GlobeWhiz | World Facts on Instagram: "Did you know that Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, even smaller than some shopping malls ? Yet, it holds massive influence over more than a billion Catholics + worldwide! But why does the Vatican exist as an independent nation, separate from Italy Centuries ago, the Vatican was part of the powerful Papal States, which controlled vast territories in central Italy under the Pope's rule However, during the unification of Italy in the 19th cen