‘A nation within a city’- this is just one of the many descriptions that one can read about Vatican City. The Vatican is found within the city of Rome, and considered as the smallest nation in the world. This state which is the seat of Catholicism is even smaller than the National Mall located in Washington DC. The Vatican officially gained its independent status from Italy on February 11, 1929 through the Lateran Pacts, and it was at that time when a set of commemorative stamps were issued to mark the event.
