Considered the religious center of Christian Catholics, the Vatican is an independent state, although it is a very small region within Italy, and has its own administration system. Let’s take a closer look at the extraordinary information about the Vatican, which has hundreds of years of history despite being a relatively new country.
Each country has its own unique process of establishment. Some are established by war, some by treaties. The Vatican is also a country established by treaties. After a treaty signed between the Catholic Church and the Italian state Vatican, which became an independent state, It is actually an extremely small piece of land located in Rome, the capital of Italy. It is still a state with its own government.
The head of state of the Vatican, the religious center of Christian Catholics, is the pope, who is also the religious leader. In the country ruled by absolute monarchy, every word of the pope is considered law. In fact, these words are accepted as religious orders. It is out of the question to see any other country similar to the internal dynamics of the country. Let’s take a closer look at interesting information about the Vatican.
Extraordinary information about the Vatican, some of which you will hear for the first time:
- The answer to the question of why the Vatican is a country is not clear.
- The Vatican flag is used as a square.
- Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, is quite small.
- It is not even possible to imagine becoming a Vatican citizen.
- It’s funny, but the country’s crime rate is very high.
- The Swiss Guard is not the country’s only security force.
- The Vatican has an observatory in the USA.
- To withdraw money in the Vatican, you need to know Latin.
- It is the most wine-drinking country in the world.
- The entire country is a World Heritage Site.
The answer to the question of why the Vatican is a country is not clear:
With the Lateran Treaty signed between the Italian state and the Catholic Church on February 11, 1929, this region within Rome, It became an independent state with the name Vatican City State. The Pope is both the head of state of the country and the spiritual leader of the Catholics. In Europe, the Vatican was allowed to become an independent state in order to separate religion and state affairs and to keep the religious structure independent, but if we sit down and think correctly, the question of why the Vatican is a country does not actually have a logical answer. We invite conspiracy theorists to duty.
The Vatican flag is used as a square:
The Vatican flag used today has yellow and white colors and has the papal crest. After the country became an independent state in 1929, this flag designed by cardinals many different versions have been used since the 8th century, that is, from the times of the feudal system of Europe. The white side with the papal coat of arms, on which the pope’s crown is depicted, symbolizes the purity of the pope, and the yellow side symbolizes the Sun. Of course, different meanings have been loaded throughout history.
Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, is rather small:
Vatican City State is the smallest independent country in the world in terms of both population and area. Its area is only 0.44 square kilometers. Turkey’s surface area is 783,562 square kilometers, and our smallest province, Yalova, is 847 square kilometers. In other words, the Vatican is a place like a neighborhood.
Speaking of the smallness of the country, let’s not go without mentioning another interesting situation. The Vatican also has the shortest railway line in the world. This railway line, which is only 300 meters long, consists of two rows as departure and arrival. The purpose of the railway, which has only one station, is to transport goods, it is not suitable for human transportation.
It is not even possible to imagine becoming a Vatican citizen:
Although it changes from time to time, the average population of the Vatican hardly exceeds a thousand people. There is no such thing as permanent Vatican citizenship anyway. Vatican citizenship is granted to individuals and their families appointed by the Catholic Church to work in the Vatican. Citizenship is revoked when the term of office of these persons expires. Since there is no hospital or delivery room in the country, there is no question of obtaining citizenship with the right of birth. As a matter of fact, the only country in the world with a zero birth rate is the Vatican.
It’s funny, but the country’s crime rate is very high:
No more than a thousand people live in the Vatican, and those who do are clergy; If you ask how the crime rate is high, the answer is hidden in tourism. In an active period, the Vatican It hosts millions of tourists daily. Of course, there are plenty of thieves among these people from different parts of the world. As such, even if one crime per day is committed in the smallest country in the world, it becomes the country with the highest crime rate in the world. Authorities often warn tourists about this.
The Swiss Guard is not the country’s only security force:
Swiss Guards traditionally provide security in the Vatican. This tradition first began in 1506 when the Catholic Church recruited mercenaries from Switzerland. From that day on, the Pope and the Vatican were always protected by Catholic Swiss soldiers. Of course, these soldiers are now a bit of a showpiece and like the pope’s close guard. St. Peter’s Square, the most central point of the country, is protected by Italian police today.
The Vatican has an observatory in the USA:
The Catholic Church has been making astronomical observations since it created the Gregorian Calendar in 1582. It has an active observatory in Castel Gandolfo in the Vatican since 1891. But Italy has such great light pollution that the Vatican bought an observatory in 1981, along with one of the world’s largest telescopes. Interestingly, this observatory is located in Arizona, USA. So the Vatican is a property-owning country in the USA. Another interesting thing is that they make astronomical observations.
To withdraw money in the Vatican, you need to know Latin:
The Vatican is the only country in the world whose official language is Latin. Of course, Italian is also the official language, but Since it is the language of the Bible, Latin has also been declared the official language for protection. What is more interesting is that Latin, a dead language, is still used in the country. We’re not just talking about Latin signs, when you insert your debit card into an ATM to withdraw money in the Vatican, you’ll see Latin instructions. Of course, you can continue the process by choosing English.
The most wine-drinking country in the world:
Strange but true, 74 liters of wine are consumed per person each year in the Vatican. Thanks to this ratio, which is more than twice the wine consumed in France and Italy, the Vatican It is the most wine-drinking country in the world. The price is quite cheap as there is no tax on wine in the city. Another reason why so much wine is consumed is that large groups of tourists dine together. So there is no alcoholism problem.
The entire country is a World Heritage Site:
There are dozens of countries with different World Heritage Sites, but the Vatican is a little different from these, The entire Vatican was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1984. The entire Vatican country, along with many structures such as St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Mary’s Church, is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.
Religious center of Catholics, the smallest country in the world We talked about the extraordinary information about the Vatican, some of which you have heard for the first time. The fact that the Vatican, which is the religious center, also has such political power, always causes the secular policies of Europe to be discussed.