Interesting facts about the Vatican - the smallest country in the world

(Patria) - Completely surrounded by Rome, with an area of only 0.44 km², the Vatican is by far the smallest country in the world.

Therefore, it is not unusual that it also holds some other records or hides some secrets that you would not suspect, writes Punkufer.

It is not so surprising that the entire country is on the UNESCO World Heritage list and that it is the only one of its kind in the world.

However, you might not guess that it also has its own telescope, and has had one since 1981, located on Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona.

Although it might be a sin to talk about the Vatican without mentioning its priceless cultural and artistic heritage, in this text we will focus on the lesser-known facts about the smallest country in the world.

According to its form of government, the Vatican is an absolute monarchy, with an elected ruler - the Pope.

The Vatican has its own armed forces - the Pontifical Swiss Guard, a flag, post office, bank, newspapers and magazines, as well as a TV and radio station. The Vatican Radio alone employs three hundred people.

Being of the Roman Catholic faith is a prerequisite for holding any office in the Vatican (for the Holy See), and thus for obtaining citizenship.

This is the only country in the world whose citizenship is not acquired by birth and is temporary, i.e., exclusively tied to one's position or service.

Today, the Vatican has fewer than 800 citizens, and about 2,500 employees in museums, galleries, souvenir shops, restaurants... who commute to work daily from neighboring Italy.

Women make up less than six percent of the population, but regardless of that, the Vatican is also the country with the lowest birth rate.

In fact, it has neither a hospital nor a maternity ward, only a small health and emergency service, and the Madre di Misericordia clinic on St. Peter's Square itself, which provides free healthcare to the poor.

Given its modest area of 44 hectares and around six million visitors annually, the Vatican is a true superpower in terms of tourism.

Masses in St. Peter's Square can accommodate 80,000 people simultaneously.

And where there are many people, there are also thieves, so this small country also has the highest crime rate (per capita).

The most common crimes are theft and pickpocketing, and the perpetrators are, of course, foreigners. But since the entire country has only a few detention cells, convicts serve their sentences in Italy.

Italian is used for all official matters, but the official language of the Holy See has always been Latin, so it is not unusual for ATMs here to offer Latin.

If you insert your card and enter your PIN, the ATMs will display: "Inserito scidulam quaeso ut faciundam cognoscas rationem". The Vatican Bank is, of course, the only one in the world with this language option.

Although the Vatican has no public transport or highways - it has a heliport (Portus Helicopterorum, as the ancient Christians would say), built during the pontificate of Pope Paul VI.

And - to finish with another record - the shortest railway in the world, which is only 300 meters long, and its only station is called Stazione Città del Vaticano/Stazione Vaticana.

However, it does not carry passengers but freight.