Long-form name: State of the Vatican City

Type: monarchical-sacerdotal state, seat of the Holy See

Capital: Vatican City

Independence: 11 February 1929 (from Italy)

Constitution: Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968)

National holiday: Installation day of the Pope (John Paul II), 22 October (1978); note--Pope John Paul II was elected on 16 October 1978

Branches: the pope possesses full executive, legislative, and judicial powers; he delegates these powers to the president of the Pontifical Commission, who is subject to pontifical appointment and recall; the administrative structure of the Roman Catholic Church is known as the Roman Curia; its most important temporal components include the Secretariat of State and Council for Public Affairs (which handles Vatican diplomacy) and the Prefecture of Economic Affairs; the College of Cardinals act as chief papal advisers

Leader: @m5Chief of State and Head of Government Pope JOHN PAUL II (Karol WOJTYLLA; since 16 October 1978)

Suffrage: limited to cardinals less than 80 years old

Elections: Supreme Pontiff elected for life by College of Cardinals

Other political or pressure groups: none (exclusive of influence exercised by other church officers)

Member: IAEA, INTELSAT, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, UPU, WIPO, WTO; permanent observer status at FAO, OAS, UN, and UNESCO

Diplomatic representation: Apostolic Pro-Nuncio Archbishop Pio LAGHI; 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-7121; US--Ambassador Frank SHAKESPEARE; Embassy at Villino Pacelli, Via Aurelia 294, 00165 Rome (mailing address is APO New York 09794); telephone Õ396å 639-0558

Flag: two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of St. Peter and the papal tiara centered in the white band

NOTE: The information regarding Vatican City on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Vatican City Government 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Vatican City Government 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.