Compare Holy See (Vatican City) (2006) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2004)

Compare Holy See (Vatican City) (2006) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2004)

	Holy See (Vatican City) (2006)	British Indian Ocean Territory (2004)

Administrative divisions	none	-
Airports	-	1 (2003 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 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, 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.	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: $245.2 million expenditures: $260.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2002)	-
Capital	name: Vatican City geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October	-
Climate	temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	698 km
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)	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT
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 Francis ROONEY 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	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Pietro SAMBI chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121 FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036	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 restricted access to the largest island in the chain
Economic aid - recipient	$0	-
Economy - overview	This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by an annual contribution from Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the world (known as Peter's Pence); by the sale of postage stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; by fees for admission to museums; and by 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.	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 - exports	0 kWh	-
Electricity - imports	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy	-
Electricity - production	NA kWh	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
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 - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)	-
Executive branch	chief of state: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19 April 2005) head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio BERTONE (since 15 September 2006) cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected Pope BENEDICT XVI	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Tony CROMBIE (since January 2004); Administrator Charles A. HAMILTON (since 2002); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Exports	0 kWh	-
Fiscal year	calendar year	-
Flag description	two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the arms of the Holy See, consisting of the crossed keys of Saint Peter surmounted by the three-tiered papal tiara, 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	landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; beyond the territorial boundary of Vatican City, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 grants the Holy See extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome and five outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence)	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
Highways	-	total: NA km paved: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km
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), WTO (observer)	-
Irrigated land	0 sq km	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 Pope PIUS XII on 1 May 1946	-
Labor force	NA	-
Labor force - by occupation	note: essentially services with a small amount of industry; 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% other: 100% (urban area) (2005)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)
Languages	Italian, Latin, French, various other languages	-
Legal system	based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Legislative branch	unicameral Pontifical Commission	-
Literacy	definition: NA total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%	-
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; ceremonial and limited security duties performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
Military branches	Pontifical Swiss Guard (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera Pontificia)	-
National holiday	Coronation Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 24 April (2005)	-
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	932 (July 2006 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 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	0.01% (2006 est.)	-
Ports and harbors	-	Diego Garcia
Radio broadcast stations	AM 4, FM 3, shortwave 2 (2004)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	Roman Catholic	-
Suffrage	limited to cardinals less than 80 years old	-
Telephone system	general assessment: automatic digital exchange domestic: connected via fiber optic cable to Telecom Italia network international: country code - 39; 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	5,120 (2005)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA	-
Television broadcast stations	1 (2005)	1 (1997)
Terrain	urban; low hill	flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)

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