A separate entity within Rome, Vatican City is the is the spiritual and organizational home of the Roman Catholic Church.
Centered on the phenomenal Basicilia of St. Peter, the Vatican is the smallest - 0.2 square miles - self-governed land in the world. It came into existence in June 1929 with a treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy.
The Vatican covers an area extending from a short distance from the right bank of the Tiber River to the raised ground known in ancient days as Vatican Hills.
