Rome, Italy - The Vatican

• Geography
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)

The Vatican - Rome, Italy.

Learning Objectives

Identify key features of Vatican City

What do you already know about Vatican City?

Geographic location of the Vatican within Rome

Independent city-state encaved within Rome, Italy.

The Vatican

As the smallest country in the world, Vatican City has a 3.2-km (2-mile) border within the city of Rome, but functions as an independent state. The entire country is about one-eighth the size of New York’s Central Park. The Vatican prints its own stamps and issues its own passports and license plates. 

Vatican City

Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It is the home of the pope, who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church. From Vatican City the pope directs the government of the church. Vatican City is also called the Vatican or the Holy See

Who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church?

1. The King
2. The Pope
3. The President

What is the nickname for Vatican City?

1. Florence
2. Rome
3. Holy See
4. The Vatican

Vatican City

Vatican City sits inside the city of Rome, Italy. Stone walls surround most of Vatican City. Inside the walls are a large church called Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Palace, and other buildings. The Vatican Palace contains the pope’s apartments, museums, a library, and the Sistine Chapel. 

What does the Vatican Palace contain?

1. Vatican Walls
2. Saint Peter’s Basilica
3. The pope’s apartments, museums, a library, and the Sistine Chapel
4. Vatican Gardens

What is the name of the large church inside Vatican City?

1. Saint Peter’s Basilica
2. Vatican Museum
3. Sistine Chapel
4. Vatican Palace

The Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is famous for its ceiling, which has scenes from the Bible that were painted by the artist Michelangelo. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared Vatican City a World Heritage site in 1984.

In which year did UNESCO declare Vatican City a World Heritage site?

1. 1976
2. 1492
3. 1984
4. 2000

Who painted the scenes from the Bible on the Sistine Chapel ceiling?

1. Raphael
2. Michelangelo
3. Leonardo da Vinci
4. Donatello

People

The pope and hundreds of members of the church’s government live and work in Vatican City. Dozens of Swiss Guards, who protect the pope, also live with their families in the city. About 3,000 other people work in Vatican City.

Swiss Guard

Recruits must be male, Swiss, aged between 19 and 30, over 5ft 8in (1.74 metres), unmarried and devoutly Catholic with “an unblemished character”. They must undergo Swiss military service and commit to serving the pope for at least two years. They can get married after five years of service.

Smallest Army in the World

In 2018 Pope Francis boosted the army’s number from 110 to 135, after a series of terrorist attacks in France and elsewhere in Europe.

The guards work in six-hour shifts, sometimes 12 on busy days. They earn about €1,200 (£1,026) a month and on their time off are free to venture beyond the Vatican. They live together in shared dorms.

How many people work in Vatican City?

1. Over 5,000
2. Around 500
3. Less than 100
4. About 3,000

Who protects the pope and lives in Vatican City?

1. British Royal Guard
2. Swiss Guards
3. French Soldiers
4. Italian Police

Italian

Most of those workers live in Rome. Most people speak Italian. The Latin language is used in official documents and in some church services

Economy

Vatican City’s economy is different from the economies of other countries. Roman Catholics around the world give money to their local churches. Vatican City then receives some of that money. The Vatican also sells books, stamps, coins, and souvenirs. Tourists pay to see its museums.

What are some sources of income for Vatican City?

1. Import and export trade
2. Tax revenues
3. Money from Roman Catholics
4. Selling books, stamps, coins, souvenirs

History

Rome became the center of the Roman Catholic Church by the 300s. After the 750s the popes controlled much of central Italy. That area was called the Papal States. In 1870 the government of Italy took over the last of the church’s lands. In 1929 the Italian government agreed to let Vatican City become an independent country.

When did the Italian government take over the last of the church's lands?

1. 750s
2. 300s
3. 1870
4. 1929

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.