Vatican City (State of the Vatican City)

Vatican City State of the Vatican City
Status	Independent State
Capital	Vatican City
Land Area
Location	Europe
Population
GNI
ISO3166-1 Codes	VA, VAT, 3361
Internet Domain	.va2
Currency	Euro (EUR)3
Telephone	+3794

1. Overview
2. Vatican City's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
3. The Natural Environment
4. Religion and Beliefs
5. Links

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1. Overview

#christianity #italy

“Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include religious freedom, threats against minority Christian communities in Africa and the Middle East, international development, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1.2 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₅

“The Vatican, at a mere 0.44 sq km, may be the world´s smallest soverign state, but it boasts some of Italy´s most celebrated masterpieces. Ensconced in the centre of the Italian capital Rome and enshrined in a bevy of sacrosanct traditions and rituals, the Vatican City is one of those rare places that must be visited to be believed. This is the seat of the Catholic Church, ruled with absolute authority by the Pope, who lives in a palace with over a thousand rooms and is protected by a hundred single Swiss men in ceremonious red, yellow and blue costume.

The city was established by the 1929 Lateran Treaty, and is the modern vestige of the Papal States, the fiefdom that ruled Rome and much of central Italy until the Italian reunification in 1861. The Vatican´s association with Christianity dates to the 1st century, when St Peter was crucified in Nero´s Circus. To commemorate this, the emperor Constantine commissioned a basilica to be built on the site where the saint was buried.

The glory of St Peter´s Basilica, however, is only the beginning of the wealth of treasures that await deep inside the bowels of the Vatican Museums.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₆

2. Vatican City's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance #women

Compared to Europe (2020)7
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank7
1	Sweden	9.2
2	Norway	14.7
3	Denmark	14.7
	...
41	Belarus	78.9
42	Moldova	81.5
43	Macedonia	82.2
44	Turkey	82.6
45	Andorra	84.3
46	Azerbaijan	87.1
47	Vatican City	92.0
48	Monaco	94.2
49	San Marino	100.6
	Europe Avg	50.3
q=49.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)7
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank7
1	Sweden	9.2
2	Norway	14.7
3	Denmark	14.7
	...
95	Nepal	90.1
96	S. Sudan	90.5
97	Tunisia	91.8
98	Vatican City	92.0
99	China	92.0
100	Kenya	92.6
101	Vietnam	92.8
102	Thailand	93.5
	World Avg	87.7
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark₈. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are The Solomon Islands, Somalia and Tuvalu₈.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₈, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Micronesia and Australasia₈.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Human Rights & Tolerance:

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better9
Pos.		2009 Treaties9
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
156	Laos	10
157	Solomon Islands	10
158	Qatar	10
159	Vatican City	10
160	India	10
161	Fiji	10
162	Vietnam	10
163	Vanuatu	10
	Europe Avg	19.5
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better10
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty10
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
117	Slovakia	11.24
118	Burundi	11.27
119	Qatar	11.34
120	Vatican City	11.34
121	Latvia	11.39
122	Angola	11.59
123	Cameroon	11.63
124	Sudan	11.65
	Europe Avg	9.09
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Gender Equality:

Women have far fewer political rights than men, and are prevented from voting and standing for election.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		0 Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
182	Samoa	1990
183	Kazakhstan	1993
184	Moldova	1994
185	Oman	1994
186	Qatar	2003
187	Kuwait	2005
188	Saudi Arabia	0
189	Vatican City	0
	Europe Avg	1895
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

3. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #the_environment

Convention on Biological Diversity Earlier is better
Pos.		0 Signed
1	China	1993 Dec 29
2	Guinea	1993 Dec 29
3	Cook Islands	1993 Dec 29
	...
190	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2007 Jan 08
191	Brunei	2008 Jul 27
192	Iraq	2009 Oct 26
193	Somalia	2009 Dec 10
194	Palestine	2015 Apr 02
195	Andorra	2015 May 05
196	USA
197	Vatican City
	Europe Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

4. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₁₁:

Christian	99%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	0.1%

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems

There isn't much information in the database for Vatican City, most likely because it is either a part of another country (i.e., a territory or possession) and therefore most international statistics are counted for the country as a whole, or, this is such an exotic place that little data exists about it.