We are making a trip to Italy soon, and plan to visit San Marino, one of the world’s smallest countries that’s land-locked within Italy. We wanted to learn more about San Marino.
Here are 24 Fun Facts About San Marino:
1. Situated on north-eastern side of Italy’s Apennine Mountains, the Republic of San Marino is a country surrounded by Italy.
2. According to the World Bank, the population San Marino was 34,450 people in 2013. The residents are known as Sammarinese.
3. The City of San Marino is the capital of San Marino, but Dogana is the country’s largest city.
The summit of Monte Titano is the highest point in the country of San Marino.
4. San Marino is 61 sq. km in size, or about 23.5 square miles, which is about a third of the size of Washington, D.C.
5. Geographically, San Marino is the world’s fifth smallest country and the third smallest in Europe (after the Vatican and Monaco).
6. Founded on September 3, 301 AD by stonecutter Marinus of Arbe, San Marino claims to be the oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic.
7. San Marino is considered to have the earliest written constitution still in effect of any country in the world. The country is still governed by the Leges Statutae Republicae Sancti Marini, a series of six books written in Latin in the late 1,500 that dictate the country’s political system.
8. Most of the Italian peninsula was unified into one state by 1861, but San Marino remained independent. The United States established diplomatic relations with San Marino in 1861. The two countries enjoy friendly relations, working together in areas such as international trade and the promotion of democracy and human rights.
9. The San Marino government made United States President Abraham Lincoln an honorary citizen. He wrote in reply, saying that the republic proved that “government founded on republican principles is capable of being so administered as to be secure and enduring.”
10. From 1923 to 1943, San Marino was under the rule of the Sammarinese Fascist Party (PFS).
11. During World War II, San Marino remained neutral, but it was it was briefly occupied by German forces in September, 1944. The Germans were defeated by Allied forces in the Battle of San Marino.
12. San Marino had the world’s first democratically elected communist government in office between 1945 and 1957.
13. While San Marino maintains an embassy in Washington, DC, the United States does not have an embassy in San Marino. However, John Phillips, the U.S. Ambassador to Italy, is also accredited to San Marino. The U.S. Consulate General in Florence is responsible for much of the day-to-day interaction with the government of San Marino.
14. San Marino became a member of the Council of Europe in 1988 and of the United Nations in 1992. It is not a member of the European Union or of the Eurozone although it does use the euro as its currency.
San Marino’s Guard of the Rock military unit wears distinctive red and green uniforms.15. San Marino has one of the smallest military forces in the world. With its distinctive green and red uniforms, The Guard of the Rock military unit has responsibility for patrolling and defending San Marino’s borders. The unit is also responsible for guarding the Palazzo Pubblico in San Marino City, the seat of San Marino’s national Government.
16. National defense of San Marino is the responsibility of Italy’s armed forces.
17. Since 1862 San Marino and Italy have set conventions that dictate some economic activities in San Marino’s territory. For example, growing tobacco is forbidden in San Marino and all imported goods must travel through Italy before reaching the country. San Marino is obliged to use Italy’s mint, and casinos are outlawed. In exchange, Italy provides San Marino with an annual stipend, and at cost, up to 250 tons of sea salt, 40 tons of tobacco, 20 tons of cigarettes and unlimited matches.
18. Italian and Romagnol (a dialect of Emiliano-Romagnolo) are the languages spoken in San Marino.
19. Sammarinese license plates are white with blue lettering and the coat of arms. Many vehicles also carry the white oval sticker with RSM, which is the international vehicle identification code for San Marino. San Marino has 140 miles of roads including the San Marino Superhighway.
20. Regular public bus service transports tourist and tourism industry workers between Rimini, Italy and the city of San Marino.
21. An aerial tramway (almost a mile in length) connects the town on Borgo Maggiore with the City of San Marino on top of Monte Titano.
Fortress of Guaita, the oldest of the Three Towers of San Marino. Photo by Max_Ryazanov.
22. In the capital, the Three Towers of San Marino are located on the three peaks of Monte Titano. Guaita, constructed in the 11th century, is the oldest of the three towers. Cesta, located on the highest of Monte Titano’s summits, was constructed in the 13th century. Montale, on the smallest of Monte Titano’s summits, was built in the 14th century and is still privately owned.
23. While the food of San Marino is similar to that of the nearby Emilia-Romagna and March regions of Italy, San Marino is known for the its Torta Tre Monti (“Cake of the Three Mountains” or “Cake of the Three Towers”), a cake of layered wafers covered in chocolate depicting the Three Towers of San Marino.
The Piadina – an Italian filled flatbread is a popular dish. Photo taken by Kobako.
24. The piadina, a thin Italian flatbread, is a common dish in San Marino and the surrounding Romagna regions of Italy. Found in specialized food stands called piadinerie, the piadina consists of thin bread filled with cheeses, meats and/or vegetables or with sweet fillings such as jam or chocolate spread.
To learn more about San Marino, check out these resources:
Blue Guide The Marche & San Marino
Have you been to San Marino? What fun fact can you share?
You may also enjoy reading these other “Fun Facts” posts:
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- 20 Fun Facts About Colombo, Sri Lanka
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