San Marino

Where is San Marino?

Located in Southern Europe, San Marino has a 37.00 km border with Italy.

The City of San Marino has served as San Marino's one and only ever capital city ever since it was founded. Established in 301 AD, the city is surrounded by a stone wall and three towers. It was originally founded by Saint Marinus during a time in history when he and his fellow Christians were seeking refuge from the Roman forces that were set out to wipe them out. Presently, San Marino has a population of just over 4,000 residents but what it lacks in population it makes up for in terms of history and cultural landmarks. The City of San Marino has become a popular tourist attraction for throngs of visitors keen on taking in the picturesque Italian scenery. It is estimated that the city attracts about two million visitors every year.

San Marino is a European country covering 61.00 km². This makes it the 5th smallest country in the world and about 44 times smaller than Rhode Island. Its geographic coordinates are 43 46 N, 12 25 E and San Marino is the capital city.

San Marion was named for Saint Marinus.

Its ISO code is SM.

Geography

San Marino has a mean elevation of 0 m above sea level.

It has a tropical climate with a rainy season from October to May. Its terrain is mostly made up of rugged mountains.

Population

San Marino has a population of 33,285 making it the 214th largest in the world.

Italian is the official language. The major ethnicities reported are Sammarinese and Italian. The majority of the population is Roman Catholic.

San Marino is a small Italian enclave, so it stands to reason that Italian is the dominant language spoken in the nation. The status of official language, however, is shared between Italian and Sammarinese, or Romagol. This old language is spoken by some 83% of the population. However, it is threatened because it hasn’t been passed down through the generations and is likely to disappear over time. A casual greeting in Italian usually begins with, “Ciao” while “Salve” is used on more formal occasions. Since Italy is famous for its food a phrase commonly heard in restaurants throughout San Marino is “Buon appetite” or “enjoy your meal”. Both Italian and Sammarinese are Romance languages which are derivations of Latin.

The dialing code for the country is 378.

Government

San Marino is an independent country. Its traditional founding date is the year 301. Its constitution was last ratified in 1974.

San Marino’s system of government has deep roots dating all the way back to 1243. It is based on six books known as the Constitution of San Marino. Officially, the Republic of San Marino is led by two members of government known as the Captains Regent who are usually chosen from opposing political parties. The republic is divided into nine municipalities and 43 parishes. Recent government appointees include Rosa Zafferani who served two terms of six months each from 1999 until 2008.The seat of government is a building called Palazzo Pubblico or Public Palace. This building, located in the City of San Marino, has a long history which dates back to its initial construction from 1884 till 1894.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, San Marino's GDP is $2,023,000,000.00 (USD) with $65,300.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 195th largest economy and its citizens the 15th richest in the world. The currency of San Marino is the Euro (EUR).

Its major export partner is Italy. Its main exports are building stone, lime, wood, and chestnuts. Its major import partner is Italy. Its major imports include consumer manufactures, good, and energy.

Flag

The small microstate of San Marino is considered to be one of the oldest such states in the world. It’s also the third smallest European country and the fifth smallest on Earth. Its official national flag is composed of horizontal bands of white and blue with a coat of arms depicting the three historic towers which stand atop the capital. Because it’s geographically surrounded by Italy, it’s not surprising that the earliest version of the flag was designed in Florence. The current version of the flag celebrates San Marino’s history, geography, and the freedom of its people which is underscored by the scroll situated under the coat of arms which translates to liberty.