Whether you are a student of geography or not, peeping deeper into the strange secrets of the world and its geopolitical divisions must always be of some interest to you as is the case with others living in this global village. The purpose of writing this article is to add to your knowledge about a sovereign state in the world, which is considered to be the smallest with regards to its population as well as land area Vatican City. This landlocked country shares its borders, from all sides, with the city of Rome in Italy, which in turn is a unitary parliamentary republic in Southern Europe. Run by the absolute monarchy type of government, the area of this sovereign state is extremely small, measuring even less than half a square kilometer (0.44 square kilometer). If you want to acquaint yourself with some of the very strange Vatican City facts, just go through the following list of facts and figures:

• Besides being the smallest country in the world by land area, Vatican City is also the smallest city state by population as well as the smallest monarchy on earth.
• Covering the area of about 110 acres, the land serves as an abode for around 845 individuals who are Roman Catholics in their religious belief.
• You can have an idea about its amazingly small size of this independent nation from the fact that it measures merely one-eighth the total size of New York's Central Park.
• Along with having its own flag and anthem, Vatican City issues passports & license plates, operates media outlets, prints stamps, has its own army, and so on.
• As the country lacks an important government function of taxation, the revenue is generated by the sales of postage stamps & souvenirs, production of coins, worldwide banking and financial activities, admission fees, and the generous contributions made by the Christian religious devotees around the world.
• Here it is very important to make distinction between the Vatican City and the Holy See, where the latter dates back to the earlier times of Christianity, while the former came into existence in 1929 through signing and enforcement of the Lateran Treaty.
• The Holy See is the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church which has a sovereign territory of Vatican City and is responsible for the governance of the believers of the Catholic Faith anywhere in the world.
• The head of the world's smallest city state and absolute monarchy is the Pope who is also considered the leader of the catholic sect of the Christianity throughout the world.
• Featuring some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures, there are different cultural sites in the Vatican City, such as the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and Saint Peter's Basilica.
• Like that of Rome, the country has got a temperate Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters, extending from May to August, and September to mid-May, respectively.
• Accounting for more than half of the total territory, there are Vatican Gardens, which were established during the Renaissance and Baroque era and were embellished with sculptures and fountains.
• Do you know that during the World War II, the Holy See decided to pursue the policy of neutrality under the leadership of Pope Pius XII.
• Popes of the Catholic Church had been ruling various sovereign Papal States in Italy, and on this ground, there emerged a long-lasting conflict between the Catholic Church and the Italian government, which was finally ended by the signing of Lateran Pacts.
• The Swiss Guard is entirely comprised of Swiss citizens who are highly trained professional mercenary force and are employed for the protection and safety of the Pope.
• The soldiers of this small army can easily be recognized by their particular armor and the colorful dresses that were worn during the Renaissance era.
• It might be quite surprising to note that over half of the individuals, as members of the clergy, with the citizenship of Vatican City live abroad across various parts of the world on the diplomatic positions.
• It is noteworthy that the Holy See is said to maintain diplomatic ties with around 150 nation states of the world, and it also has a radio station.
• The Vatican Observatory also owns a state-of-the-art telescope in Arizona, where astronomical research is conducted.
• After the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI was elected as the head of the sovereign state of Vatican City and the Roman Catholic Church.
• Though Vatican City has a wide recognition in the international scenario, it has not yet secured the membership of the United Nations Organization. The Holy See, on the other hand, has a permanent observer status and enjoys all the rights of a full member, but is unable to vote in the UN General Assembly.