Vatican City: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

Vatican City is the smallest independent country in the world, both in area and in population. It covers less than half a square kilometre and is completely surrounded by the city of Rome, in Italy. It is the home of the Pope, the leader of the Catholic Church, and fewer than 1,000 people live there.

Vatican City is known for its magnificent churches, priceless works of art and the colourful Swiss Guard. On the globe you can find St Peter's Basilica, one of the largest churches in the world, with Michelangelo's giant dome rising above St Peter's Square and its curving rows of columns.

Size and setting

The Vatican sits on Vatican Hill, on the west bank of the River Tiber in Rome. Walls surround most of it, and St Peter's Square is its open front entrance. Even though it is so small, the country has its own gardens, which cover a large part of its land, as well as a railway station, a post office that prints its own stamps, a radio station and its own euro coins. The whole of Vatican City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the only country where that is true.

People and daily life

Most residents are clergy, members of the Swiss Guard and people who work for the Holy See, the government of the Catholic Church. Many workers live in Rome and come in each day. Italian is the everyday language, and Latin is still used for official church documents; even a Vatican cash machine has offered instructions in Latin. The Pope is head of state. Millions of visitors come every year to see St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.

History in a nutshell

Christian tradition holds that Saint Peter, an apostle of Jesus, was buried here, and the first church over his tomb was built in the 300s. The present St Peter's Basilica was built between 1506 and 1626, with work by artists such as Michelangelo and Bernini. For centuries the Popes ruled large Papal States in central Italy, but these became part of Italy in the 1800s. In 1929 the Lateran Treaty with Italy created Vatican City as an independent country.