Vatican City, officially known as the Vatican City State, is a landlocked sovereign city-state located in Southern Europe. It exists as an enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. The state was established in 1929 through the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy, which defined it as a distinct creation rather than a vestige of the former Papal States.
The territory serves as the administrative center of the Catholic Church and is ruled by the pope. It is governed by the See of Rome, commonly known as the Holy See, which maintains its own temporal power, governance, diplomacy, and spiritual independence under international law. The term "Vatican" is frequently used as a metonym for the Holy See, the central governing body of the Catholic Church comprising the pope and the Roman Curia.