Vatican City. Satellite view of the Vatican City, an independent state within the city of Rome in Italy. It is the smallest independent state in the world. It forms the territory of the Holy See, the central authority of the Roman Catholic Church, and is home to the Pope. The elliptical space at the centre of the image is St Peter's Square, to the right is St Peter's Basilica. The Vatican is surrounded by city walls and has a population of approximately 900 people. Image taken by the Ikonos satellite on 12 August 2001.