World Country Vatican City

About the world country Vatican City, its location, size, population, and who is in power.

NATIONS OF THE WORLD

VATICAN CITY

Location: Within Rome, Italy. Size:. 16 sq. mi. (41 sq.km.). Population: 750.

Who Really Rules: The Vatican City is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. Though the pope, elected from and by the College of Cardinals (Catholic leaders worldwide), has full governing powers, he delegates them to a governor. Street access and electrical power are provided by the city of Rome, and the Italian government is responsible for defense, but a detachment of Swiss Guards patrols the Vatican itself.

The Vatican, through its own representatives and church officials around the world, maintains extensive diplomatic contacts. It is a powerful influence anywhere Catholics make up a large portion of the population.