VATICAN

The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) Santa Sede (Stato della Cittá del Vaticano) CAPITAL: Vatican City FLAG: The flag consists of two vertical stripes, yellow at the hoist and white at the fly. On the white field, in yellow, are the crossed keys of St. Peter, the first pope, surmounted by the papal tiara (triple crown). ANTHEM: Pontifical March (no words). MONETARY UNIT: In 1930, after a lapse of 60 years, the Vatican resumed issuance of its own coinage— the lira (L)—but it agreed to issue no more than 300 million lire in any year. There are coins of 10, 20, 50, 100, and 500 lire. Both Italy and the Vatican adopted the euro as official currency in 2002. The euro is divided into 100 cents. There are coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents and 1 euro and 2 euros. There are notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 euros. The Vatican lira is fixed at 1,936.17 lire per euro. As of May 2003, €1 = $1.0977 (or $1 = €0.911). WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: The metric system is in use. HOLIDAYS: Roman Catholic religious holidays; the coronation day of the reigning pope; days when public consistory is held. TIME: 1 PM = noon GMT.