Compare Arctic Ocean (2001) - Holy See (Vatican City) (2004)

Compare Arctic Ocean (2001) z Holy See (Vatican City) (2004)

	Arctic Ocean (2001)	Holy See (Vatican City) (2004)

Administrative divisions	-	none
Airports	-	none (2003 est.)
Area	total: 14.056 million sq km note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies	total: 0.44 sq km land: 0.44 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US	about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Background	The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the recently delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two important seasonal waterways. A sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes circumscribes the Arctic Ocean.	Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include religious freedom, international development, the Middle East, terrorism, the failing health of Pope JOHN PAUL II, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.
Budget	-	revenues: $245.2 million expenditures: $260.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2002)
Capital	-	Vatican City
Climate	polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow	temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)
Coastline	45,389 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	-	new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces the first Fundamental Law of 1929)
Country name	-	conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City) local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)
Currency	-	euro (EUR)
Diplomatic representation from the US	-	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 66, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428 FAX: [39] (06) 575-8346
Diplomatic representation in the US	-	chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gabriel MONTALVO chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121 FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036
Disputes - international	some maritime disputes (see littoral states)	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	none
Economy - overview	Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.	This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by an annual contribution from Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the world, as well as by special collections (known as Peter's Pence); the sale of postage stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; fees for admission to museums; and the sale of publications. Investments and real estate income also account for a sizable portion of revenue. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.
Electricity - consumption	-	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh
Electricity - imports	-	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy
Electricity - production	-	NA kWh
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Fram Basin -4,665 m highest point: sea level 0 m	lowest point: unnamed location 19 m highest point: unnamed location 75 m
Environment - current issues	endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack	NA
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups	-	Italians, Swiss, other
Exchange rates	-	euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003),1.1324 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)
Executive branch	-	chief of state: Pope JOHN PAUL II (since 16 October 1978) head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo SODANO (since 1 December 1990) cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope election results: Karol WOJTYLA elected pope
Exports	-	0 kWh
Fiscal year	-	calendar year
Flag description	-	two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal miter centered in the white band
Geographic coordinates	90 00 N, 0 00 E	41 54 N, 12 27 E
Geography - note	major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia; floating research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow cover lasts about 10 months	urban; landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; outside the Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights
Highways	-	none; all city streets
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Imports	-	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy
Independence	-	11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the three treaties signed with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the 8th century
Industries	-	printing; production of coins, medals, postage stamps, a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities
International organization participation	-	CE (observer), IAEA, ICFTU, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WIPO, WToO (observer), WTrO (observer)
Irrigated land	-	0 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	-	there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pius XII on 1 May 1946
Labor force	-	NA
Labor force - by occupation	-	essentially services with a small amount of industry; note - dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican
Land boundaries	-	total: 3.2 km border countries: Italy 3.2 km
Land use	-	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2001)
Languages	-	Italian, Latin, French, various other languages
Legal system	-	based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it
Legislative branch	-	unicameral Pontifical Commission
Literacy	-	definition: NA total population: 100% male: NA female: NA
Location	body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America, mostly north of the Arctic Circle	Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)
Map references	Arctic Region	Europe
Maritime claims	-	none (landlocked)
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City to provide security and protect the Pope
Military branches	-	Swiss Guards Corps (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera)
National holiday	-	Coronation Day of Pope JOHN PAUL II, 22 October (1978)
Nationality	-	noun: none adjective: none
Natural hazards	ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May	NA
Natural resources	sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales)	none
Political parties and leaders	-	none
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)
Population	-	921 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA
Population growth rate	-	0.01% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US)	none
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 2 (1998)
Religions	-	Roman Catholic
Suffrage	-	limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Telephone system	-	general assessment: automatic exchange domestic: tied into Italian system international: country code - 39; uses Italian system
Telephones - main lines in use	-	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	NA
Television broadcast stations	-	1 (1996)
Terrain	central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge)	low hill

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