Across nearly 200 countries checkering the globe, exactly three extraordinary lands claim status as fully enclaved nations - meaning completely surrounded by another country enclosing its borders on all sides. Two micro-states nestled within neighboring Italy and one mountain kingdom swallowed up inside South Africa comprise Earth's sole national entities qualifying for such geopolitical quirk of geography.
Pope Francis (1936-2025) — who surprised the world long before his papacy by checking IDs as a Buenos Aires bouncer — died on 21 April 2025. As tributes pour in from around the globe, the story of his unlikely job reveals how these humble beginnings shaped the beloved pontiff who led over 1 billion Catholics worldwide.