Forgotten World (148): Vatican
The Vatican was created by the Lateran Treaty of 1929. It is the smallest independent state in the world – a mere 0.44 sq km (0.17 sq mile) – and the residence of the spiritual leadership of the Roman Catholic church. Its territory is completely surrounded by the Italian capital Rome, while priests and nuns of many nationalities make up much of the resident population of around 900. The official language of the tiny state is Latin.
The Vatican has been headed by the German Pope Benedict XVI since Pope John Paul II died in 2005, after a 26-year pontificate.