Vaticaanstad is the world’s smallest independent state, enclosed entirely by the city of Rome in Italy. It is governed by the Holy See and serves as the spiritual and administrative center of the Catholic Church, with the Pope as its head. The territory covers about 44 hectares (0.44 square kilometers), and its official language is Italian, using the euro as its currency. The city- state hosts major sites such as St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums, and the Sistine Chapel, and it functions as a sovereign entity represented in international law by the Holy See rather than a separate, widely recognized state apparatus.
