardinals. Directly he owns the Holy See, and a governor is appointed to govern the state.
The Vatican officially recognized 2 languages: Latin and Italian. All laws passed are also published in these two languages. But at the same time, other languages are also allowed, which is connected with the internationality of the Vatican church ministers.
The financial and economic activities of the Vatican
The main source of income in this tiny state is tourism and donations. The manufacturing sector of the economy is absent. The proceeds go to support the life and infrastructure of the Vatican. This country is characterized by a planned type of economy, and the annual budget is 310 million dollars. There is also a bank called the Institute of Regional Affairs.
The creative activity of the pontiff is widely known. Funds go to those who have suffered from natural disasters, as well as to the construction of churches in different countries of the world.
In total, revenues and expenses amount to approximately 250 million US dollars. The currency of the Vatican is now a kind of euro. The coins depict a portrait of the current Roman pope.
To provide the country with electricity there is a backup power station. And since 2008, the construction of a solar station with a capacity of 100 MW.
Mass media
There is a television channel in this tiny country. It was created to better inform Catholic church leaders. Screening of documentaries and live broadcasts of the Pope’s service and celebrations form the basis of the television program.
In addition to television, the Vatican also has its own radio. It can be listened to in the FM and AM bands, as well as through an Internet connection.
However, the conservatism of the Vatican media has recently been criticized by Catholic guests.
Mini-state tourism
Tourism is one of the main income items of the Vatican Republic. Every year, millions of people come here to look at ancient architectural structures and works of art popular in the Catholic world. Especially frequented are St. Peter's Square and Cathedral, Vatican Library, Museum and Sistine Chapel. All these objects cover a large part of the country's area.
Cognitive facts about the Vatican
The official residence of the Pope in the Vatican appeared back in 1377.
The Vatican Museums take third place in the list of the most popular museums in the world. The most famous are the British Museum and the Louvre.
The Vatican Post provides its services to any visitor. Among them is the ability to send postcards with local unique stamps to anywhere in the world where there is mail.
There is no airport in the republic. The only facility related to transport is the helipad, which began to function in 1976. It is used for flights of the pontiff to the residence of Castell Gandolfo or to the airports of Rome.
The Vatican very often stolen. About 1 theft per inhabitant of this state per year. As a rule, the culprits are servants or visitors.
The transport system is represented by a miniature railway with a station. Its length is 700 meters.
The inhabitants of the Vatican are characterized by an exceptionally high level of literacy - there are no illiterates at all. Church leaders, according to the law, do not marry and do not have children.
Other mini-states
There are several other miniature states in the world. One of them is Monaco. By area, it is in second place after the Vatican. The size of this tiny country is 2.02 km2. Monaco is located on the shores of the Ligurian Sea, on the border with France. The population is 36 thousand people. The wealthiest people of the world contribute their capital here.
In third place is Nauru. This state is located on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, in its southern part. The area of this mini-country is 21.3 km 2 , the population is 9,500 people. He has no capital. It is the smallest island nation in the world.
Tuvalu is fourth in the list of dwarf states. It was founded in 1978. The population of this country is 10,000. Tuvalu is located on several islands and atolls, the total area of which is 26 km 2 .
In fifth place is the state of San Marino, located inside Italy (like the Vatican). It stands out for being the most ancient republic on the planet.
Thus, the name of the smallest state in the world is the Vatican. In this case, the reason for its appearance was the peculiarity of this place, which for many centuries was considered sacred. The history of other small states is completely different. In the case of the isolated islands of the Pacific Ocean, geography itself forced the former settlers to form their own states, independent of other countries. Some of them (for example, the island of Palmyra) subsequently became part of the possessions of major powers, such as the United States and Great Britain. The most remote islands have remained independent and have their own policies. In the future, such islands (primarily Tuvalu) may be flooded by the waters of the oceans. This will happen in case of further development of global warming.