GENERAL
Official name of the state
Vatican City State.
Geography
As a country starting with V defined by COUNTRYAAH.COM, the Vatican City lies within the city of Rome, extends over a hill west of the Tiber and is separated from the rest of the city by a wall. It consists of St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican and the Vatican Gardens and the papal summer residence Castel Gandolfo.
Government
Sovereign diocese since 1929. Apostolic Constitution of 2001. The government of the universal Church is carried out by the Roman Curia, which is made up of the State Secretariat (executive branch of the Pope, and responsible for general affairs), 9 congregations (ministries, responsible for example for the Doctrine of the faith), 11 pontifical councils, offices, 3 courts of justice (supreme appeal body, responsible e.g. for marriage annulments) and institutions such as the college of cardinals (election and advice of the pope). Voting age up to 80 years.
Head of state
Jorge Mario Bergoglio Pope Francis I, since March 2013. Pope Francis I is also Bishop of Rome.
Electricity
220 V, 50 Hz.
Time zone
Central European Time: CET +2 (CET +3 from March 26 to October 29, 2017)
HEALTH CARE
Notes vaccinations
- Italy.
MONEY
Currency
More information: see money in the Italy chapter.
ATMs
ec / Maestro card / Sparcard
ATMs (also with a Latin language selection) are available, but foreign cards are not currently accepted.
Attention: Travelers who pay abroad with their bank customer card and want to withdraw money should find out about the possibilities of using their card from their bank before starting their journey.
LANGUAGE
Overview
The official languages are Italian and Latin.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Annotation
The same holidays are celebrated as in Italy.
DUTY-FREE SHOPPING
Overview
There are no tax or customs regulations. More information in the relevant section in the Italy chapter.
ECONOMY
Economy
Commercial
Prefecture of the Holy See Palazzo delle Congregazioni, Largo del Colonnato 3, I-00193 Rome
Tel: (06) 69 88 42 63.
Istituto per le Opere di Religione (IOR)
V-00120 Città del Vaticano
Tel: (06) 69 88 33 54.
Business contacts
Commercial
Prefecture of the Holy See Palazzo delle Congregazioni, Largo del Colonnato 3, I-00193 Rome
Tel: (06) 69 88 42 63.
Istituto per le Opere di Religione (IOR)
V-00120 Città del Vaticano
Tel: (06) 69 88 33 54.
COMMUNICATION
Phone
Dial-up remote service.
Post Office
Own stamps are issued, which are also valid in Rome.
CULTURE
Religion
Roman Catholic.
CLIMATE
Best travel time
- Italy.
COUNTRY DATA
Area code +379 Area (km2) 0 Population 800 Population density (per km2) 1818 Population in 2014 Member of the EU No main emergency number 112
