Holy See (Vatican City) (2006) | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2005) | |
Administrative divisions | none | - |
Airports | - | none (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 0.44 sq km
land: 0.44 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 3,903 sq km
land: 3,903 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of some nine islands |
Area - comparative | about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | slightly larger than Rhode Island |
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. | The islands lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908, except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. The islands have large bird and seal populations, and, recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island. |
Budget | revenues: $245.2 million
expenditures: $260.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2002) |
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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 |
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Climate | temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to September) | variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | NA 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: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
conventional short form: none |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II; Grytviken, formerly a whaling station on South Georgia, is a scientific base |
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, also claimed by Argentina) |
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, also claimed by Argentina) |
Disputes - international | none | Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied the islands by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force |
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. | Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly. |
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: unnamed location 19 m
highest point: unnamed location 75 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification |
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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 |
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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 | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land) |
Geographic coordinates | 41 54 N, 12 27 E | 54 30 S, 37 00 W |
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) | the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South Georgia |
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 |
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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% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (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; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court |
Legislative branch | unicameral Pontifical Commission | - |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% |
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Location | Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy) | Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America |
Map references | Europe | Antarctic Region |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 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 |
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 |
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Natural hazards | NA | the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism |
Natural resources | none | fish |
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: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001, to be replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
Population growth rate | 0.01% (2006 est.) | - |
Ports and harbors | - | Grytviken |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 4, FM 3, shortwave 2 (2004) | 0 (2003) |
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: NA
domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken |
Telephones - main lines in use | 5,120 (2005) | - |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | - |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2005) | 0 (2003) |
Terrain | urban; low hill | most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes |