World

Top Facts About the Vatican City

Published

1 year ago

2023/01/01

The Vatican City is a revered religious destination that houses the Pope and features some absolutely stunning buildings.

But there’s plenty more to the place, Here are some facts about Vatican City that you might not be aware of:

The only UNESCO world heritage country

The Vatican is the only nation to have been entirely declared as a world heritage site, despite the fact that Italy possesses more UNESCO world heritage sites than any other country in the world (a fantastic reason to schedule an Italy vacation).

It has its army

The Pontifical Swiss Guard, as they are officially known, is a small army of 135 soldiers. Although they had attire that appeared to have not altered since the Renaissance, they also had current military training.

It has a telescope in Arizona, USA

The Vatican Observatory is located 15 miles outside of Rome, but using it got more challenging as light pollution in the city increased. Consequently, a cutting-edge telescope owned by the Vatican was bought in 1981 and is located atop Mount Graham in southeast Arizona.

Consumes wine more than anywhere else in the world

The Vatican has the greatest per capita wine consumption in the world with an average annual consumption of 54.26 litres.

It’s the Smallest Country in the World

There were just 594 people living in the Vatican as of 2011. By far, this is the tiniest country on the planet. Additionally, it receives about 6 million tourists annually, which is more than any other country in the globe.

It has its football team

The whole football squad for the tiny nation of Vatican City is made up of workers. Police officers, postal employees, and Swiss Guard members have all been observed donning the yellow, blue, and white uniforms of their respective teams.

It has the world’s shortest railway

The Vatican’s railway system is the shortest in the world, consisting of just two 300-meter-long tracks and a single station. There are no scheduled regular passenger trains; it is only used for ceremonial and importation of cargo.