Stock shots of Vatican City, world's smallest sovereign state Vatican City, the world's smallest sovereign state, has a unique status that was officially recognised in 1929 after the signing of the Lateran Accords between pope Pius XI and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. The pope reigns as an absolute monarch over an area of 44 hectares (109 acres) which is entirely surrounded by the city of Rome and is made up of palaces and churches but also a petrol station, a supermarket and a post office. Stock shots of key locations in the Vatican City.