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Vatican City

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                        Status Civitatis Vaticanae
   Stato della Città del Vaticano
   State of the Vatican City

   Flag of Vatican City Coat of arms of Vatican City
   Flag                 Coat of arms
   Anthem: Inno e Marcia Pontificale
   (Latin: Hymn and Pontifical March)
   Location of Vatican City
          Capital        Vatican City^1
                         41°54′N 12°27′E
       Largest city      Vatican City
    Official languages   Latin^2, Italian
   Government            Absolute elective^3 monarchy
    - Head of State      Pope Benedict XVI
    - Secretary of State Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone
    - Governor           Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo
       Independence      from the Kingdom of Italy
    - Lateran Treaty     11 February 1929
                                   Area
    - Total              0.44 km² ( 232nd)
                         0.17 sq mi
                                Population
    - 2005 estimate      783 ( 229th)
    - Density            1,780/km² ( 6th)
                         4,610/sq mi
         Currency        Euro (€)^4 ( EUR)
         Time zone       CET ( UTC+1)
    - Summer ( DST)      CEST ( UTC+2)
       Internet TLD      .va
       Calling code      +39^5
   ^1 Vatican City is a city-state.
   ^2 Used for official purposes. De facto languages are Italian, German,
   English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, with Italian the most
   commonly used. The language of the Papal Swiss Guard is German.
   ^3 Suffrage limited to the College of Cardinals (see #Government
   section below).
   ^4 Prior to 2002, the Vatican lira (on par with the Italian lira).
   ^5 ITU-T assigns code 379 to Vatican City. However, Vatican City is
   included in the Italian telephone numbering plan and uses the Italian
   country code 39.

   Coordinates: 41°54′10″N, 12°27′9″E Vatican City, formally the State of
   the Vatican City (Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae; Italian: Stato
   della Città del Vaticano) is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose
   territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. At
   approximately 44 hectares (108.7 acres), it is the smallest independent
   nation in the world. See microstates.

   It was created in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty as a vestige of the much
   larger former Papal States (AD 756 to 1870). Although governed by the
   Bishop of Rome (the Pope), the Vatican City is officially a monarchy.
   The highest state functionaries are all clergymen of the Catholic
   Church. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See (Latin:Sancta
   Sedes) and the location of the Apostolic Palace – the Pope's official
   residence – and the Roman Curia. Thus, although the principal
   ecclesiastical seat of the Holy See (the Basilica of St. John Lateran)
   is located outside of its walls, in Rome, the Vatican City can be said
   to be the governmental capital of the Catholic Church.

The territory

   The name Vatican is ancient and predates Christianity, coming from the
   Latin Mons Vaticanus, Vatican Hill. It is part of the Mons Vaticanus,
   and of the adjacent former Vatican Fields where St. Peter's Basilica,
   the Apostolic Palace, the Sistine Chapel, and museums were built, along
   with various other buildings. The area until 1929 was part of the Roman
   rione of Borgo. Being separated from the city and on the west bank of
   the Tiber river, it was an outcrop of the city that was protected by
   being included within the walls of Leo IV and later expanded by the
   current fortification walls of Paul III/ Pius IV/ Urban VIII. When
   Lateran Pacts of 1929 that gave the state its present form were being
   prepared, the fact that a good part of the proposed territory was all
   but enclosed by this loop led to the present territorial definition
   being adopted. For some tracts of the frontier there was no wall, but
   the line of certain buildings supplied part of the boundary, and for a
   small part of the frontier a modern wall was constructed. The territory
   included St. Peter's Square, which was not possible to isolate from the
   rest of Rome, and therefore a largely imaginary border with Italy runs
   along the outer limit of the square where it touches on Piazza Pio XII
   and Via Paolo VI. St. Peter's Square is reached through the Via della
   Conciliazione connecting it with Rome via the Ponte Sant Angelo. This
   grand approach was constructed by Mussolini after the conclusion of the
   Lateran Treaty.

   According to the Lateran Treaty, certain properties of the Holy See
   which are located in Italian territory, most notably Castel Gandolfo
   and the Patriarchal Basilicas, enjoy extraterritorial status similar to
   that of foreign embassies. These properties, scattered all over Rome
   and Italy, house essential offices and institutions necessary to the
   character and mission of the Holy See. Castel Gandolfo and the named
   basilicas are patrolled internally by police agents of the Vatican City
   State and not by Italian police. St. Peter's Square is ordinarily
   policed jointly by both.
   View of St. Peter's Square from the top of Michaelangelo's dome.
   Enlarge
   View of St. Peter's Square from the top of Michaelangelo's dome.

The Head of State

   The Pope is ex officio head of state and head of government of Vatican
   City. He is simultaneously and primordially the bishop of the Diocese
   of Rome, the Holy See, and the leader of the Catholic religion. His
   official title with regard to Vatican City is Sovereign of the State of
   the Vatican City.

   The pope is a non-hereditary monarch who exercises absolute authority,
   that is to say supreme legislative, executive and judicial power over
   the Vatican City. He is the only absolute monarch in Europe.

   The pope is elected for a life term in conclave by cardinals under the
   age of 80. His principal subordinate government officials for Vatican
   City are the Secretary of State, the President of the Pontifical
   Commission for Vatican City State, and the Governor of Vatican City.

   The current Pope is Benedict XVI, born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany.
   Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone of Italy is the Secretary of State. Italian
   Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo serves as both the President of the
   Pontifical Commission and Governor. Both Bertone and Lajolo were
   appointed by Pope Benedict in September 2006.

History

   Territory of Vatican City according to the Lateran treaties.
   Enlarge
   Territory of Vatican City according to the Lateran treaties.

   Even before the arrival of Christianity, it is supposed that this
   originally uninhabited part of Rome (the ager vaticanus) had long been
   considered sacred, or at least not available for habitation. The area
   was also the site of worship to the Phrygian goddess Cybele and her
   consort Attis during Roman times. Agrippina the Elder (14 BC – 18
   October AD 33) drained the hill and environs and built her gardens
   there in the early 1st century AD. Emperor Caligula (b. Aug. 31, AD 12
   - d. Jan. 24, AD 41, emperor AD 37 to AD 41) started construction of a
   circus in AD 40 that was later completed by Nero, the Circus Gaii et
   Neronis. The Vatican obelisk was originally taken by Caligula from
   Heliopolis to decorate the spina of his circus and is thus its last
   visible remnant. This area became the site of martyrdom of many
   Christians after the great fire of Rome in AD 64. Ancient tradition
   holds that it was in this circus that St. Peter (Simon Peter Bar-Jona)
   was crucified upside down. Opposite the circus was a cemetery separated
   by the Via Cornelia. Funeral monuments and mausoleums and small tombs
   as well as altars to pagan gods of all kinds of polytheistic religions
   were constructed lasting until before the construction of the
   Constantinian Basilica of St. Peter's in the first half of the 4th
   century AD. Remains of this ancient necropolis were brought to light
   sporadically during renovations by various popes throughout the
   centuries increasing in frequency during the Renaissance until it was
   systematically excavated by orders of Pope Pius XII from 1939 to 1941.

   In 326, the first church, the Constantinian basilica, was built over
   the site that Catholic apologists as well as noted Italian
   archeologists argue was the tomb of Saint Peter, buried in a common
   cemetery on the spot. From then on the area started to become more
   populated, but mostly only by dwelling houses connected with the
   activity of St. Peter's. A palace was constructed near the site of the
   basilica as early as the 5th century during the pontificate of Pope
   Symmachus (b. ?? - d. Jul. 19, 514, pope 498 - 514).

   Popes in their secular role gradually came to govern neighbouring
   regions and, through the Papal States, ruled a large portion of the
   Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th
   century, when most of the territory of the Papal States was seized by
   the newly created Kingdom of Italy. For much of this time the Vatican
   was not the habitual residence of the Popes, but rather the Lateran
   Palace, and in recent centuries, the Quirinal Palace, while the
   residence from 1309–1377 was at Avignon in France.

   In 1870, the Pope's holdings were left in an uncertain situation when
   Rome itself was annexed by the Piedmontese after a nominal resistance
   by the papal forces. Between 1861 and 1929 the status of the pope was
   referred to as the " Roman Question". They were undisturbed in their
   palace, and given certain recognitions by the Law of Guarantees,
   including the right to send and receive ambassadors. But they did not
   recognize the Italian king's right to rule in Rome, and they refused to
   leave the Vatican compound until the dispute was resolved in 1929.
   Other states continued to maintain international recognition of the
   Holy See as a sovereign entity. In practice Italy made no attempt to
   interfere with the Holy See within the Vatican walls. However, they
   confiscated church property in many other places, including, perhaps
   most notably, the Quirinal Palace, formerly the pope's official
   residence. Pope Pius IX (b. May 13, 1792-d. Feb. 7, 1878, pope
   1846-1878), the last ruler of the Papal States, said that after Rome
   was annexed he was a " Prisoner in the Vatican". This situation was
   resolved on February 11, 1929 between the Holy See and the Kingdom of
   Italy. The treaty was signed by Benito Mussolini and Pietro Cardinal
   Gasparri in behalf of King Victor Emanuel III and Pope Pius XI (b. May
   31, 1857-d. Feb. 10, 1939, pope 1922-1939), respectively. The Lateran
   Treaty and the Concordat established the independent State of the
   Vatican City and granted Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984,
   a new concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain
   provisions of the earlier treaty, including the position of Catholicism
   as the Italian state religion.
   St. Peter's Square in the early morning.
   Enlarge
   St. Peter's Square in the early morning.

Government

Political system

   For historical reasons, the government of Vatican City has a unique
   structure. As noted, the principal figures are the Secretary of State,
   the President of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State,
   and the Governor of Vatican City. These, like all other officials, are
   appointed by the Pope and can be dismissed by him at any time.

   During a sede vacante (papal vacancy), the Chamberlain of the Holy
   Roman Church, former Secretary of State, and former President of the
   Pontifical Commission form a commission that performs some of the
   functions of the head of state; while another made up of the
   Chamberlain and three cardinals (one being chosen by lot every three
   days from each order of cardinals), performs other functions of the
   head of state. All decisions of these commissions must be approved by
   the College of Cardinals.

   The State of the Vatican City, as created by the Lateran Treaty,
   enables the Holy See (the Diocese of Rome) to exist with a temporal
   jurisdiction, territorial identity, recognition, and independence
   within a small territory as a true nation-state in the eyes of other
   nations after the loss of the Papal States in 1870. The Vatican City
   State is not the Holy See. The Vatican City can thus be deemed a
   trivial subset of the Holy See, very significant but not essential. The
   Holy See has existed continuously as a juridical entity since Roman
   Imperial times and had been recognized by other sovereigns, nations and
   foreign powers as a powerful and independent sovereign (even suzerain)
   entity since late antiquity to the present, even during periods when it
   held no territory (e.g. 1870 to 1929). The Holy See has the oldest
   active continuous diplomatic representation or service in the world.
   Indeed, other nations have their diplomatic relations with the Holy
   See, never the Vatican City State. Thus, as far as the nation-state of
   the Vatican is concerned, its Head of State, the Sovereign of the State
   of the Vatican City, is the pope. As far as it is concerned, the pope
   is its absolute monarch — who just happens to be a priest.

   The hierarchy of the Catholic Church as governed by the Holy See is the
   proper ecclesiastical government. This is not necessarily the case for
   the Vatican City State. In fact, prior to the reforms made by Pope Paul
   VI (b. Sep. 26, 1897-d. Aug. 6, 1978, pope Jun. 21, 1963-Aug. 6, 1978),
   a large number of nobles existed within the government of the Vatican.
   A noble class still exists today that continues to form part of the
   papal court drawn from the ranks of Roman and European nobility. The
   size of the papal court, however, had been reduced to a great extent
   after the reforms made by Pope Paul VI in the 1970s. All cardinals,
   however, continue to have the royal rank of prince of the blood. Its
   royal character is a vestige of the temporal power of the popes who
   have ruled the Papal States for more than a thousand years and, prior
   to the Papal States, as the highest civil and religious authority of
   the Roman and Byzantine empires in Rome since late antiquity.
   Therefore, within this context, the State of the Vatican City is a true
   monarchy in every sense of the word.

Administration of Vatican City

   The Governor of Vatican City, sometimes known as the President of
   Vatican City, has duties similar to those of a mayor or city executive,
   concentrating on material questions concerning the state's territory,
   including local security, but excluding external relations. The Vatican
   City maintains two modern security corps, the Swiss Guards, a voluntary
   military force drawn from male Swiss citizens, and the Corpo della
   Gendarmeria dello Stato della Città del Vaticano.

   Legislative power is vested in the Pontifical Commission for Vatican
   City State, led by a president. Members are cardinals appointed by the
   pope for terms of five years.

   The judicial functions are handled by three tribunals — the Apostolic
   Signatura, the Sacra Rota Romana, and the Apostolic Penitentiary, which
   are also the judicial arm of the Holy See (see below). The legal system
   is based on canon, or ecclesiastical, law; if Canon Law is not
   applicable, special laws of the territory apply, often modelled on
   Italian provisions.
   Swiss Guard.
   Enlarge
   Swiss Guard.

Military

   The Vatican City State has the distinction of having the smallest and
   oldest regular army in the world, the Swiss Guard. It was founded by
   Pope Julius II on January 22, 1506 originally made up of Swiss
   mercenaries from the Swiss Confederation. They currently number a
   little over 100 men and are also the personal bodyguards of the Pope.
   Recruitment is restricted to Catholic male Swiss citizens.

   The Palatine Guard of Honour and the Noble Guard were disbanded during
   the reign of Pope Paul VI.

   The Vatican gendarmes act as the internal police force.

   The Vatican has no navy and no air force. External defense is handled
   by the surrounding state of Italy.

Communications

   Vatican City has its own post office, fire brigade, police service,
   commissary (supermarket), bank (the automatic teller machines are the
   only ones in the world to offer customers service in Latin, among other
   languages), railway station, electricity generating plant, and
   publishing house. The Vatican also controls its own Internet domain (
   .va).

   Vatican Radio, which was organized by Guglielmo Marconi himself, today
   offers not only short-wave service around the world, but also
   television services through Vatican Television and is available on the
   Internet. The actual transmitter for the shortwave station is in Italy.
   The Vatican has also been given a radio ITU prefix, HV, and this is
   sometimes used by amateur radio operators.

   L'Osservatore Romano is the semi-official newspaper, published daily in
   Italian, and weekly in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French
   (plus a monthly edition in Polish). It is published by a private
   corporation under the direction of Catholic laymen but carries official
   information. Acta Apostolicae Sedis is the official publication of the
   Holy See, carrying the official texts of Church documents, but is
   little read other than by scholars and Church professionals.

Geography

   Map of Vatican City
   Enlarge
   Map of Vatican City

   The Vatican City, one of the European microstates, is situated on the
   Vatican Hill in the north-western part of Rome, several hundred metres
   west of the Tiber river. Its borders (3.2 km or 2 miles in total, all
   within Italy) closely follow the city wall constructed to protect the
   Pope from outside attack. The situation is more complex at the famous
   St. Peter's Square in front of the St. Peter's Basilica, where the
   correct border is just outside the ellipse formed by Bernini's
   colonnade. The Vatican City is the smallest sovereign state in the
   world at 0.44 square kilometres (108.7  acres).

   Its climate is the same as Rome's; a temperate, Mediterranean climate
   with mild, rainy winters from September to mid-May and hot, dry summers
   from May to August. There are some local features, principally mists
   and dews, caused by the anomalous bulk of St Peter's Basilica, the
   elevation, the fountains and the size of the large paved square.

Economy

   This unique, non-commercial economy is also supported financially by
   contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Catholics throughout the
   world, the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for
   admission to museums, and the sale of publications. The incomes and
   living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better
   than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.

   The Vatican City issues its own coins. It has used the euro as its
   currency since January 1, 1999, owing to a special agreement with the
   EU (council decision 1999/98/CE). Euro coins and notes were introduced
   in January 1, 2002. Due to their rarity, Vatican euro coins are highly
   sought by collectors. Until the adoption of the Euro, Vatican coinage
   and stamps were denominated in their own Vatican lira currency, which
   was on par with the Italian lira.

   It also has its own bank, Istituto per le Opere di Religione (also
   known as the Vatican Bank, and with the acronym IOR).
     * Budget: Revenues (2003) $252 million; expenditures (2003) $264
       million.
     * Industries: printing and production of few mosaics and staff
       uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities.

Demographics

   Swiss Guard
   Enlarge
   Swiss Guard

Population and languages

   Almost all of Vatican City's roughly 600 citizens either live inside
   the Vatican's walls or serve in the Vatican's diplomatic corps in
   embassies (called "nunciatures"; a papal ambassador is a "nuncio")
   around the world. The Vatican citizenry consists mainly of clergy,
   including high dignitaries, priests, nuns, as well as the Swiss Guard.
   Most of the 3,000 lay workers who comprise the majority of the Vatican
   work force reside outside the Vatican and are citizens of Italy. All of
   the City's actual citizens are Catholic and the Catholic religion is,
   rather obviously, the State religion of the country. There are no other
   places of worship inside the Vatican City other than private Catholic
   Chapels and St Peter's Basilica.

   The official language is Latin. Italian and, to a lesser extent, other
   languages are generally used for most conversations, publications, and
   broadcasts. German is the official language of the Swiss Guard. The
   Vatican's official website languages are Italian, German, English,
   French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Citizenship

   Citizenship of the Vatican City is granted ius officii, which means it
   is conferred upon those who have been appointed to work at the Vatican,
   and it is usually revoked upon the termination of their employment.
   During the period of employment citizenship may also be extended to a
   Vatican citizen's spouse (unless the marriage is annulled or dissolved,
   or if a conjugal separation is decreed) and children (until they turn
   25 if they are capable of working, or in the case of daughters, if they
   marry). Terms of citizenship are defined in the Lateran Treaty, and
   laws concerning the creation of the Vatican state in 1929 sought to
   restrict the number of people who could be granted Vatican citizenship.
   The only passports issued by the Vatican are diplomatic passports.

   On 31 December 2002 there were 555 people with Vatican citizenship, of
   whom all are dual-citizens of other countries (the majority being
   Italian). The Lateran Treaty states that in the event a Vatican citizen
   has their original nationality revoked and also lose their Vatican
   citizenship, they will be automatically granted Italian citizenship.

   Among the 555 were:
     * The Pope
     * 57 Cardinals
     * 293 Members of the clergy who serve as diplomatic envoys abroad
     * 56 Lesser ranking clergy members who work in the Vatican
     * 104 Officers, NCOs and men of the Papal Swiss Guard.
     * 44 Lay persons

Foreign relations

   Providing a territorial identity for the Holy See, the State of the
   Vatican City is a recognized national territory under international
   law. However, it is the Holy See that is the legal body that conducts
   diplomatic relations for the Vatican City in addition to the Holy See's
   usual diplomacy, entering into international agreements and both
   receives and sends diplomatic representatives. Due to the very limited
   territory of the Vatican state, foreign embassies to the Holy See are
   located in the Italian part of Rome; Italy actually hosts its own
   Embassy of Italy.

   The Holy See is currently the only European political entity that has
   formal diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan).

   Despite its minuscule size, as the headquarters of the Catholic Church,
   the Vatican's influence on world affairs is disproportionately immense
   by virtue of its moral and spiritual authority.
   Vatican Museum
   Enlarge
   Vatican Museum

Culture

   The Vatican City is itself of great cultural significance. Buildings
   such as St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are home to some of
   the most famous art in the world, which includes works by artists such
   as Botticelli, Bernini and Michelangelo. The Vatican Library and the
   collections of the Vatican Museums are of the highest historical,
   scientific and cultural importance. In 1984, the Vatican was added by
   UNESCO to the List of World Heritage Sites; it is the only one to
   consist of an entire country.

   The Vatican can be said to be the de facto custodian of the Latin
   language through its Latinitas Foundation.

   The permanent population of the Vatican City is predominately male,
   although two orders of nuns live in the Vatican. A minority are senior
   Catholic clergy; the remainder are members of religious orders. Many
   workers and embassy personnel in the Vatican City live outside its
   walls.
   Entrance to Vatican Museum
   Enlarge
   Entrance to Vatican Museum

   Tourism and pilgrimages are an important factor in the daily life of
   the Vatican. The Pope leads weekly Mass and other services, and appears
   on religious holidays such as Easter. On significant events, such as
   beatification ceremonies, he leads open-air Mass in Saint Peter's
   Square.

Dress code

   A dress code is enforced for entry into St. Peter's Basilica. The code
   is based upon what is considered "modest" and "appropriate" dress for
   visiting a Catholic religious venue, and tourists and visitors are
   reminded that, although St. Peter's is an architectural and artistic
   monument, it is first a church. The dress code forbids:
     * hats for lay men inside the basilica
     * shorts/skirts above the knees
     * sleeveless shirts
     * shirts exposing the navel
     * shirts for women which exposes the cleavage
     * shirts which contain profanity
     * excessive jewellery

Crime

   As a result of the Vatican having a small resident population, but
   millions of visitors every year, the state has the highest per capita
   crime rate of any nation on earth, more than twenty times higher than
   that of Italy. In his 2002 report to the pontifical court, Chief
   Prosecutor Nicola Picardi quoted statistics of 397 civil offenses and
   608 penal offenses. Each year, hundreds of tourists fall victim to
   pickpockets and purse snatchers. The perpetrators, who are also
   visitors, are rarely caught, with 90% of crimes remaining unsolved.

   The Vatican police force is the Corpo Della Vigilanza

   As per the 1929 Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy, the
   Italian government handles the prosecution and detention of criminal
   suspects.

   The most recent murders to occur in the Vatican were in 1998, when a
   member of the Swiss Guard killed two people before committing suicide.

   The Vatican abolished capital punishment in 1969, but its last
   execution was performed by its predecessor, the Papal States on the 9th
   of July 1870 at Palestrina, when Agabito (or Agapito) Bellomo was
   decapitated (probably by guillotine) for murder.

Transport and communications

   Mussolini demolished a spina of medieval housing to create an avenue
   leading into St. Peter's Square.
   Enlarge
   Mussolini demolished a spina of medieval housing to create an avenue
   leading into St. Peter's Square.

   The Vatican City has no airports. There is one heliport and an 852
   metre (932 yd) standard gauge (1435 mm or 4 ft 8½ in) railway that
   connects to Italy's network at Rome's Saint Peter's station. The
   station building by architect Giuseppe Momo was constructed during the
   reign of Pius XI after the conclusion of the Lateran Treaties and
   opened in 1933 but now houses shops. The railway was originally planned
   to transport pilgrims, as was intended during the reign of Pius XI, but
   has only been rarely used to transport passengers. Pope John XXIII was
   the first to make use of the railway, and Pope John Paul II was known
   to have used it as well very rarely. The railway is mainly used only to
   transport freight. Rome's metro line A passes about 10 minutes walk
   north of the Vatican.

   The City is served by an independent, modern telephone system and post
   office. A bit of conventional wisdom in Rome is that international mail
   dropped in a mailbox in the Vatican will reach its destination more
   quickly than one dropped only a few hundred metres away in an Italian
   mailbox. To quote an article from the New York Times on June 27, 2004:

          "As a result, more mail is sent each year, per inhabitant, from
          the Vatican's 00120 post code than from anywhere else in the
          world - 7,200, compared with about 660 in the United States or
          109 in Italy - said Juliana Nel, a spokeswoman for the Universal
          Postal Union, a United Nations agency based in Berne,
          Switzerland.

          She called the Vatican's service "probably one of the best
          postal systems in the world."

   People sending mail to the Vatican are advised not to write anything
   other than Vatican City State for the destination on the envelope. The
   reason for this is that this enables mail to be sent directly to the
   Vatican - otherwise it would go through the postal systems of other
   countries, which would cause a delay in shipment to the Vatican. The
   Vatican has an official website, radio station, and satellite TV
   channels.

   One lucrative source of income for the state is a two-pump gasoline
   station where Italians can buy gas at prices up to 30% lower than in
   Italy, because the gas is not taxed. However, only people with special
   residence or work permits may use the station.

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