Vatican City is a country.
Vatican City ( [ ˈvætᵻkən_ˈsɪti ] Città del Vaticano [ tʃitˈta ddel vatiˈkaːno ] Civitas Vaticana ) , officially Vatican City State or the State of Vatican City ( [ Stato della Città del Vaticano , links = no ] [ Status Civitatis Vaticanae , links = no ] ) , is a walled enclave within the city of Rome . With an area of approximately 44 hectares ( 110 acres ) , and a population of 1,000 , it is the smallest state in the world by both area and population . However , formally it is not sovereign , with sovereignty being held by the Holy See , the only entity of public international law that has diplomatic relations with almost every country in the world . It is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state ( a type of theocracy ) ruled by the Bishop of Rome -- the Pope .