Countries

Vatican City

Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, a walled city-state of about half a square kilometre inside Rome. It became independent under the Lateran Treaty with Italy in 1929, and it is the home of the Pope, St Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel.

The colonnade and dome of St Peter's Basilica across the cobbles of St Peter's Square, Vatican City

St Peter's Square

Photo: Bybbisch94, Christian Gebhardt, CC BY-SA 4.0

The yellow and white stand for the gold and silver keys of Saint Peter. The white half shows those crossed keys beneath the papal tiara.

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