Fun Facts about the Vatican Museums

The Vatican City is the home of the Pope and thus the Christian world and especially this year with the Jubilee of Mercy it holds even more significance. The magnitude of its importance means that often the smaller facts are overlooked.

Here are 10 facts about the Vatican so you can impress your friends as you walk around:

1. With a total area of 0.44 kilometres (1/8th the size of central park) the Vatican is the smallest country in the world It is entirely landlocked by Italy and has no motorways or large roads, only streets
2. The Vatican is governed by an absolute monarchy with the Pope as its head. It has its own passports, flag and national anthem.
3. There is no tax within the Vatican. Sale of museum admission and souvenirs is the only way the government generates revenue.
4. The Vatican doesn’t have an official language. People speak Italian, English, French, German, and Spanish.
5. The Vatican has the smallest population of any country in the world- around 1000 people would call it their home.
6. The Vatican has its own radio station that broadcasts in 20 different languages across the world.
7. The Vatican City is a UNESCO Wold heritage site, and is the only site that encompasses an entire country.
8. Vatican City is the only independent state that has not become a member of the United Nations.
9. If you joined all the Vaticans museum rooms together they would extend for 9 miles.
10. If you spent one minute looking at each painting in the museums it would take you 4 years to see them all.

If you want more, read about the top 10 things to see in the Vatican Museums and learn about these 20 fascinating facts about the Sistine Chapel.