Flag of the Vatican City

The flag of Vatican City was adopted on June 7, 1929, the year Pope Pius XI signed the Lateran treaty with Italy, creating a new independent state governed by the Holy See. The Vatican flag is modeled on the flag of the earlier Papal States.

The flag of the Vatican City consists of:
two vertical bands, one of gold (hoist side) and one of white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the Papal Tiara centered in the white band. It is one of only two square country flags in the world, the other being the flag of Switzerland.

The Vatican City coat of arms can be found in the white half. The coat of arms consists of:

The papal tiara (as used under the pontificate of Pius XI);
the two keys which represent the keys to Heaven (according to the Gospel of Matthew 16:19) given by Jesus Christ to St. Peter.

• The popes are regarded as the successor of Peter, and the gold and silver keys have been significant elements in the symbolism of the Papal State since the 13th century.
• The gold represents spiritual power, while the silver key represents worldly power.
  a red cord connecting the keys.
  
• The yellow and white of the flag also refer to the keys – in heraldry yellow represents gold, while white represents silver.

Head of state

John Paul II
POPE

• ex officio head of state and head of government

• Functions dependent on his primordial function as the bishop of the Archdiocese of Rome.

• “Holy See” - Pope's spiritual and pastoral governance, largely exercised through the His Roman Curia.

• Official title with regard to Vatican City is Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City.

• Technically, an absolute monarch, meaning he has total legislative, executive and judicial power over Vatican City. He is the only absolute monarch in Europe.

• Elected for a life term in conclave by cardinals under the age of 80.

• His principal subordinate government official for Vatican City is the President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, who since 1952 exercises the functions previously belonging to the Governor of Vatican City. Since 2001, the President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State also has the title of President of the Governorate of the State of Vatican City.

• Resides in the Papal Apartments of the Papal Palace just off St. Peter's Square. It is here he carries out his business and meets foreign representatives.

• The current Pope is Benedict XVI, born Joseph Alois Ratzinger in Bavaria, Germany.

• Italian Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo serves as President of the Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 September 2006.

History Of Vatican City

Vatican City State was founded following the signing of the Lateran Pacts between the Holy See and Italy on February 11th 1929. These were ratified on June 7th 1929. Its nature as a sovereign State distinct from the Holy See is universally recognized under international law. The Catholic Church carries out its mission of announcing the truth of the Gospel for the salvation of all humanity and in the service of peace and justice in favour of all peoples, both through the various specific and local Churches spread throughout the world, as well as through its central government. This is made up of the Pope and the Departments of the Roman Curia that assist him in carrying out his responsibilities towards the universal Church (identified as the Apostolic See or Holy See). The Pope lives in Vatican City where several of the aforementioned Departments are to be found. Vatican City State has the singular characteristic of being an instrument of the independence of the Holy See, and of the Catholic Church, from any earthly power. In a way, it is a sign of the Church’s supernatural character insofar as the structures of Vatican City are reduced to the minimum necessary to guarantee its functions.The Pontifical Military Corps, except for the Swiss Guard, was disbanded by will of Pope Paul VI, as expressed in a letter of September 14th 1970. The Gendarme Corps of Vatican City State is responsible for all police activities and answers to the State Authority. It is a civil, not a military, organization.

Vatican City in the Past

The term Vatican was used in ancient times to identify the marshy area on the right bank of the Tiber River, between the Milvio Bridge and the present Sixtus Bridge. During the monarchy and the republican age, the area was known as Ager Vaticanus. It extended northwards as far as the mouth of the Cremera and southwards at least as far as the Janiculum. In the Imperial age, from the 2nd century A.D., the toponym Vaticanum was applied to an area corresponding roughly to the present Vatican City State. During the Roman period, the area outside the city of Rome was reclaimed. In addition, many villas, Agrippina’s gardens, Emperor Caligula's (37-41 A.D.) mother's house and a wide necropolis were built along the main roads. In his mother’s gardens, Caligula built a small circus to let the charioteers train (Gaianum), which was later restored by Nero (54-68 A.D.).

Tradition has it that Peter suffered martyrdom there in the great Christian persecution ordered by Nero in 64 A.D. Various tombs have been dug along Via Trionfale, the street which leads northwards from St Peter’s Square to Monte Mario, while along Via Cornelia, which led westwards, the necropolis with the tomb of the apostle Peter is located. The presence of Peter represents the topographic centre of the area insofar as it has always ranked among the most significant destinations for Christian pilgrims. Many Christians, led by their desire to be near St Peter, wished to be buried near his tomb. The necropolis was covered over during the building of the basilica dedicated to the Apostle, which was commissioned by Emperor Constantine (306-337 A.D.). This building determined the later development of the area.

After formally recognizing the Christian religion with the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D., Emperor Constantine started construction of a great church around 324. The church had a nave and four aisles, a transept and an apse, at the centre of which the tomb of Peter was placed. Stairs and a four-sided portico for the non-baptized completed the structure. In the meantime Nero’s circus was gradually falling into ruin, partly because many of its stones were used to build the new church, which was rapidly becoming a new attraction in Rome. Some years later, in memory of Peter, Leo IV (847-855) built the first walls of the "civitas" which derived its name "Leonina" from him and which became the spiritual centre of medieval and renaissance Rome. Although the popes resided in the Lateran Palace during the Middle Ages, some buildings were built at that time in the area near St Peter’s. The first of these was constructed under the pontificates of Eugene III (1145-1153) and Innocent III (1198-1216).

These were then enlarged in the late 12th-early 13th century when the Leonine Walls were also restored. In 1309 the papal court was moved to Avignon. Rome and St Peter’s were abandoned for over a century. Although the popes returned to Rome in 1377, another fifty years passed before the city regained its former lustre. The possibility of completely rebuilding St Peter’s was first broached in the mid-15th century. Pope Nicholas V (1447-1455) had the architect Bernardo Rossellino draw up plans for enlarging the Basilica, adding on an apse more prominent than the Constantinian one. The project had to be abandoned a few years later, when the Turks started to advance and Constantinople fell.

Between 1477 and 1480 Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1492) started building a great chapel, named "Sistina" after him, decorated with frescoes painted by the major Italian painters of the time. It was inaugurated on 15th August 1483. Great changes were introduced by Julius II (1503-1513), who radically transformed the small city. He started to pull down the Constantinian basilica, began work on the new Saint Peter’s, and built the famous Belvedere Courtyard. His intention was to connect the small Palace of Belvedere, which was constructed by his predecessor Innocent VIII (1484-1492) and which stood to the north of the courtyard, with the cluster of medieval buildings to the south.

Pope Julius also summoned Raphael and Michelangelo to Rome, asking them, respectively, to fresco the papal apartments and the Sistine Chapel. Work continued throughout the century. After various initial difficulties were overcome, the Basilica of Saint Peter was planned and built by Michelangelo (mid-16th century). Giacomo Della Porta then covered the area of the basilica with a magnificent "vaulted" dome. Early in the 17th century the church was enlarged by Maderno, who added two bays to the longitudinal section. Bernini completed it in mid-century, designing the splendid square which was enclosed by two hemicycles of four rows of columns. These gave the square the present baroque appearance, and connected this place of prayer to the rest of the city.

General Information

Origins and Nature

Vatican City State was founded following the signing of the Lateran Pacts between the Holy See and Italy on February 11th 1929. These were ratified on June 7th 1929. Its nature as a sovereign State distinct from the Holy See is universally recognized under international law. The Catholic Church carries out its mission of announcing the truth of the Gospel for the salvation of all humanity and in the service of peace and justice in favour of all peoples, both through the various specific and local Churches spread throughout the world, as well as through its central government. This is made up of the Pope and the Departments that assist him in carrying out his responsibilities towards the universal Church (identified as the Apostolic See or Holy See). The Pope lives in Vatican City where several of the aforementioned Departments are to be found. Vatican City State has the singular characteristic of being an instrument of the independence of the Holy See, and of the Catholic Church, from any earthly power. In a way, it is a sign of the Church’s supernatural character insofar as the structures of Vatican City are reduced to the minimum necessary to guarantee its functions.

Geography

Vatican City lies just beyond the right bank of the Tiber River on a slight rise, part of the ancient Montes Vaticani (the Vatican Hill), on which several villas were built in pre-Christian times.

Vatican City Coordinates: 41°54′10″N, 12°27′9″E — formally State of the Vatican City, or Vatican City State (Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano, Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae) — is a sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a landlocked, almost completely walled, enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. The entire state is about 44 hectares (108.7 acres) and thus is a European microstate. It is the smallest independent nation in the world, created in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty, and a vestige of the much larger former Papal States (A.D. 756 to A.D. 1870). Since it is governed by the Bishop of Rome (the Pope), its government can be described as ecclesiastical and the highest state functionaries are in fact clergymen. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See (Latin:Sancta Sedes) and the location of the Apostolic Palace — the Pope's official residence — and the Roman Curia. Thus, although the principal ecclesiastical seat of the Holy See (Basilica of St. John Lateran, which is the pope's cathedral) is located in Rome itself, the Vatican City can be said to be the governmental capital of the Catholic Church

The Roman Emperor Caligula (37-41AD) had a private circus built here. It appears that many Christians living in Rome during the reign of the Emperor Nero (54-68AD) were martyred in this circus and in the adjoining gardens.

St Peter was buried to the north of the circus, in a necropolis that lay beside a secondary road. Between 324 and 326 AD, the Emperor Constantine built a magnificent basilica over the burial site. It was replaced by the present Basilica between the 16th and 17th centuries.

Vatican City covers a territory of 0.44 square kilometres, that is 44 hectares (roughly 100 acres). It is partly surrounded by walls and stretches into St Peter’s Square as far as a strip of travertine stone that corresponds with the furthest end of the colonnade. This marks the boundary of the State and the edge of the Square which is normally open to everyone. Even though it is part of Vatican City, the Square is usually patrolled by members of the Italian Police Force.

There are five entrances to Vatican City, each of them guarded by the Pontifical Swiss Guards and by the Gendarmes Corps of Vatican City State. The entrance to the Vatican Museums is on Viale Vaticano, not far from Piazza del Risorgimento.

Because Vatican City is so small, several Departments and offices belonging to the Holy See are situated in buildings around Rome (in Piazza Pio XII, Via della Conciliazione, Piazza San Calisto, Piazza della Cancelleria and in Piazza di Spagna). According to the Lateran Treaty, these buildings enjoy the same status, recognized by international law, as embassies and foreign diplomatic missions abroad.

The areas occupied by these buildings are commonly known as “extraterritorial”.

Extraterritoriality

International protection of the territory

The whole area of Vatican City is under the protection of the Hague Convention of May 14th 1954 regarding the safeguarding of cultural heritage sites in the case of armed conflicts.

In 1984, Vatican City was registered as a world cultural and natural heritage site in terms of the UNESCO Convention of November 16th 1972, which guarantees the protection of such sites.

Vatican City State is also internationally recognized as a moral, artistic and cultural heritage site that merits respect and protection as a treasure that belongs to the whole of humanity.

Maritime access

Even though Vatican City has no direct access to the sea, by virtue of the Barcelona Declaration of 1921, it is allowed to sail its own vessels flying the papal flag.

However, the Vatican does not avail itself of this right at this time.

Population

People
Population: 800-813.

Ethnic groups: Italian, Swiss, other.

Religion: Catholic.Language: Latin.Literacy: 100%.

Work force: About 3,000 lay workers (mostly resident outside the Vatican).

The population of Vatican City is about 800 people, of whom over 450 have Vatican citizenship, while the rest have permission to reside there, either temporarily or permanently, without the benefit of citizenship.

About half of the Vatican’s citizens do not live inside Vatican City. Because of their occupations (mostly as diplomatic personnel), they live in different countries around the world. The conferral or loss of citizenship, authorization to live inside Vatican City and formalities for entering the territory, are governed by special regulations issued according to the Lateran Treaty.

Coins and Stamps

Vatican City mints its own coins and issues its own postage stamps.

By reason of a monetary Convention with Italy, which acted on behalf of the European Community on December 29th 2000, Vatican coins (with the exception of gold and silver coins) are legal tender throughout Italy and the rest of the European Union.
This Convention gave Vatican City State the right to use the Euro as its official currency, starting on January 1st 1999. Vatican City State enacted the appropriate legislation (n.CCCLVII) on July 26th 2001.

The Vatican has an agreement with the Italian State mint (the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) to mint its coinage up to a maximum of one million Euro per year.
In 1996, looking ahead to the Jubilee Year 2000, the Vatican began minting gold coins again. They had been issued regularly each year from 1929 until 1959. Since the Jubilee Year new gold coins have been issued annually.
The issue of postage stamps is not subject to special limitations, except those established by postage service agreements with Italy and those contained in international conventions, to which Vatican City State adheres.

Travel to Vatican City is a 'why not'

> unfamiliar place + unfamiliar food + surrounds with Italians people + problem in communicate + lack of time + security + I'M LOST!!!

People are happy when they found a map ; "I have a map! yeay! I will not get lost" This perspective is wrong, with a weird lines and thousands of dots you will feel more depressing! =) Here are some of our helpful information that traveller needs to know :

1. Things you'll need when you go travel.
- Rental car + Hotel reservation + Plane tickets + Credit card + Laptop +
Luggage + Map

2. Travel to Vatican City?
- Take a flight to Rome from any major City.
-Take the train from another European location. Trains go to Termini Station in Rome , northeast of Palatine Hill.
-Take the bus. A major bus company connects Rome to other European destinations.
> There are no highways, railroads, or airports. The Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It only has streets within the city.

Go from place to place;
-Go by foot within Vatican City to visit out-of-the-way spots and museums.
-Travel from Rome by taxi.
-Take the subway to the museums
-Take the bus from your accommodations to Vatican City . The city's bus company is ATAC, and buses run from 6:00 a.m. to midnight.


3. The perfect time to go travel.
- Spring and fall are low seasons for tourism, they're also the nicest times to explore Rome . Flights are cheaper, hotels prices drop about 25 percent, and the attractions and restaurants don't draw huge crowds. Just pack a sweater and raincoat.

-The average low in January is 47 degrees F and the average high in July is 82 degrees F. From mid-May until October there's always a risk that the heat and humidity will combine to make it unpleasant.

-Be aware that summer is high tourist season, so the big attractions draw big crowds. Avoid a visit during the second half of August when many Romans vacation out of the city and Rome practically shuts down.

-Check out what festivals, expositions and live performances are happening.
-Contact the Rome Tourist Office, or Ente Provinciale per il Turismo, Via Parigi 11, Roma 00185, or call (06) 48899253.

-Check the weather forecast for Rome shortly before leaving, and pack accordingly.

4. How to use key phrase in Italian ?
- Use "ciao" (pronounced "CHOW") for both "hello" and "goodbye"
-Introduce yourself by saying "Mi chiamo" (mee key-AHM-oh) and then your name.
-Make copious use of "per favore" (pehr fa-VORE-ay) and "grazie" (GRATS-ee-ay) to say "please" and "thank you."
-Say "sì" (SEE) for "yes," and "no" (NOH) for "no
-Say "dove" (DOH-vay), which means "where," .
-Use "vorrei" (vohr-RAY), which means "I would like," Just point to whatever you want .
-If all of the above fails, ask "Parla inglese?" (PAHR-lay een-GLAY-say), or "Do you speak English?"

5. Food in Vatican City.
Vatican Restaurants :
-L’Arcangelo - Delicious cuisine, great atmosphere.
-Del Frate - Fresh modern Italian cuisine set within an historic bottle shop.
-Borgo Antico - Small wooden beamed eatery specializing in hearty local cuisine like porcini muchrooms and fried polenta.
-Zen - Closed Mon & Sat lunchZen is a modern Kaitan style Japanese restaurant situated close to the Tiber and Piazza del Popolo
Cafeteria.Bar.Pizzeria (The Vatican Museums )
*open during museum opening hours, and until about one hour after closing
PRATI :
-Siciliainbocca, Via E. Faa di Bruno 26 (Metro line A, Cipro.), nice Sicilian restaurant in the quiet (and somewhat boring) part of northern Prati. Try the swordfish and the lemon sorbet! reasonable. Fish plate around €15, but do order some antipasti and pasta.
-Insalata Ricca, Via Fulcieri Paulucci De' Calboli (Near piazza Manzoni). Part of a Rome-based chain, offers good salads and other food to both tourists and locals. Cheap.

6. Shops & Stores.
-The broad Via Della Conciliazione that leads into St. Peter's Square is surrounded on both sides by religious goods and book shops.
-For more shops walk along the street near the Post Office, Via di Porta Angelica. The side streets all have numerous gift shops and small restaurants and ice cream shops.
-The area around Saint Peters Basilica is called the Borgo, it's the oldest part of the Vatican and has many characteristic trattorie and outdoor cafes.
-The main shopping street of Cola di Rienza stretches from Piazza Risorgimento all the way to the Tiber River near Piazza del Popolo, via Cola di Rienzo is a broad boulevard with all of Italy's fashion stores represented and has its own daily fresh food market.

7. Facility & Security
-Electricity, telephones, and other utilities are provided by Italy.
-The Vatican Post Office is on the right of the square if you are facing St. Peter's.
-Vatican radio station broadcasts all over the world in 29 languages, it has it's television station, the dialy newspaper.
-The internal police power of the Vatican City is the Swiss Guards Corps (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera). External defense of the Vatican City against foreign enemies is the responsibility of Italy.
-Transport in and out of Vatican City, apartments and hotels.

8. DO'S & DON'TS
-There are no lodging opportunities in the Vatican City itself.
-Sleeveless shirts and short pants or skirts are not permitted within the border of the Vatican.

For More Information and references.

Just click at the links below:

http://www.vatican.va/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_City

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108136.html

http://schools-wikipedia.org/wp/v/Vatican_City.html

www.infoplease.com/atlas/country/vaticancity.html

www.planetware.com/maps/vatican-city

www.flags.net/country.php?country=VACY&section=CURR

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_flagen.

wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Vatican_City

tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187793-Activities-c1-Vatican_City_Lazi..

en.wikipedia.org/.../Postage_stamps_and_postal_history_of_Vatican_City

www.planetware.com/vatican-city/vatican-museums-scv-scv-rmv.html

http://www.blogger.com/.%20www.gothereguide.com/vatican+city-