Filed under Southern Europe, Vatican City is a sovereign city-state whose government, the Holy See, sits at the UN as a permanent observer rather than a member. Treaties and official documents call it Vatican City State. The capital is Vatican City, the same name as the country, which is the usual sign of a city-state.
The land area is 0.44 km², which ranks it 250th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — the smallest on the list, behind Monaco. That makes it roughly a 5th of the size of Monaco.
Its recorded population is just 800, among the smallest anywhere. Among the 10 entries in Southern Europe it ranks 10th by area and 10th by population.
Vatican City on the map
Plotted on a globe it falls at 41.9° north, 12.4° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 4,664 km from the equator, in what geographers would call temperate latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
It has exactly one neighbour, Italy, which surrounds it completely. Only a handful of places on earth are enclaved inside a single country like this, and it means every overland route in or out crosses Italy.
This is one of the world's landlocked countries. That is true of 45 of the 250 entries here, and it means every shipment in or out has to cross someone else's border first. You can see the full picture on the landlocked countries page.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Who lives in Vatican City
Density comes out at around 1,818 people per square kilometre, which makes it among the most densely populated places on earth. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
2 languages carry official status: Italian and Latin. Latin is listed for no other entry in this dataset, which makes it effectively unique to Vatican City. Italian, the first listed, is shared with 3 other entries worldwide.
Someone from Vatican City is a Vatican.
Against Europe as a whole it is the 53rd most populous of 53 entries, and it accounts for under 1% of everyone living in Southern Europe.
Money, codes and practical details
Money there is the Euro (€, EUR). Another 37 entries use the same currency — Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria and Croatia among them — so exchange rates move for reasons that have nothing to do with Vatican City.
Websites there use the .va domain. Standard country codes: va and VAT.
Vatican City does not hold a seat at the United Nations, but it is not a dependency of another state either: it is a sovereign city-state whose government, the Holy See, sits at the UN as a permanent observer rather than a member. That is why it appears among the 250 entries on this site while the familiar count of UN member states stops at 193. Where a figure depends on that distinction, this site says which rule it used rather than quietly picking one.
Neighbouring countries
Vatican City shares borders with 1 country:
Fun facts about Vatican City
- People from Vatican City are known as Vaticans.
- It is landlocked, one of 45 entries here with no coastline of its own.
- Italy completely surrounds it, so it has exactly one land neighbour.
- Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
- Within Southern Europe it is the 10th largest of 10.
- In land area it is roughly a 5th of the size of Monaco.
Vatican City — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Vatican City?
- The capital of Vatican City is Vatican City. The city and the country share a name, which is typical of a city-state.
- Which countries border Vatican City?
- Just one: Italy, which surrounds Vatican City entirely.
- What language is spoken in Vatican City?
- Vatican City lists 2 official languages: Italian and Latin. Latin does not appear as an official language anywhere else in this dataset.
- Is Vatican City landlocked?
- Yes. Vatican City has no sea coast, which makes it one of 45 landlocked entries in this dataset. Everything it imports or exports by sea has to cross a neighbour's territory first, and that transit dependency is a well-documented drag on trade costs.
- Where is Vatican City located?
- Vatican City is in Southern Europe, part of Europe. Its reference coordinates are 41.9° north and 12.4° east, roughly 4,664 km from the equator in temperate latitudes.
- How big is Vatican City?
- Vatican City covers 0.44 km², ranking 250th of 250 by land area. That makes it roughly a 5th of the size of Monaco.
- What currency does Vatican City use?
- Vatican City uses the Euro, written € (currency code EUR). It is shared with 37 other entries.
- Is Vatican City a country?
- It depends on the rule you use, which is why the answer is worth spelling out. Vatican City is a sovereign city-state whose government, the Holy See, sits at the UN as a permanent observer rather than a member. It is not a dependency of another state, so lists of dependent territories leave it out, and it is not a UN member, so the familiar count of 193 leaves it out too. It appears here with its own flag, capital and statistics like every other entry.
- What is the population of Vatican City?
- Vatican City has a population of about 800, which makes it the 243rd most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Antarctica sits just above it and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands just below.
