Each fortnight, we give the world globe a spin and see where we land.
Then we take the kids of Australia on an audio excursion to visit that country and its people.
I'm Christy Kidgerina and today, on Squiz the World, we're heading to the smallest country in the world.
A place with no airport, no schools, like you might expect, and where ancient tombs still sit beneath one of the most famous buildings on Earth.
Can you guess?
Strap yourselves into the Squiz Kids Superfast Supersonic Jetliner as we take off and take a squiz at Vatican City.
Vatican City is the smallest country on Earth.
So small you could walk around the perimeter in about 30 to 45 minutes.
It's about the size of a good sized theme park.
You could explore most of it in an afternoon.
It sits entirely inside the city of Rome in Italy.
An entire country tucked inside another country's capital.
Fewer than 1000 people live there, and many of them are priests, nuns or people working for the Catholic Church.
Vatican City is what's called an elective monarchy, which means, instead of a king or a queen inheriting power, a new leader is chosen.
And when a pope dies or steps down, cardinals from around the world, their leaders within the Catholic Church they gather in a secret meeting called a conclave to vote for the next one.
That is exactly what happened last year when Pope Leo XIV was elected.
Now, while Vatican City might be tiny on the map, its influence is anything but small.
It's the home base of the Catholic Church, one of the largest religious groups in the world, with around 13 billion followers globally.
At the centre of it all is something called the Holy See, that is S-E-E.
And this is where it can get a little tricky, so stick with me.
The Holy See isn't a place.
It's a governing body of the Catholic Church, led by the Pope.
It's the part that makes decisions, sends ambassadors to other countries and connects Catholics around the world.
Vatican City is the place and the Holy See is the power within it.
And the Pope is not just a religious leader, he's also the head of state, meaning that he's in charge of making laws, running the country and overseeing its courts.
Even though it's tiny, Vatican City runs like a full country.
It has its own post office bank coins, stamps and even a railway line, though it's mostly used for deliveries.
There's no official language in Vatican City but Latin.
The ancient language is used for important documents.
Italian is spoken day to day.
And while Vatican City doesn't have an army, it does have a very small, very famous security force called the Swiss Guard that protects the popes.
And the guards give their orders in Swiss German.
Now that we understand what Vatican City looks like today, let's rewind the clock and see how it all began.
It's time for some...
Back in ancient Roman times, this area wasn't a grand city at all.
It was, well, it was a marshy, flood-prone patch of land on the edge of Rome.
Damp, unhealthy and not really a place that people wanted to live.
But over time, things changed.
Roman emperors built gardens and a large stadium here called Nero's Circus.
Not the type of circus with clowns.
It's where crowds gathered to watch chariot races in public events.
And this is where the story takes a darker turn.
In the early days of Christianity, Christians were persecuted by the Roman Empire, meaning that they were punished and sometimes killed for their beliefs.
Many were brought to this very area.
Tradition tells us that St Peter, one of the earliest leaders of the Christian church, was put to death here.
Now, here's the incredible part.
Hundreds of years later, in the 300s CE, a massive church, St Peter's Basilica, was built right on top of that site, over what is believed to be his tomb.
So, the heart of Vatican City today stands on a place that was once a site of persecution.
Talk about a plot twist!
Fast forward to the 1800s and the Pope used to rule large areas of Italy.
But when Italy became one united country, the Pope lost that land and stayed inside the Vatican, refusing to leave.
For decades he was known as a prisoner in the Vatican, until everything was sorted out in 1929, when Vatican City officially became its own independent country.
So from marshland to empire to independent country, Vatican City has had quite a journey.
But what's it like growing up in a place like this today?
Let's find out.
It's time for school.
Now, you might be wondering, where do kids go to school in the smallest country in the world?
Well, there aren't many kids living in Vatican City at all.
The few who do live there are usually the children of Swiss guards or of workers.
And instead of going to school inside the Vatican, they head out to Rome to attend Italian schools.
So there's no typical playground classrooms or school bells inside Vatican City like you'd find in most countries.
But education still plays a really big role here.
Just outside the Vatican are some of the world's most famous pontifical universities.
Pontifical is just a fancy word, meaning relating to the Pope, where students from all over the globe come and study things like history philosophy, languages and religions.
Some classes are even taught in the ancient language of Latin, which was commonly spoken over 2000 years ago.
So, while you won't find a bustling primary school, you will find classrooms filled with people studying ancient texts, global history and ideas that have shaped the world.
So while school life might look a little different here, learning and history are everywhere you look.
Now from classrooms to centuries old masterpieces.
Let's get cultural.
This tiny country is packed with some of the most famous artworks ever created.
Inside the Sistine Chapel, you'll find Michelangelo's incredible painted ceiling, a masterpiece that took years to complete.
The Vatican Museum holds thousands upon thousands of artworks, sculptures and historical objects collected over the centuries.
Over time, people's ideas about art have changed.
Some of the famous artworks.
He originally showed the human body just as it is.
But later on body parts were considered a bit rude and covered up with carved additions called fig leaves, or even removed altogether to make them seem more modest.
There are also ancient libraries filled with rare manuscripts, some dating back hundreds, even thousands of years.
Vatican City is full of incredible sights.
But wait until you hear some of the quirky and surprising things about this tiny country.
Believe it or not.
Now, Vatican City is full of surprises.
About half of the country is actually gardens filled with fountains, trees and quiet green spaces.
If you need some cash, it has an ATM where the text on the screen is in Latin, that ancient language.
It's possibly the only one in the world.
It also has its own football league. with teams made up of guards, museum workers and staff.
And here's a quirky one.
Because the population is small and unique, statistics get a little bit strange.
For example, Vatican City is often said to have a very high wine consumption per person, mostly because wine is used in religious ceremonies.
After all that exploring, I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry.
It must be... Now, Vatican City doesn't really have its own national cuisine.
Instead, food here is heavily influenced by Italian cooking, which means plenty of pasta pizza, fresh bread and strong espresso coffee.
Almost everything has to be brought in from Italy, including food, water, and supplies.
There are cafes and canteens where workers grab meals, and even a supermarket for residents and staff.
So, while it may be the smallest country in the world, when it comes to food it tastes a lot like Rome.
Time for the quiz.
This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you've been listening.
Question number one.
Vatican City is completely surrounded by another city.
What is that city?
Is it A, Paris, B, Madrid or C, Rome?
Music Yeah, that's right.
The answer is C, Rome.
Question number two.
This one's a true or false question.
The land that Vatican City was built on was once considered rich farming land.
Is that true or is it false?
Music That my friends is false.
The area that the Vatican City is on was once marshy and considered to be unhealthy.
Question number three.
A key figure in early Christianity, is believed to have been put to death and buried within what is now Vatican City.
Who was he?
Music Excellent listening.
If you said his name is Saint Peter.
That's all we have time for today.
Thanks for staying curious about the world and joining me on this incredible trip to Vatican City.
Now, get out there and have a most excellent day.
Over and out.
