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Compare Holy See (Vatican City) (2001) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2005)
Compare Holy See (Vatican City) (2001) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2005)
| Holy See (Vatican City) (2001) | British Indian Ocean Territory (2005) | |
-2001-bmala.jpg) |  | |
| Airports | none | 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | - | total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Area | total:
0.44 sq km land: 0.44 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 60 sq km
land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago |
| Area - comparative | about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Background | Popes in their secular role ruled much 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 Vatican 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 the failing health of Pope John Paul II, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the adjustment of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith. | Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. |
| Budget | revenues:
$209.6 million expenditures: $198.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
- |
| Capital | Vatican City | - |
| Climate | temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers (May to September) | tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 698 km |
| Constitution | Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968) | - |
| 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) |
conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory
conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT |
| Currency | Italian lira (ITL); euro (EUR) | - |
| Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant) embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00162 Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box F, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428 FAX: [39] (06) 5758346 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele MONTALVO chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Disputes - international | none | Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; the UK resists the Chagossians' demand for an immediate return to the islands; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest island in the chain |
| Economic aid - recipient | none | - |
| Economy - overview | This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome. | All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. |
| Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | NA kWh |
| Electricity - imports | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy | - |
| Electricity - production | - | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
- |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
unnamed location 19 m highest point: unnamed location 75 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m |
| Environment - current issues | NA | 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 - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Vatican lire per US dollar - 2,099 (2000), 1817.2 (1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996); note - the Vatican lira is at par with the Italian lira; the Vatican will start using euros in 2002 in conjunction with Italy at a fixed rate of 1,936.17 lire per euro | - |
| Executive branch | chief of state:
Pope JOHN PAUL II (since 16 October 1978) head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo SODANO (since 2 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 |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Commissioner Tony CROMBIE (since January 2004); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch |
| 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 | white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag |
| Geographic coordinates | 41 54 N, 12 27 E | 6 00 S, 71 30 E |
| Geography - note | urban; landlocked; enclave of 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 | archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility |
| Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
| Highways | none; all city streets | total: NA km
paved: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km |
| 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) | - |
| Industries | printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities | - |
| International organization participation | CE (observer), IAEA, ICFTU, Intelsat, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WHO (observer), WIPO, WToO (observer), WTrO (observer) | - |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 93 (Holy See and Italy) (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1993) | 0 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Judicial branch | none; normally handled by Italy | - |
| Labor force | NA | - |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%; 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 |
0 km |
| Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (urban area) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
| Languages | Italian, Latin, French, various other languages | - |
| Legal system | NA | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply |
| Legislative branch | unicameral Pontifical Commission | - |
| Literacy | definition:
NA total population: 100% male: NA% female: NA% |
- |
| Location | Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy) | archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia |
| Map references | Europe | Political Map of the World |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
| 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 | defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 |
| National holiday | Coronation Day of Pope JOHN PAUL II, 22 October (1978) | - |
| Nationality | noun:
none adjective: none |
- |
| Natural hazards | NA | NA |
| Natural resources | none | coconuts, fish, sugarcane |
| Political parties and leaders | none | - |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers) | - |
| Population | 890 (July 2001 est.) | no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s, in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
| Population growth rate | 1.15% (2001 est.) | - |
| Ports and harbors | none | Diego Garcia |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 2 (1998) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios | NA | - |
| Railways | total:
862 m; note - a spur of the Italian Railways system, serving Rome's Saint Peter's station standard gauge: 862 m 1.435-m gauge (1999) |
- |
| Religions | Roman Catholic | - |
| Suffrage | limited to cardinals less than 80 years old | - |
| Telephone system | general assessment:
automatic exchange domestic: tied into Italian system international: uses Italian system |
general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available
domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | NA | NA |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | - |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (1996) | 1 (1997) |
| Terrain | low hill | flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation) |
| Waterways | none | - |
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