Title: Which Countries Border Vatican City? - WorldAtlas
Headings: Which Countries Border Vatican City?
Which Countries Border Vatican City?
Italy
Rome

Content: With a land area of more than a hundred acres, Vatican City is surrounded by a two-mile border that it shares with the European country of Italy. This city-state within a city (Rome) is the permanent home of about a thousand people all of whom have a connection with the Catholic Church either as clergy, religious diplomats, members of the Swiss Guard, or various other lay people employed by the Catholic Church. Despite its political status as an independent city-state Vatican City is run as an absolute monarchy which is led by the head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope. Politically independent and not bound by Italian rule, Vatican City operates as an enclave or territory surrounded on all sides by the country of Italy, and even more specifically by the city of Rome. Vatican City was founded in 1929 following the implementation of the Lateran Treaty, a bilateral agreement between the government of Italy and the Holy See. At the time of its signing, the Prime Minister of Italy was the notorious Fascist leader Benito Mussolini who was well known for having a tumultuous relationship with the church. Acting on behalf of King Victor Emmanuel III, Il Duce granted Vatican City the right to operate under the laws of the Roman Catholic Church rather than according to Italian law. The Lateran Treaty also formally established Catholicism as Italy’s national religion as well as awarded the Church $92 million for the Papal States. Italy
Due to the fact that Vatican City is surrounded by Italy, it isn’t surprising that this southern European country has had a major influence on the world’s smallest sovereign state and vice versa. Italy’s system of government operates as a constitutional republic.