VAT is the abbreviation for Holy See, one of the smallest countries in the world. Also known as Vatican City, Holy See is a country located in Europe, bordering Rome. Vatican City is the capital city of Holy See.
Country Profile
- Capital: Vatican City
- Language: Latin
- Area: 109 acres
- Population: 999
- Currency: Euro
- Time zone: +379
- Calling code: 379
- ISO 2-Letter Abbreviation: VA
- UN 3-Letter Abbreviation: VAT
- Internet TLD: .va
- State Government Website: http://vaticanstate.va
List of Holy See Acronyms
The most commonly used abbreviations about Holy See are VAT which stands for Holy See and EUR which means Euro (Holy See currency). In the following table, you can see all acronyms related to Holy See, including abbreviations for airport, city, school, port, government, and etc.
Geography
The Vatican City is the smallest country in the world and is located in Rome, the capital of Italy. The country consists of a few buildings on the River Tiber, as well as some churches and administrative buildings in and outside Rome. The Pope’s summer residence in the Albanian mountains is also considered part of the Vatican City. The Vatican City contains many famous buildings, such as St. Peter’s Basilica and Sistine Chapel, as well as some of the world’s finest museums and art collections, and is listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The country has a typical Mediterranean climate, with mild, humid winters and hot, dry summers. The Vatican City has the same problems with air and water pollution as Rome. In 2007, the Vatican State decided to become the world’s first carbon neutral state. They will achieve this by planting a forest in Hungary.
History
The Vatican City is all that remains of the former pope states that existed in and around Rome from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries. In Roman times there was a circus where St. Peter’s Square and St. Peter’s Church are today. According to tradition, the apostle Peter was crucified and buried at this circus in the year 67. The first Christian emperor, Constantine, built a church over Peter’s tomb in the 300s. In 1337, the Vatican Palace became the bishop of Rome’s residence.
The bishops had great power during this period and conquered larger areas in Italy. As early as the 11th century, the bishop of Rome took the title of pope, after the Italian word ‘papa’ (father). He declared himself head of the entire Western church. The popes retained power over southern Italy until 1860. Then King Emmanuel II began work on bringing Italy into one country. Pope Pius IX would not let Rome become part of Italy, and refused to surrender power. In 1871 he had to regard the battle as lost after a long siege. Not until 1929 did Italy recognize the Vatican City as a sovereign state with the Pope as the head.
Society and politics
The Vatican City is Europe’s only monarchical monarchy, which means the Pope has all power alone. The Cardinal College, made up of all the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, chooses the Pope for life. The Pope governs the entire Roman Catholic Church and has diplomatic relations with more than 100 countries. The papacy has been protected by the Swiss Guard since the 15th century, consisting of members of the Swiss army. The responsibility for the administration of the land lies with a separate commission of seven cardinals. The curia is the Pope’s state administration. It consists of nine congregations (ministries). The Vatican has its own judicial system. Firstly, papal laws apply, and secondly Italian ones. In Curien there are three courts.
The Vatican’s most important political work is to promote the interests of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide. Important in this work is the country’s own media. Key political themes are religious freedom, development issues and dialogue between religions. Pope Frans has also been concerned with the poor and refugees, and to modernize the pope state. The country is not a member of the UN because the Roman Catholic Church is supposed to be politically neutral but has a permanent observer status.
Economics and Commerce
The Vatican City is part of the Italian economy and does not have its own economic system. The country has four major sources of income. The first is the contributions and compensation they receive from Italy. The other is “Peter’s Money” – the voluntary contributions of the world’s Catholics. The third important source of income is the returns on church investments. The country has its own bank that manages the donations – and has at times been subject to corruption scandals. The fourth major item is revenue from 30 million tourists, who visit St. Peter’s Church each year. The church was built between 1506 and 1626, by famous architects such as Michelangelo and Bernini. Visitors also come to the Vatican Museum where the Sistine Chapel (the Pope’s personal chapel) is located. In addition, the country has significant revenue from selling its own stamps, coins and souvenirs.
The Vatican has for several periods suffered large budget deficits, partly because of the cost of restoring the church’s many historic buildings. The biggest costs are, however, expenses for staff in the administration, foreign bribes, as well as the Vatican media.
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