{"id":8433,"date":"2021-08-21T04:00:39","date_gmt":"2021-08-21T11:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/?p=8433"},"modified":"2021-08-21T11:56:10","modified_gmt":"2021-08-21T18:56:10","slug":"san-marino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/san-marino\/","title":{"rendered":"San Marino"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/h2>\n

San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, is a small state in Southern Europe enclaved by Italy. Located on the northeastern side of the Apennine Mountains<\/a>, San Marino covers a land area of just over 61 km2 (24 sq mi), and has a population of 33,562. The country’s capital city, City of San Marino<\/a>, is located atop Mount Titan<\/a>, while its largest settlement is Dogana<\/a>. San Marino’s official language is Italian.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
San Marino on the Globe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The country derives its name from Saint Marinus<\/a>, a stonemason from the then-Roman island of Rab<\/a> in present-day Croatia. Born in AD 275, Marinus participated in the rebuilding of Rimini’s<\/a> city walls after their destruction by Liburnian<\/a> pirates. Marinus then went on to found an independently ruled monastic community on Mount Titan in AD 301; thus, San Marino lays claim to being the oldest extant sovereign state, as well as the oldest constitutional republic.<\/p>\n

Uniquely, San Marino’s constitution dictates that its democratically-elected legislature, the Grand and General Council, must elect two heads of state every six months. Known as Captains Regent, the two heads of state serve concurrently and hold equal powers until their term expires after six months.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Mount Titano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The country’s economy is mainly based on finance, industry, services and tourism. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the world in GDP per capita, with a figure comparable to the most developed European regions.<\/p>\n

History:<\/h2>\n

Saint Marinus left the island of Rab in present-day Croatia with his lifelong friend Leo, and went to the city of Rimini as a stonemason. After the Diocletianic Persecution<\/a> following his Christian sermons, he escaped to the nearby Monte Titano, where he built a small church and thus founded what is now the city and state of San Marino.<\/p>\n

The official founding date is 3 September 301. In 1320 the community of Chiesanuova<\/a> chose to join the country. In 1463 San Marino was extended with the communities of Faetano<\/a>, Fiorentino<\/a>, Montegiardino<\/a>, and Serravalle<\/a>, after which the country’s borders have remained unchanged.<\/p>\n

In 1503, Cesare Borgia<\/a>, the son of Pope Alexander VI<\/a> occupied the Republic for six months until his father’s successor, Pope Julius II<\/a>, intervened and restored the country’s independence.<\/p>\n

On 4 June 1543 Fabiano di Monte San Savino, nephew of the later Pope Julius III<\/a>, attempted to conquer the republic, but his infantry and cavalry failed as they got lost in a dense fog, which the Sammarinese attributed to Saint Quirinus<\/a>, whose feast day it was.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Quirinus of Sescia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the Duchy of Urbino<\/a> was annexed by the Papal States<\/a> in 1625, San Marino became an enclave within the Papal States, something which led to its seeking the formal protection of the Papal States in 1631, but this never equaled a de facto Papal control of the republic.<\/p>\n

The country was occupied on 17 October 1739 by the legate (Papal governor) of Ravenna<\/a>, Cardinal Giulio Alberoni<\/a>, but independence was restored by Pope Clement XII<\/a> on 5 February 1740, the feast day of Saint Agatha<\/a>, after which she became a patron saint of the republic.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Agatha of Sicily<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The advance of Napoleon’s<\/a> army in 1797 presented a brief threat to the independence of San Marino, but the country was saved from losing its liberty by one of its regents, Antonio Onofri<\/a>, who managed to gain the respect and friendship of Napoleon. Due to Onofri’s intervention, Napoleon, in a letter delivered to Gaspard Monge<\/a>, scientist and commissary of the French Government for Science and Art, promised to guarantee and protect the independence of the Republic, even offering to extend its territory according to its needs. The offer was declined by the regents, fearing future retaliation from other states’ revanchism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During the later phase of the Italian unification process in the 19th century, San Marino served as a refuge for many people persecuted because of their support for unification, including Giuseppe Garibaldi<\/a> and his wife Anita<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Anita and Giuseppe Garibaldi in San Marino, 1849<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The government of San Marino made United States President Abraham Lincoln<\/a> 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.”<\/p>\n

During World War I<\/a>, when Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary on 23 May 1915, San Marino remained neutral and Italy adopted a hostile view of Sammarinese neutrality, suspecting that San Marino could harbour Austrian spies who could be given access to its new radiotelegraph station. Italy tried to forcibly establish a detachment of Carabinieri<\/a> in the republic and then cut the republic’s telephone lines when it did not comply. Two groups of ten volunteers joined Italian forces in the fighting on the Italian front<\/a>, the first as combatants and the second as a medical corps operating a Red Cross field hospital. The existence of this hospital later caused Austria-Hungary to suspend diplomatic relations with San Marino.<\/p>\n

After the war, San Marino suffered from high rates of unemployment and inflation, leading to increased tensions between the lower and middle classes. The latter, fearing that the moderate government of San Marino would make concessions to the lower class majority, began to show support for the Sammarinese Fascist Party (Partito Fascista Sammarinese, PFS), founded in 1922 and styled largely on their Italian counterpart. PFS rule lasted from 1923 to 1943, and during this time they often sought support from Benito Mussolini’s<\/a> fascist government in Italy.<\/p>\n

During World War II, San Marino remained neutral, although it was wrongly reported in an article from The New York Times that it had declared war on the United Kingdom on 17 September 1940. The Sammarinese government later transmitted a message to the British government stating that they had not declared war on the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

On 28 July 1943, three days after the fall of the Fascist regime<\/a> in Italy, PFS rule collapsed and the new government declared neutrality in the conflict. The PFS regained power on 1 April 1944 but kept neutrality intact. Despite that, on 26 June 1944, San Marino was bombed by the Royal Air Force, in the belief that San Marino had been overrun by German forces and was being used to amass stores and ammunition. The Sammarinese government declared on the same day that no military installations or equipment were located on its territory, and that no belligerent forces had been allowed to enter. San Marino accepted thousands of civilian refugees when Allied forces went over the Gothic Line<\/a>. In September 1944, it was briefly occupied by German forces, who were defeated by Allied forces in the Battle of San Marino.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
British troops at Monte Titano during the Battle of San Marino, September 1944<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

San Marino had the world’s first democratically elected communist government \u2013 a coalition between the Sammarinese Communist Party and the Sammarinese Socialist Party, which held office between 1945 and 1957.<\/p>\n

San Marino is the world’s smallest republic, although when Nauru<\/a> gained independence in 1968 it challenged that claim, Nauru’s land mass being only 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi). However Nauru’s jurisdiction over its surrounding waters covers 431,000 km2 (166,000 sq mi), an area thousands of times greater than the territory of San Marino. 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, although it uses the euro as its currency (despite not legally being part of the Eurozone).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As of June 2020, San Marino had the highest death rate per capita of any country, due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>. In April 2021, the nation received headlines for using the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine<\/a> rather than vaccines approved by the EU following a slow rollout for the latter vaccines.<\/p>\n

Geography:<\/h2>\n

San Marino is an enclave (landlocked) surrounded by Italy in Southern Europe, on the border between the regions of Emilia Romagna<\/a> and Marche<\/a> and about 10 km (6.21 mi) from the Adriatic<\/a> coast at Rimini. Its hilly topography, with no flat ground, is part of the Apennine mountain range. The highest point in the country, the summit of Monte Titano, is 749 m (2,457 feet) above sea level, the lowest, the Ausa River, 55 m. San Marino has no still or contained bodies of water of any significant size.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
City Map of San Marino<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is one of only three countries in the world to be completely enclosed by another country (the others being Vatican City<\/a>, also enclosed by Italy, and Lesotho<\/a>, enclosed by South Africa). It is the third smallest country in Europe, after Vatican City and Monaco<\/a>, and the fifth smallest country in the world.<\/p>\n

Economy:<\/h2>\n

San Marino is a developed country and although it is not a European Union member, it is allowed to use the euro as its currency by arrangement with the Council of the European Union<\/a>; it is also granted the right to use its own designs on the national side of the euro coins. Before the euro, the Sammarinese lira was pegged to, and exchangeable with, the Italian lira. The small number of Sammarinese euro coins, as was the case with the lira before it, are primarily of interest to coin collectors.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
San Marino Exports Treemap<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

San Marino’s per capita GDP and standard of living are comparable to that of Italy. Key industries include banking, electronics, and ceramics. The main agricultural products are wine and cheese. San Marino imports mainly staple goods from Italy.<\/p>\n

San Marino’s postage stamps, which are valid for mail posted in the country, are mostly sold to philatelists and are an important source of income. San Marino is no longer a member of the Small European Postal Administration Cooperation.<\/a><\/p>\n

Transportation:<\/h2>\n

There are 220 km (140 mi) of roads in the country, the main road being the San Marino Highway<\/a>. Authorities license private vehicles with distinctive Sammarinese license plates, which are white with blue figures and the coat of arms, usually a letter followed by up to four numbers. Many vehicles also carry the international vehicle identification code (in black on a white oval sticker), which is “RSM”.<\/p>\n

There are no public airports in San Marino, but there is a small private airstrip located in Torraccia<\/a> and an international heliport located in Borgo Maggiore<\/a>. Most tourists who arrive by air land at Federico Fellini International Airport<\/a> close to the city of Rimini, then make the transfer by bus.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Rimini Airport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two rivers flow through San Marino, but there is no major water transport, and no port or harbor.<\/p>\n

San Marino public transport comprises 8 local bus lines entirely within San Marino. Cross-border connection to Rimini is available across highway bridge in Rovereta.<\/p>\n

There is a regular bus service between Rimini and the city of San Marino that is popular with both tourists and workers commuting to San Marino from Italy. This service stops at approximately 20 locations in Rimini and within San Marino, with its two terminus stops at Rimini railway station<\/a> and San Marino coach station.<\/p>\n

A limited licensed taxi service operates nationwide. There are seven licensed taxi companies operating in the republic, and Italian taxis regularly operate within San Marino when carrying passengers picked up in Italian territory.<\/p>\n

There is a 1.5 km (0.93 mi) aerial tramway connecting the City of San Marino on top of Monte Titano with Borgo Maggiore, a major town in the republic, with the second largest population of any Sammarinese settlement. From here a further connection is available to the nation’s largest settlement, Dogana, via the local bus service.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Aerial Tramway to Monte Titano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two aerial tramway cars (gondolas) operate, with service provided at roughly 15-minute intervals throughout the day. A third vehicle is available on the system, a service car for the use of engineers maintaining the tramway.<\/p>\n

Flag of San Marino:<\/h2>\n

The state and war flag of San Marino is formed by two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the national coat of arms<\/a> superimposed in the center; the coat of arms has a shield (featuring three towers on three peaks) with a closed crown on top, flanked by an oak and laurel wreath, with a scroll below bearing the word LIBERTAS (Liberty). The two colors of the flag represent peace (white) and liberty (azure).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Flag of San Marino<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although the Law on the flag and coat of arms of San Marino from 2011 refers only to the “official flag” of the republic, a de facto civil flag, which omits the coat of arms, can sometimes be seen flying. Some official sources of San Marino suggest that the civil flag is actually the bicolor with the coat of arms of the specific city it is used in, instead of the national one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The state and war flag of San Marino is formed by two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the coat of arms has a shield (featuring three towers on three peaks) with a closed crown on top, flanked by an oak and laurel wreath, with a scroll below bearing the word LIBERTAS (Liberty). The two colors of the flag represent peace (white) and liberty (azure).<\/p>\n

Although the Law on the flag and coat of arms of San Marino from 2011 refers only to the “official flag” of the republic, a de facto civil flag, which omits the coat of arms, can sometimes be seen flying. Some official sources of San Marino suggest that the civil flag is actually the bicolor with the coat of arms of the specific city it is used in, instead of the national one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9220,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[8,59,26,5,6,7,87,60],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8433"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}