San Marino
Encyclopedia
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino ( ; , also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino), is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula
on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains
. It is an enclave
surrounded by Italy
. Its size is just over 61 sqkm with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino. San Marino has the smallest population of all the members of the Council of Europe
.
San Marino is the oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic
in the world, as the continuation of the monastic community founded on 3 September 301, by stonecutter Marinus
of Rab
. Legend has it that Marinus left Rab, then the Roman colony of Arba, in 257 when the future emperor, Diocletian
, issued a decree calling for the reconstruction of the city walls of Rimini
, which had been destroyed by Liburnian pirates
.
The constitution of San Marino
, enacted in 1600, is the world's oldest constitution
still in effect. The country's economy mainly relies on finance, industry, services and tourism. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP (per capita), with a figure comparable to some of the more developed Italian regions, such as Lombardy
and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. San Marino is considered to have a highly stable economy, with one of the lowest unemployment
rates in Europe, no national debt and a budget surplus.
According to tradition, 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 mason. After the Diocletianic Persecution 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. The official date of foundation of the Republic is 3 September 301.
By the mid-5th century, a community was formed; because of its relatively inaccessible location and its poverty, it has succeeded, with a few brief interruptions, in maintaining its independence. In 1631, its independence was recognized by the Papacy.
The advance of Napoleon's army in 1797 presented a brief threat to the independence of San Marino, but the country was saved from losing its liberty thanks to one of its Regents, Antonio Onofri, who managed to gain the respect and friendship of Napoleon. Thanks to his intervention, Napoleon, in a letter delivered to Gaspard Monge
, scientist and commissary of the French Government for Science and Art, promised to guarantee and protect the independence of the Republic, offering to extend its territory according to its needs. The offer was declined by San Marino, fearing to provoke future revanchism
that might threaten its freedom.
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. In recognition of this support, Giuseppe Garibaldi
accepted the wish of San Marino not to be incorporated into the new Italian state.
The government of San Marino 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."
, 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
in the Republic and then cut the Republic's telephone lines when it did not comply. Two groups of ten volunteers did, however, join Italian forces in the fighting on the Italian front
, 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.
From 1923 to 1943, San Marino was under the rule of the Sammarinese Fascist Party
(PFS).
During World War II
, San Marino remained neutral, although it had been wrongly reported to have declared war on the United Kingdom
on 17 September 1940.
Three days after the fall of Benito Mussolini
in Italy, PFS rule collapsed and the new government declared neutrality in the conflict. The Fascists 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
, which mistakenly believed that the country had been overrun by German forces and was being used to amass stores and ammunition. At least 35 people were killed in the operation. San Marino accepted thousands of civilian refugees when Allied forces went over the Gothic Line
. In September 1944, it was briefly occupied by German forces, who were attacked by Allied forces in the Battle of San Marino
. Allied troops withdrew from the country shortly afterwards.
San Marino had the world's first democratically elected communist
government, which held office between 1945 and 1957 and again between 2006 and 2008.
San Marino is the world's smallest republic
, although when Nauru
gained independence in 1968 it challenged that claim, Nauru's land mass
being only 21 sqkm. However Nauru's jurisdiction over its surrounding waters (431,000 km2) is 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
.
San Marino is an enclave in Italy
, on the border between the regioni
of Emilia Romagna and Marche
and about 10 km (6.21 mi) from the Adriatic coast at Rimini. Its topography is dominated by the Apennine
mountain range, and it has a rugged terrain. The highest point in the country, the summit of Monte Titano
, is situated at above sea level
. There are no bodies of water of any significant size.
San Marino is the third smallest country in Europe
, with only Vatican City
and Monaco
being smaller. San Marino has no natural level ground; it is entirely composed of hilly terrain.
is Mediterranean
with continental influences, having warm summers and cool winters. The National Centre of Meteorology and Climatology of San Marino provides local forecasts.
There are also eight minor municipalities:
The largest town
of the Republic is Dogana
, which is not an autonomous , but rather belongs to the Castello
of Serravalle.
In a similar way to an Italian , each includes a main settlement, called , which is the seat of the , and some even smaller localities known as .
named curazie:
Cà Berlone
, Cà Chiavello, Cà Giannino, Cà Melone, Cà Ragni, Cà Rigo, Cailungo
, Caladino, Calligaria, Canepa, Capanne, Casole
, Castellaro, Cerbaiola
, Cinque Vie, Confine
, Corianino
, Crociale
, Dogana
, Falciano
, Fiorina
, Galavotto, Gualdicciolo
, La Serra, Lesignano, Molarini, Montalbo, Monte Pulito
, Murata
, Pianacci, Piandivello, Poggio Casalino
, Poggio Chiesanuova
, Ponte Mellini, Rovereta
, San Giovanni sotto le Penne, Santa Mustiola
, Spaccio Giannoni, Teglio, Torraccia
, Valdragone
, Valgiurata
and Ventoso
.
representative democratic
republic
: the Captains Regent are the heads of state
, and there is a pluriform
multi-party system. Executive power
is exercised by the government
. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Grand and General Council
. The judiciary
is independent of the executive and the legislature.
San Marino was originally led by the Arengo
, initially formed from the heads of each family. In the 13th century, power was given to the Great and General Council. In 1243, the first two Captains Regent were nominated by the Council. , this method of nomination is still in use.
The legislature of the republic is the Grand and General Council
(Consiglio grande e generale). The Council is a unicameral legislature with 60 members. There are elections every five years by proportional representation in all nine administrative districts. These districts (townships) correspond to the old parish
es of the republic.
Citizens 18 years or older are eligible to vote. Beside general legislation, the Grand and General Council approves the budget and elects the Captains Regent, the State Congress (composed of ten Secretaries with executive power), the Council of Twelve (which forms the judicial branch during the period of legislature of the Council), the Advising Commissions, and the Government Unions. The Council also has the power to ratify treaties with other countries. The Council is divided into five different Advising Commissions consisting of fifteen councillors who examine, propose, and discuss the implementation of new laws that are on their way to being presented on the floor of the Council.
Every six months, the Council elects two Captains Regent to be the heads of state. The Regents are chosen from opposing parties so that there is a balance of power. They serve a six-month term. The investiture of the Captains Regent takes place on 1 April and 1 October in every year. Once this term is over, citizens have three days in which to file complaints about the Captains' activities. If they warrant it, judicial proceedings against the ex-head(s) of state can be initiated.
The practice of multiple heads of state, as well as the frequent re-election of the heads of state, are derived directly from the customs of the Roman Republic
. The Council is equivalent to the Roman Senate
; the Captains Regent, to the consul
s of ancient Rome
.
San Marino is a multi-party democratic republic
. The two main parties are the San Marinese Christian Democratic Party
(PDCS) and the Party of Socialists and Democrats
(PSD, a merger of the Socialist Party of San Marino and the former communist Party of Democrats
) in addition to several other smaller parties, such as the San Marinese Communist Refoundation
. It is difficult for any party to gain an overall majority, and most of the time the government is run by a coalition. In the June 2006 election the PSD won 20 seats on the Council and currently governs in coalition with the (liberal) Popular Alliance of Sammarinese Democrats for the Republic
and United Left
.
On 1 October 2007, Mirko Tomassoni
was elected as one of the heads of state, making him the first disabled person ever to have been elected as captain regent.
San Marino is an associated state
of Italy, which is responsible for its defense and which provides it an annual subsidy.
Although San Marino 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
; 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
.
Other key industries
are bank
ing, electronics
, and ceramic
s. The main agricultural
products are wine
and cheese
.
San Marino's postage stamp
s, which are valid for mail only within the country, are mostly sold to philatelists
and are a source of income. San Marino is a member of the Small European Postal Administration Cooperation
.
The per capita level of US$55,449 and standard of living are comparable to those of Switzerland
. San Marino imports goods such as food from Italy.
The corporate profits tax rate in San Marino is 19 percent. Capital gains are subject to a five percent tax; interest is subject to a 13 percent withholding tax
.
In 1972, a value added taxation (VAT) system was introduced in Italy, and was applied in San Marino, in accordance with the 1939 friendship treaty. In addition, a tax on imported goods, to be levied by San Marino, was established. Such taxes, however, were not, and are not, applied to national products. Until 1996, goods manufactured and sold in San Marino were not subject to indirect taxation.
Under the European Union customs agreement, San Marino continues to levy taxes, the equivalent of an import duty, on imported goods. Also, a general VAT was introduced, in replacement of the Italian VAT.
sector contributes over 2.2% of San Marino's GDP
, with approximately 2 million tourists
visiting in 2009.
The first census since 1976 was held in 2010. Results are expected within the end of 2011, however, 13 per cent of families did not return their forms.
The language spoken is Italian
; Emiliano-Romagnolo
is widely spoken too. Citizens of San Marino enjoy one of the highest life expectancies in the world.
in San Marino. Historically, the various parishes in San Marino were divided between two Italian
dioceses, mostly in the Diocese of Montefeltro, and partly in the Diocese of Rimini. In 1977, the border between Montefeltro
and Rimini
was readjusted so that all of San Marino fell within the diocese of Montefeltro. The bishop of Montefeltro-San Marino resides in Pennabilli
, in Italy
.
However, there is a provision under the income tax rules that the tax payers have the right to request for allocation of 0.3 % of their income tax to the Catholic Church or to "other" charities. The churches include the two religious groups of the Waldensian Church and Jehovah's Witnesses.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro
was until 1977 the historic diocese of Montefeltro. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia. The current diocese includes all the parish
es of San Marino. The earliest mention of Montefeltro
, as Mona Feretri, is in the diplomas by which Charlemagne
confirmed the donation of Pepin
. The first known bishop of Montefeltro was Agatho (826), whose residence was at San Leo
. Under Bishop Flaminios Dondi (1724) the see was again transferred to San Leo, but later it returned to Pennabilli. The historic diocese was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Urbino.
There has been a Jewish presence in San Marino for at least 600 years. The first mention of Jews in San Marino dates to the late 14th century, in official documents recording the business transactions of Jews. There are many documents throughout the 15th to 17th centuries describing Jewish dealings and verifying the presence of a Jewish community in San Marino. Jews were required to wear special badges and live by specific restrictions, but were also permitted official protection by the government.
During World War II
, San Marino provided a harbor for more than 100,000 Italians (approximately ten times the Samarrinese population at the time) and Jews from Nazi
persecution. Today, there are only small numbers of Jews in San Marino.
San Marino has one of the smallest military forces in the world. National defence is, by arrangement, the responsibility of Italy's armed forces
. Different branches have varied functions, including: performing ceremonial duties; patrolling borders; mounting guard at government buildings; and assisting police in major criminal cases. The police
are not included in the Military of San Marino.
The Guard of the Rock is a front-line military unit in the San Marino armed forces, a state border patrol, with responsibility for patrolling borders and defending them. In their role as Fortress Guards they are responsible for guarding the Palazzo Pubblico in San Marino City
, the seat of national Government. In this role they are the forces most visible to tourists, and are known for their colourful ceremony of Changing the Guard. Under the 1987 statute the Guard of the Rock are all enrolled as 'Criminal Police Officers' (in addition to their military role) and assist the police in investigating major crime. The uniform of the Guard of the Rock is a distinctive red and green.
The Guard of the Council Great and General commonly known as The Guard of the Council or locally as the 'Guard of Nobles', formed in 1740, is a volunteer unit with ceremonial duties. Due to its striking blue, white, and gold uniform, it is perhaps the best-known part of the Sammarinese military, and appears on countless postcard views of the republic. The functions of the Guard of the Council are to protect the Captains Regent, and to defend the Great and General Council during its formal sessions. They also provide a ceremonial bodyguard to government officials on festivals of both state and church.
The uniform is dark blue, with a kepi bearing a blue and white plume. The ceremonial form of the uniform includes a white cross-strap, and white and blue sash, white epaulets, and white decorated cuffs.
The entire military corps of San Marino depends upon the co-operation of full-time forces and their retained (volunteer) colleagues, known as the Corpi Militari Volontari, or Voluntary Military Force.
s in the country, the main road being the San Marino Superhighway. Sammarinese authorities license private vehicles with distinctive licence 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".
There are no airports in San Marino, but there is an international heliport
located in Borgo Maggiore. Most tourists who arrive by air land at Federico Fellini International Airport
close to the city of Rimini
, then make the transfer by bus.
Two rivers flow through San Marino, but there is no major water transport, and no major port or harbour.
service between Rimini
and the city of San Marino, popular with both tourists and tourist industry workers commuting to San Marino from Italy. This service stops at approximately twenty locations in Rimini and within San Marino, with its two terminus stops at Rimini railway station and San Marino coach station.
A limited licensed taxi service operates nationwide. There are seven licensed taxi operating companies in the republic, and Italian taxis regularly operate within San Marino when carrying passengers picked up in Italian territory.
There is a 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 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 San Marinese settlement. For the visitor the aerial tramway gives the best views of Borgo Maggiore, as the cars sweep low over the rooftops of the main town square. From here a further connection is available to the nation's largest settlement, Dogana, via the local bus service.
Two aerial tramway cars (gondolas) operate in opposition on a cable, and service is provided at roughly fifteen minute intervals throughout the day. A third vehicle is available on the system, a service car for the use of engineers maintaining the tramway.
, it had a single narrow-gauge line, connecting the country with the Italian rail network at Rimini
. Due to the difficulties in accessing the capital, San Marino City
, with its mountain-top location, the terminus station was planned to be located in the village of Valdragone
, but was extended to reach the capital through a steep and winding track comprising many tunnels. The railway was opened on 12 June 1932.
An advanced system for its time, it was an electric railway, powered from overhead cables. It was well built and had a high frequency of passengers, but was almost completely destroyed during World War II
. Many facilities such as bridges, tunnels, and stations remain visible today, and some have been converted to parks, public footpaths, or traffic routes.
The Three Towers of San Marino are located on the three peaks of Monte Titano
in the capital. They are depicted on both the Flag of San Marino
and its coat of arms
. The three towers are: Guaita
, the oldest of the three (it was constructed in the 11th century); the thirteenth-century Cesta
, located on the highest of Monte Titano's summits; and the fourteenth-century Montale
, on the smallest of Monte Titano's summits, still privately owned.
San Marino has a famous cake
known as Torta Di Tre Monti ("Cake of the Three Towers"), a layered wafer cake covered in chocolate.
Love Orchestra, a Gian Luca "Luke" Mazza new age music project, comes from the Republic of San Marino. During concerts overseas, the San Marino flag is shown on the stage.
) is the main university, which includes the Scuola Superiore di Studi Storici di San Marino (Advanced School of Historical Studies), a distinguished research and advanced international study center governed by an international Scientific Committee coordinated by professor Luciano Canfora. Other important institutes are the Istituto Musicale Sammarinese (Sammarinese Musical Institute) and the Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj San Marino
or Accademia Internazionale delle Scienze San Marino (International Academy of Sciences San Marino). The latter is known for adopting Esperanto as the language for teaching and for scientific publications; further, it makes wide use of e-learning
.
Italian author Umberto Eco
has attempted to create a "university without physical structures" in San Marino.
, enjoy sports and football (soccer)
is its most popular sport. Basketball and volleyball are also popular. The three sports have their own federations, the San Marino Football Federation
, the San Marino Basketball Federation
and the San Marino Volleyball Federation
.
The San Marino Championship
, founded under the auspices of the FSGC (San Marino Football Federation
), is the premier footballing competition in San Marino. The fifteen teams that take part in the competition are split into two groups of eight and seven teams. The top three from each section at the end of the regular season progress into a semi-knockout style Championship Playoff. Prior to 2007, the playoff champion earned a spot in the preliminary rounds of the UEFA Cup
. In 2007, UEFA
granted San Marino a spot in the 1st Qualifying Round of the Champions League
. The domestic cup winner also gets a spot in the UEFA Cup qualifying stages. 2007 league champions S.S. Murata
was the first team to represent San Marino in the Champions League when they participated in the 2007–08 competition, losing to Finnish team Tampere United
. San Marino also has a representative in the Italian system, with San Marino Calcio
playing in the fourth tier of Italian football, Serie C2/B
. San Marino play their home matches in the Sanmarinese at the Stadio Olimpico of Serravalle.
The San Marino national football team
played its first unofficial international match in 1986, in which it suffered a 0–1 defeat to the Canadian Olympic
team. Its first competitive outing was on 14 November 1990, a 0–4 loss against Switzerland
in the European Championship
qualifier. These defeats set the tone for most of the following outings of the team, who are regarded as easy victories in the qualifying sections of the European Championship and the World Cup.
They had a brief moment of glory when they faced England
in a World Cup qualifier on 17 November 1993 and took the lead through Davide Gualtieri
after just 8.3 seconds—still the fastest goal in World Cup competition. Until recently, San Marino's international record was one of almost total failure, with famous draws against Turkey
and Latvia
being the only partial successes in an international career that contains over seventy defeats. However, on the 29 April 2004, San Marino recorded their first ever win, with a 1–0 victory over Liechtenstein in an international friendly. Andy Selva
scored the only goal in a close game that finally gave this tiny republic a footballing victory.
On 6 September 2006, San Marino suffered their biggest ever defeat, losing 13–0 to world giants Germany
in the Stadio Olimpico. It was also the largest goal margin defeat in European Championship Qualifying history. In the same competition on 7 February 2007, they came within eight seconds of the best result in their history. They were level at 1–1 with the Republic of Ireland after ninety-four minutes when Stephen Ireland
scored within eight seconds of the final whistle. The goal scored by San Marino was their European Qualifying first goal since losing 4–1 to Austria
in 1998.
As of September 2011, San Marino is 203rd in the FIFA world rankings
—jointly last with three other teams.
A Formula One
race, the San Marino Grand Prix
, was named after the state, although it did not take place there. It was held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
in the Italian town of Imola
, about northwest of San Marino, along the Via Emilia. The race was etched in infamy after two fatal accidents occurred at the 1994 Grand Prix
, when Ayrton Senna
and Roland Ratzenberger
were killed. The race was removed from the calendar in 2007
.
The San Marino and Rimini's Coast motorcycle Grand Prix
was reinstated in the schedule in 2007 and takes place at the Misano World Circuit
, as does San Marino's round of the World Superbike Championship.
Manuel Poggiali
is one of San Marino's most successful sportsmen. He has won two motorcycle World Championships, in 2001 with 125 cc bikes and in 2003 with 250 cc bikes. Another successful San Marino motorcycle rider is Alex De Angelis
, a race winner in the 250 cc class, who is currently racing in the Moto2 class, with the country of San Marino itself being his main sponsor.
San Marino has a professional baseball
team, T & A San Marino
, which plays in the top division of Italian professional baseball, the Serie A1
. It has participated in the European Cup tournament
for the top European professional baseball teams several times, hosting the event in 1996
, 2000
, 2004
, and 2007
. It won the championship in 2006
and was a runner-up in 2010
.
The long climb up to the top of San Marino has become a mecca for thousands of recreational road cyclists who train in nearby Misano every spring and autumn.
San Marino has had little success
at the Olympic Games
, winning no medals. At the 2004 and 2008 games, three clay target shooters achieved the highest positions. In this sport, San Marino also hosted a competition in the 2009 ISSF World Cup
.
The cuisine of San Marino is strongly similar to Italian
, especially that of the adjoining Emilia-Romagna
and Marche
regions, but it has a number of its own unique dishes and products. Its best known is probably the Torta Tre Monti
("Cake of the Three Mountains" or "Cake of the Three Towers"), a wafer layered cake covered in chocolate depicting The Three Towers of San Marino
. The country also has a small wine
industry.
was abolished in San Marino in 1864. In 1974, Parliament passed a new penal code containing Article 274, punishing with imprisonment from three months to one year those "regularly committing lustful acts with a person of the same sex, if from that act public scandal is derived". Article 274 was subsequently repealed in September 2004.
San Marino
entered the Eurovision Song Contest
for the first time, in 2008
, with the band, Miodio
, singing "Complice
". The group failed to make it to the final from the first semi-final and finished 19th out of a field of 19 with 5 points. They came behind Estonia
's Kreisiraadio
who came 18th with 8 points. San Marino gave its first ever highest (12) points to Greece
.
In 2011 San Marino decided to come back to the Eurovision Song Contest with Senit
singing the song "Stand By
". She finished 16th in a field of 19 in the semi-final, coming behind Croatia
's Daria Kinzer
with the song "Celebrate
" and coming in front of Norway
's Stella Mwangi
, who sang "Haba Haba
". In the final voting, San Marino gave their 12 points to Raphael Gualazzi
and his song "Madness Of Love
" from Italy.
Italian Peninsula
The Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula is one of the three large peninsulas of Southern Europe , spanning from the Po Valley in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south. The peninsula's shape gives it the nickname Lo Stivale...
on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains
Apennine mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...
. It is an enclave
Enclave and exclave
In political geography, an enclave is a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.An exclave, on the other hand, is a territory legally or politically attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two...
surrounded by Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Its size is just over 61 sqkm with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino. San Marino has the smallest population of all the members of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
.
San Marino is the oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
in the world, as the continuation of the monastic community founded on 3 September 301, by stonecutter Marinus
Saint Marinus
Saint Marinus was the founder of the world's oldest surviving republic, San Marino, in 301. Tradition holds that he was a stonemason by trade who came from the island of Rab on the other side of the Adriatic Sea , fleeing persecution for his Christian beliefs in the Diocletianic Persecution...
of Rab
Rab
Rab is an island in Croatia and a town of the same name located just off the northern Croatian coast in the Adriatic Sea.The island is long, has an area of and 9,480 inhabitants . The highest peak is Kamenjak at 408 meters...
. Legend has it that Marinus left Rab, then the Roman colony of Arba, in 257 when the future emperor, Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
, issued a decree calling for the reconstruction of the city walls of Rimini
Rimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
, which had been destroyed by Liburnian pirates
Liburnians
The Liburnians were an ancient Illyrian tribe inhabiting the district called Liburnia, a coastal region of the northeastern Adriatic between the rivers Arsia and Titius in what is now Croatia....
.
The constitution of San Marino
Constitution of San Marino
The Constitution of San Marino is distributed over a number of legislative instruments of which the most significant are the Statutes of 1600 and the Declaration of Citizen Rights of 1974 as amended in 2002. The constitutional system has influences from the Corpus Juris Civilis and Roman customary...
, enacted in 1600, is the world's oldest constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
still in effect. The country's economy mainly relies on finance, industry, services and tourism. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP (per capita), with a figure comparable to some of the more developed Italian regions, such as Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. San Marino is considered to have a highly stable economy, with one of the lowest unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
rates in Europe, no national debt and a budget surplus.
History
Saint Marinus
Saint Marinus was the founder of the world's oldest surviving republic, San Marino, in 301. Tradition holds that he was a stonemason by trade who came from the island of Rab on the other side of the Adriatic Sea , fleeing persecution for his Christian beliefs in the Diocletianic Persecution...
left the island of Rab
Rab
Rab is an island in Croatia and a town of the same name located just off the northern Croatian coast in the Adriatic Sea.The island is long, has an area of and 9,480 inhabitants . The highest peak is Kamenjak at 408 meters...
in present-day Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
with his lifelong friend Leo, and went to the city of Rimini
Rimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
as a mason. After the Diocletianic Persecution following his Christian sermons, he escaped to the nearby Monte Titano
Monte Titano
Monte Titano is a mountain of the Apennines and the highest peak in San Marino. It stands at above sea level and is located immediately to the east of the capital, San Marino. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 under the combined title "San Marino Historic Centre and Mount...
, where he built a small church and thus founded what is now the city and state of San Marino. The official date of foundation of the Republic is 3 September 301.
By the mid-5th century, a community was formed; because of its relatively inaccessible location and its poverty, it has succeeded, with a few brief interruptions, in maintaining its independence. In 1631, its independence was recognized by the Papacy.
The advance of Napoleon's army in 1797 presented a brief threat to the independence of San Marino, but the country was saved from losing its liberty thanks to one of its Regents, Antonio Onofri, who managed to gain the respect and friendship of Napoleon. Thanks to his intervention, Napoleon, in a letter delivered to Gaspard Monge
Gaspard Monge
Gaspard Monge, Comte de Péluse was a French mathematician, revolutionary, and was inventor of descriptive geometry. During the French Revolution, he was involved in the complete reorganization of the educational system, founding the École Polytechnique...
, scientist and commissary of the French Government for Science and Art, promised to guarantee and protect the independence of the Republic, offering to extend its territory according to its needs. The offer was declined by San Marino, fearing to provoke future revanchism
Revanchism
Revanchism is a term used since the 1870s to describe a political manifestation of the will to reverse territorial losses incurred by a country, often following a war or social movement. Revanchism draws its strength from patriotic and retributionist thought and is often motivated by economic or...
that might threaten its freedom.
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
process in the 19th century, San Marino served as a refuge for many people persecuted because of their support for unification. In recognition of this support, Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
accepted the wish of San Marino not to be incorporated into the new Italian state.
The government of San Marino made United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
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."
20th century
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
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
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
in the Republic and then cut the Republic's telephone lines when it did not comply. Two groups of ten volunteers did, however, join Italian forces in the fighting on the Italian front
Italian Campaign (World War I)
The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol , the...
, 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.
From 1923 to 1943, San Marino was under the rule of the Sammarinese Fascist Party
Sammarinese Fascist Party
The Sammarinese Fascist Party or Partito Fascista Sammarinese was a fascist political party that ruled San Marino from 1923 to 1943....
(PFS).
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, San Marino remained neutral, although it had been wrongly reported to have declared war on the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 17 September 1940.
Three days after the fall of Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
in Italy, PFS rule collapsed and the new government declared neutrality in the conflict. The Fascists 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
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, which mistakenly believed that the country had been overrun by German forces and was being used to amass stores and ammunition. At least 35 people were killed in the operation. San Marino accepted thousands of civilian refugees when Allied forces went over the Gothic Line
Gothic Line
The Gothic Line formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennines during the fighting retreat of German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.Adolf Hitler...
. In September 1944, it was briefly occupied by German forces, who were attacked by Allied forces in the Battle of San Marino
Battle of San Marino
The Battle of San Marino was an engagement on 17–20 September 1944 during the Italian Campaign of the Second World War, in which German Army forces occupied the neutral Republic of San Marino, and were then attacked by Allied forces...
. Allied troops withdrew from the country shortly afterwards.
San Marino had the world's first democratically elected communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
government, which held office between 1945 and 1957 and again between 2006 and 2008.
San Marino is the world's smallest republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
, although when Nauru
Nauru
Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...
gained independence in 1968 it challenged that claim, Nauru's land mass
Land mass
Land mass refers to the total area of a country or geographical region . The Earth's total land mass is which is about 29.2% of its total surface. Water covers approximately 70.8% of the Earth's surface, mostly in the form of oceans....
being only 21 sqkm. However Nauru's jurisdiction over its surrounding waters (431,000 km2) is thousands of times greater than the territory of San Marino.
San Marino became a member of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
in 1988 and of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in 1992. It is not a member of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Geography
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, on the border between the regioni
Regions of Italy
The regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the state, constituting its first NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, of which five are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes....
of Emilia Romagna and Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
and about 10 km (6.21 mi) from the Adriatic coast at Rimini. Its topography is dominated by the Apennine
Apennine mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...
mountain range, and it has a rugged terrain. The highest point in the country, the summit of Monte Titano
Monte Titano
Monte Titano is a mountain of the Apennines and the highest peak in San Marino. It stands at above sea level and is located immediately to the east of the capital, San Marino. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 under the combined title "San Marino Historic Centre and Mount...
, is situated at above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
. There are no bodies of water of any significant size.
San Marino is the third smallest country in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, with only Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
and Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
being smaller. San Marino has no natural level ground; it is entirely composed of hilly terrain.
Climate
The climateClimate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
is Mediterranean
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
with continental influences, having warm summers and cool winters. The National Centre of Meteorology and Climatology of San Marino provides local forecasts.
Municipalities
San Marino is divided into the following nine municipalities, known locally as (meaning "castles").- San Marino (City of San Marino, officially ) is the capital.
There are also eight minor municipalities:
- Acquaviva
- Borgo MaggioreBorgo MaggioreBorgo Maggiore is one of the 9 communes or "castelli" of San Marino. It lies at the foot of Monte Titano and has a population of 5,992 , making it the second largest town of San Marino, after Dogana.-Geography:...
- ChiesanuovaChiesanuovaChiesanuova is a minor municipality of San Marino. It has a population of 1,029 inhabitants in an area of 5.46 km².-Geography:...
- DomagnanoDomagnanoDomagnano is a municipality in San Marino. It has 2,865 inhabitants in an area of 6.62 km².-Geography:It borders the San Marino municipalities Faetano, Borgo Maggiore, Serravalle and the Italian municipality Coriano.-History:...
- FaetanoFaetanoFaetano is one of the 9 communes or "castelli" of San Marino. It has 1.132 inhabitants in an area of 7,75 km².-Geography:...
- FiorentinoFiorentinoFiorentino is one of the 9 communes or "castelli" of the Republic of San Marino. It has 2 245 inhabitants in an area of 6.57 km².- Geography :...
- MontegiardinoMontegiardinoMontegiardino is one of the 9 communes or "castelli" of San Marino. It has 818 inhabitants in an area of 3.31 km².-Geography:...
- Serravalle
The largest town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of the Republic is Dogana
Dogana
Dogana may be:*Dogana, a town of San Marino*Dogana, means customs in Italian and can refer to :** Individual Custom Houses such as that of Venice**Agenzia delle Dogane , the Italian customs organisation...
, which is not an autonomous , but rather belongs to the Castello
Castello
Castello is the Italian word for castle. The Latin word Castellum means reservoir, water tank.Castello may refer to:-Places:*Castello, Venice is the largest of the six sestieri of Venice...
of Serravalle.
In a similar way to an Italian , each includes a main settlement, called , which is the seat of the , and some even smaller localities known as .
Hamlets
The republic is made up of 43 hamletsHamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
named curazie:
Cà Berlone
Cà Berlone
Cà Berlone, also named Cà Berloni, is a small village of San Marino. It belongs to the municipality of San Marino.-Geography:...
, Cà Chiavello, Cà Giannino, Cà Melone, Cà Ragni, Cà Rigo, Cailungo
Cailungo
Cailungo is a village in central San Marino. It belongs to the castle of Borgo Maggiore.-Geography:The village is located at the north of its castle seat, and its main road is via Ca' dei Lunghi...
, Caladino, Calligaria, Canepa, Capanne, Casole
Casole
Casole is a village in the middle of San Marino. It belongs to the municipality of San Marino.-Geography:The village is situated near Murata and close to the borders of Fiorentino.-See also:*San Marino *Cà Berlone*Canepa*Castellaro...
, Castellaro, Cerbaiola
Cerbaiola
Cerbaiola is a small village located in San Marino. It is the only curazia belonging to the municipality of Montegiardino.-Geography:...
, Cinque Vie, Confine
Confine
Confine is a village located in San Marino. It belongs to the municipality of Chiesanuova. Its name, in Italian language, means "border".-Geography:...
, Corianino
Corianino
Corianino is a small village in eastern San Marino. It belongs to the castle of Faetano.-Geography:Corianino is located in the middle of its castle, on the road between Faetano and Borgo Maggiore.-See also:*Faetano*Cà Chiavello...
, Crociale
Crociale
Crociale is a village located in San Marino. It belongs to the municipality of Fiorentino.-Geography:The village, sometimes named Crociale di Fiorentino, is located between Murata and Fiorentino, on a main road linking the city of San Marino to Mercatino Conca, in Italy....
, Dogana
Dogana
Dogana may be:*Dogana, a town of San Marino*Dogana, means customs in Italian and can refer to :** Individual Custom Houses such as that of Venice**Agenzia delle Dogane , the Italian customs organisation...
, Falciano
Falciano
Falciano is a village in northeastern San Marino. It belongs to the castle of Serravalle and is its second civil parrish in order of population after Dogana.-See also:*Serravalle*Cà Ragni*Cinque Vie*Dogana*Lesignano*Ponte Mellini...
, Fiorina
Fiorina (San Marino)
Fiorina is a village located in San Marino. It belongs to the municipality of Domagnano and it is its most populated parish .-Geography:...
, Galavotto, Gualdicciolo
Gualdicciolo
Gualdicciolo is a village located in San Marino. It belongs to the municipality of Acquaviva and is its most populated parish.-Geography:...
, La Serra, Lesignano, Molarini, Montalbo, Monte Pulito
Monte Pulito
Monte Pulito is a small village located in San Marino. It belongs to the castle of Faetano.-History:During the Second World War, between 17 and 20 of September 1944, the hill around Monte Pulito was the filed of a battle between the 4th Indian Division and the 278th Infantry Division...
, Murata
Murata (San Marino)
Murata is a village in the middle of San Marino. It belongs to the municipality of San Marino and is its most populated curazia.-Geography:The village is situated on the hills between the City of San Marino and Fiorentino...
, Pianacci, Piandivello, Poggio Casalino
Poggio Casalino
Poggio Casalino is a village located in San Marino. It belongs to the municipality of Chiesanuova.-Geography:The village is situated in the western border of its municipality, close to the borders with Italy and the municipality of San Leo...
, Poggio Chiesanuova
Poggio Chiesanuova
Poggio Chiesanuova is a village located in San Marino. It belongs to the municipality of Chiesanuova.-Geography:The village is situated in the northern suburb of Chiesanuova, on the road to Acquaviva.-Sport:...
, Ponte Mellini, Rovereta
Rovereta
Rovereta is a village located in San Marino. It belongs to the municipality of Serravalle. Its name, in Italian language, refers to a wood of "Sessile Oaks".-History:...
, San Giovanni sotto le Penne, Santa Mustiola
Santa Mustiola
Santa Mustiola is a village in the middle of San Marino. It belongs to the municipality of San Marino. Its name derives from a Catholic saint, Mustiola, cousin of the Roman Emperor Claudius II.-Geography:...
, Spaccio Giannoni, Teglio, Torraccia
Torraccia
Torraccia is a small village located in San Marino. It belongs to the municipality of Domagnano.-Geography:Torraccia is situated in the east of Domagnano, close to the borders with the Italian municipality of Coriano, in the Province of Rimini. It is principally crossed by two roads named Strada...
, Valdragone
Valdragone
Valdragone is a village in central San Marino. It belongs to the castello of Borgo Maggiore.-Geography:The village is divided into two areas: Valdragone di Sopra and Valdragone di Sotto...
, Valgiurata
Valgiurata
Valgiurata, also known as Le Tane, is a small village located in San Marino. It belongs to the municipality of Serravalle.-History:...
and Ventoso
Ventoso
Ventoso is a village in central San Marino. It belongs to the castle of Borgo Maggiore. Its name means, in Italian language, windy.-History:The village was an Ancient Roman castrum, known as Castrum Ventosi...
.
Politics
San Marino has the political framework of a parliamentaryParliamentary system
A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....
representative democratic
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
: the Captains Regent are the heads of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
, and there is a pluriform
Diversity (politics)
In the political arena, the term diversity is used to describe political entities with members who have identifiable differences in their backgrounds or lifestyles....
multi-party system. Executive power
Executive Power
Executive Power is Vince Flynn's fifth novel, and the fourth to feature Mitch Rapp, an American agent that works for the CIA as an operative for a covert counter terrorism unit called the "Orion Team."-Plot summary:...
is exercised by the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Grand and General Council
Grand and General Council
The Grand and General Council is the parliament of San Marino. The council has 60 members elected for a five-year term.The electoral law was based on proportional representation from 1945 to 2007. Since then, it is based on the electoral system of Italian municipalities...
. The judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
is independent of the executive and the legislature.
San Marino was originally led by the Arengo
Arengo
The Arengo was the name of the assembly that ruled San Marino from the fifth century C.E. to 1243. It was made up of the heads of San Marino's Great families and had no leader or fixed meeting place. This made San Marino almost unique in the period as a state that had no Head of State. However this...
, initially formed from the heads of each family. In the 13th century, power was given to the Great and General Council. In 1243, the first two Captains Regent were nominated by the Council. , this method of nomination is still in use.
The legislature of the republic is the Grand and General Council
Grand and General Council
The Grand and General Council is the parliament of San Marino. The council has 60 members elected for a five-year term.The electoral law was based on proportional representation from 1945 to 2007. Since then, it is based on the electoral system of Italian municipalities...
(Consiglio grande e generale). The Council is a unicameral legislature with 60 members. There are elections every five years by proportional representation in all nine administrative districts. These districts (townships) correspond to the old parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es of the republic.
Citizens 18 years or older are eligible to vote. Beside general legislation, the Grand and General Council approves the budget and elects the Captains Regent, the State Congress (composed of ten Secretaries with executive power), the Council of Twelve (which forms the judicial branch during the period of legislature of the Council), the Advising Commissions, and the Government Unions. The Council also has the power to ratify treaties with other countries. The Council is divided into five different Advising Commissions consisting of fifteen councillors who examine, propose, and discuss the implementation of new laws that are on their way to being presented on the floor of the Council.
Every six months, the Council elects two Captains Regent to be the heads of state. The Regents are chosen from opposing parties so that there is a balance of power. They serve a six-month term. The investiture of the Captains Regent takes place on 1 April and 1 October in every year. Once this term is over, citizens have three days in which to file complaints about the Captains' activities. If they warrant it, judicial proceedings against the ex-head(s) of state can be initiated.
The practice of multiple heads of state, as well as the frequent re-election of the heads of state, are derived directly from the customs of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
. The Council is equivalent to the Roman Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
; the Captains Regent, to the consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
s of ancient Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
San Marino is a multi-party democratic republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
. The two main parties are the San Marinese Christian Democratic Party
San Marinese Christian Democratic Party
The Sammarinese Christian Democratic Party is a centre-right, Christian-democratic political party in San Marino.PDCS is an observer member of the European People's Party...
(PDCS) and the Party of Socialists and Democrats
Party of Socialists and Democrats
The Party of Socialists and Democrats is a centre-left, social-democratic political party in San Marino. It is a member of the Socialist International and its current-day Italian counterpart is the Democratic Party....
(PSD, a merger of the Socialist Party of San Marino and the former communist Party of Democrats
Party of Democrats
The Party of Democrats was a social-democratic political party in San Marino. Its Italian counterpart was the Democrats of the Left....
) in addition to several other smaller parties, such as the San Marinese Communist Refoundation
San Marinese Communist Refoundation
Sammarinese Communist Refoundation is a communist political party in San Marino, It is a member of the European Left.It emerged in 1992 when the old Sammarinese Communist Party evolved into the Sammarinese Democratic Progressive Party and some members, on the example of the Italian Communist...
. It is difficult for any party to gain an overall majority, and most of the time the government is run by a coalition. In the June 2006 election the PSD won 20 seats on the Council and currently governs in coalition with the (liberal) Popular Alliance of Sammarinese Democrats for the Republic
Popular Alliance of Sammarinese Democrats for the Republic
The Popular Alliance is a liberal political party in San Marino.AP was born as an anti-establishment party in 1993, in parallel with the rise of Lega Nord in Italy, of which it has been long considered the Sanmarinese counterpart, but has since then become a stable political force in San Marino,...
and United Left
United Left (San Marino)
United Left is a left-wing political coalition in San Marino.It was founded in 2006 by the Sammarinese Communist Refoundation, formed by those who did not agree with the transformation of the Sammarinese Communist Party into the Sammarinese Democratic Progressive Party in 1992, and the Left Party,...
.
On 1 October 2007, Mirko Tomassoni
Mirko Tomassoni
Mirko Tomassoni was Captain Regent of San Marino for the six-month term from October 2007 to March 2008. He served together with Alberto Selva....
was elected as one of the heads of state, making him the first disabled person ever to have been elected as captain regent.
San Marino is an associated state
Associated state
An associated state is the minor partner in a formal, free relationship between a political territory with a degree of statehood and a nation, for which no other specific term, such as protectorate, is adopted...
of Italy, which is responsible for its defense and which provides it an annual subsidy.
Economy
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
member, it is allowed to use the euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
as its currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
by arrangement with the Council of the European Union
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers...
; it is also granted the right to use its own designs on the national side of the euro coins
Euro coins
There are eight euro coin denominations, ranging from one cent to two euros . The coins first came into use in 2002. They have a common reverse, portraying a map of Europe, but each country in the eurozone has its own design on the obverse, which means that each coin has a variety of different...
. Before the euro, the Sammarinese lira was pegged to, and exchangeable with, the Italian lira
Italian lira
The lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. Between 1999 and 2002, the Italian lira was officially a “national subunit” of the euro...
. The small number of Sammarinese euro coins, as was the case with the lira before it, are primarily of interest to coin collectors
Coin collecting
Coin collecting is the collecting or trading of coins or other forms of minted legal tender.Coins of interest to collectors often include those that circulated for only a brief time, coins with mint errors and especially beautiful or historically significant pieces. Coin collecting can be...
.
Other key industries
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
are bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
ing, electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
, and ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
s. The main agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
products are wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
.
San Marino's postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s, which are valid for mail only within the country, are mostly sold to philatelists
Philately
Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, which does not necessarily involve the study of stamps. It is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps...
and are a source of income. San Marino is a member of the Small European Postal Administration Cooperation
Small European Postal Administration Cooperation
The Small European Postal Administration Cooperation is an association of 13 European postal authorities. They are Åland, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Guernsey, Iceland, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City. SEPAC is smaller...
.
The per capita level of US$55,449 and standard of living are comparable to those of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. San Marino imports goods such as food from Italy.
Taxation
Withholding tax
Withholding tax, also called retention tax, is a government requirement for the payer of an item of income to withhold or deduct tax from the payment, and pay that tax to the government. In most jurisdictions, withholding tax applies to employment income. Many jurisdictions also require...
.
In 1972, a value added taxation (VAT) system was introduced in Italy, and was applied in San Marino, in accordance with the 1939 friendship treaty. In addition, a tax on imported goods, to be levied by San Marino, was established. Such taxes, however, were not, and are not, applied to national products. Until 1996, goods manufactured and sold in San Marino were not subject to indirect taxation.
Under the European Union customs agreement, San Marino continues to levy taxes, the equivalent of an import duty, on imported goods. Also, a general VAT was introduced, in replacement of the Italian VAT.
Tourism
The touristTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
sector contributes over 2.2% of San Marino's GDP
Gross domestic product
Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....
, with approximately 2 million tourists
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
visiting in 2009.
Demographics
San Marino has a population of approximately 33,000, with 4,800 foreign residents, most of whom are Italian citizens. Another 12,000 Sammarinese live abroad (5,700 in Italy, 3,000 in the USA, 1,600 in Argentina and 1,900 in France).The first census since 1976 was held in 2010. Results are expected within the end of 2011, however, 13 per cent of families did not return their forms.
The language spoken is Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
; Emiliano-Romagnolo
Emiliano-Romagnolo
Emiliano-Romagnolo is a Romance language mostly spoken in Emilia-Romagna, Italy and San Marino. It belongs to the Northern Italian group within Romance languages , which is included in the wider group of western Romance languages...
is widely spoken too. Citizens of San Marino enjoy one of the highest life expectancies in the world.
Religion
San Marino is a predominantly Catholic state — over 97% of the population profess the Catholic faith, but it is not the established religion. Approximately half of those who profess to be Catholic practise the faith. There is no episcopal seeEpiscopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
in San Marino. Historically, the various parishes in San Marino were divided between two Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
dioceses, mostly in the Diocese of Montefeltro, and partly in the Diocese of Rimini. In 1977, the border between Montefeltro
Montefeltro
thumb|Coat of Arms of the Montefeltro family.Montefeltro is the name of an historical Italian family who ruled Urbino and Rimini.The family's reign began in 1267 when Buonconte I da Montefeltro was elected podestà of Urbino...
and Rimini
Rimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
was readjusted so that all of San Marino fell within the diocese of Montefeltro. The bishop of Montefeltro-San Marino resides in Pennabilli
Pennabilli
Pennabilli is a comune in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 140 km southeast of Bologna and about 45 km south of Rimini.-History:...
, in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
However, there is a provision under the income tax rules that the tax payers have the right to request for allocation of 0.3 % of their income tax to the Catholic Church or to "other" charities. The churches include the two religious groups of the Waldensian Church and Jehovah's Witnesses.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro
The Italian Catholic diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro was until 1977 the historic diocese of Montefeltro. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia...
was until 1977 the historic diocese of Montefeltro. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia. The current diocese includes all the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es of San Marino. The earliest mention of Montefeltro
Montefeltro
thumb|Coat of Arms of the Montefeltro family.Montefeltro is the name of an historical Italian family who ruled Urbino and Rimini.The family's reign began in 1267 when Buonconte I da Montefeltro was elected podestà of Urbino...
, as Mona Feretri, is in the diplomas by which Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
confirmed the donation of Pepin
Donation of Pepin
The "Donation of Pepin", the first in 754, and second in 756, provided a legal basis for the formal organizing of the Papal States, which inaugurated papal temporal rule over civil authorities...
. The first known bishop of Montefeltro was Agatho (826), whose residence was at San Leo
San Leo
San Leo is a comune in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 135 km southeast of Bologna and about 35 km southwest of Rimini.-Geography:...
. Under Bishop Flaminios Dondi (1724) the see was again transferred to San Leo, but later it returned to Pennabilli. The historic diocese was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Urbino.
There has been a Jewish presence in San Marino for at least 600 years. The first mention of Jews in San Marino dates to the late 14th century, in official documents recording the business transactions of Jews. There are many documents throughout the 15th to 17th centuries describing Jewish dealings and verifying the presence of a Jewish community in San Marino. Jews were required to wear special badges and live by specific restrictions, but were also permitted official protection by the government.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, San Marino provided a harbor for more than 100,000 Italians (approximately ten times the Samarrinese population at the time) and Jews from Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
persecution. Today, there are only small numbers of Jews in San Marino.
Military
Military of Italy
The Italian armed forces are the military of Italy, they are under the command of the Italian Supreme Council of Defence, presided over by the President of the Italian Republic. The total number of active military personnel is 293,202...
. Different branches have varied functions, including: performing ceremonial duties; patrolling borders; mounting guard at government buildings; and assisting police in major criminal cases. The police
Civil Police (San Marino)
The Civil Police are one of the law enforcement organisations of San Marino. The Ministry of Interior controls the Civil Police, who are responsible for domestic security, traffic, and civil defence. Currently there are around 225 police officers serving in San Marino...
are not included in the Military of San Marino.
Crossbow Corps
Although once at the heart of San Marino's army, the Crossbow Corps is now a ceremonial force of approximately eighty volunteers. Since 1295, the Crossbow Corps has provided demonstrations of crossbow shooting at festivals. Its uniform is medieval in design, and although a statutory military unit, it has no military function today.Guard of the Rock
San Marino, San Marino
The City of San Marino, also known simply as San Marino, is the capital city of the Republic of San Marino on the Italian peninsula, near the Adriatic Sea. The city has a population of 4,493. It is on the western slopes of San Marino's highest point, Monte Titano.-Geography:Although the capital,...
, the seat of national Government. In this role they are the forces most visible to tourists, and are known for their colourful ceremony of Changing the Guard. Under the 1987 statute the Guard of the Rock are all enrolled as 'Criminal Police Officers' (in addition to their military role) and assist the police in investigating major crime. The uniform of the Guard of the Rock is a distinctive red and green.
Guard of the Council Great and General
The Company of Uniformed Militia
In former times, all families with two or more adult male members were required to enroll half of them in the Company of Uniformed Militia. This unit remains the basic fighting force of the armed forces of San Marino, but is largely ceremonial. It is a matter of civic pride for many San-Marinese to belong to the force, and all citizens with at least six years residence in the republic are entitled to enroll.The uniform is dark blue, with a kepi bearing a blue and white plume. The ceremonial form of the uniform includes a white cross-strap, and white and blue sash, white epaulets, and white decorated cuffs.
The Military Ensemble
Formally this is part of the Army Militia, and is the ceremonial military band of San Marino. It consists of approximately fifty musicians. The uniform is similar to that of the Army Militia. Military Ensemble music accompanies most state occasions in the republic.The Gendarmerie
Established in 1842, the Gendarmerie of San Marino is a militarised law enforcement agency. Its members are full-time and have responsibility for the protection of citizens and property, and the preservation of law and order.The entire military corps of San Marino depends upon the co-operation of full-time forces and their retained (volunteer) colleagues, known as the Corpi Militari Volontari, or Voluntary Military Force.
Transport
There are of roadRoad
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
s in the country, the main road being the San Marino Superhighway. Sammarinese authorities license private vehicles with distinctive licence 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".
There are no airports in San Marino, but there is an international heliport
Heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
located in Borgo Maggiore. Most tourists who arrive by air land at Federico Fellini International Airport
Federico Fellini International Airport
Federico Fellini Airport is an airport located at Miramare, southeast of Rimini, Italy and away from City of San Marino, Republic of San Marino. The airport is named after Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini. It is also known as Rimini-Miramare Airport .-Facilities:The airport resides at an...
close to the city of Rimini
Rimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
, then make the transfer by bus.
Two rivers flow through San Marino, but there is no major water transport, and no major port or harbour.
Public transport
San Marino has limited public transport facilities. There is a regular busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service between Rimini
Rimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
and the city of San Marino, popular with both tourists and tourist industry workers commuting to San Marino from Italy. This service stops at approximately twenty locations in Rimini and within San Marino, with its two terminus stops at Rimini railway station and San Marino coach station.
A limited licensed taxi service operates nationwide. There are seven licensed taxi operating companies in the republic, and Italian taxis regularly operate within San Marino when carrying passengers picked up in Italian territory.
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
connecting the city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of San Marino
San Marino, San Marino
The City of San Marino, also known simply as San Marino, is the capital city of the Republic of San Marino on the Italian peninsula, near the Adriatic Sea. The city has a population of 4,493. It is on the western slopes of San Marino's highest point, Monte Titano.-Geography:Although the capital,...
on top of Monte Titano
Monte Titano
Monte Titano is a mountain of the Apennines and the highest peak in San Marino. It stands at above sea level and is located immediately to the east of the capital, San Marino. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 under the combined title "San Marino Historic Centre and Mount...
with Borgo Maggiore
Borgo Maggiore
Borgo Maggiore is one of the 9 communes or "castelli" of San Marino. It lies at the foot of Monte Titano and has a population of 5,992 , making it the second largest town of San Marino, after Dogana.-Geography:...
, a major town in the republic, with the second largest population of any San Marinese settlement. For the visitor the aerial tramway gives the best views of Borgo Maggiore, as the cars sweep low over the rooftops of the main town square. From here a further connection is available to the nation's largest settlement, Dogana, via the local bus service.
Two aerial tramway cars (gondolas) operate in opposition on a cable, and service is provided at roughly fifteen minute intervals throughout the day. A third vehicle is available on the system, a service car for the use of engineers maintaining the tramway.
Railway
Today, there is no railway in San Marino, but for a short period prior to World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it had a single narrow-gauge line, connecting the country with the Italian rail network at Rimini
Rimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
. Due to the difficulties in accessing the capital, San Marino City
San Marino, San Marino
The City of San Marino, also known simply as San Marino, is the capital city of the Republic of San Marino on the Italian peninsula, near the Adriatic Sea. The city has a population of 4,493. It is on the western slopes of San Marino's highest point, Monte Titano.-Geography:Although the capital,...
, with its mountain-top location, the terminus station was planned to be located in the village of Valdragone
Valdragone
Valdragone is a village in central San Marino. It belongs to the castello of Borgo Maggiore.-Geography:The village is divided into two areas: Valdragone di Sopra and Valdragone di Sotto...
, but was extended to reach the capital through a steep and winding track comprising many tunnels. The railway was opened on 12 June 1932.
An advanced system for its time, it was an electric railway, powered from overhead cables. It was well built and had a high frequency of passengers, but was almost completely destroyed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Many facilities such as bridges, tunnels, and stations remain visible today, and some have been converted to parks, public footpaths, or traffic routes.
Culture
Monte Titano
Monte Titano is a mountain of the Apennines and the highest peak in San Marino. It stands at above sea level and is located immediately to the east of the capital, San Marino. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 under the combined title "San Marino Historic Centre and Mount...
in the capital. They are depicted on both the Flag of San Marino
Flag of San Marino
The state and war flag of San Marino is formed by two equal horizontal bands of white and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the coat of arms has a shield with a closed crown on top, flanked by an oak and laurel wreath, with a scroll below bearing the word...
and its coat of arms
Coat of arms of San Marino
The coat of arms of San Marino probably originated in the fourteenth century. The official establishment took place on 6 April 1862 by a Decree of the Supreme Council; the same act introduced the crown on top of the shield....
. The three towers are: Guaita
Guaita
Guaita is one of three peaks which overlooks the city of San Marino, the capital of San Marino. The other two are De La Fratta and Montale.-Fortress of Guaita:...
, the oldest of the three (it was constructed in the 11th century); the thirteenth-century Cesta
Česta
Česta is a village in the municipality of Aleksinac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 215 people.-References:...
, located on the highest of Monte Titano's summits; and the fourteenth-century Montale
Montale (San Marino)
Montale is one of three peaks which overlook the city of San Marino, the capital of the Republic of San Marino. The other two are De La Fratta and Guaita.-Overview:...
, on the smallest of Monte Titano's summits, still privately owned.
San Marino has a famous cake
Cake
Cake is a form of bread or bread-like food. In its modern forms, it is typically a sweet and enriched baked dessert. In its oldest forms, cakes were normally fried breads or cheesecakes, and normally had a disk shape...
known as Torta Di Tre Monti ("Cake of the Three Towers"), a layered wafer cake covered in chocolate.
Love Orchestra, a Gian Luca "Luke" Mazza new age music project, comes from the Republic of San Marino. During concerts overseas, the San Marino flag is shown on the stage.
University
The Università degli Studi della Repubblica di San Marino (University of the Republic of San MarinoUniversity of the Republic of San Marino
The University of the Republic of San Marino is a university based in Montegiardino in the Republic of San Marino...
) is the main university, which includes the Scuola Superiore di Studi Storici di San Marino (Advanced School of Historical Studies), a distinguished research and advanced international study center governed by an international Scientific Committee coordinated by professor Luciano Canfora. Other important institutes are the Istituto Musicale Sammarinese (Sammarinese Musical Institute) and the Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj San Marino
Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj San Marino
The Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj San Marino is a scientific association. It was established in 1983 and had its first convention, SUS 1, around New Year 1984 at San Marino City. After the Sammarinese skeleton law on higher education had been passed the academy was officially founded on...
or Accademia Internazionale delle Scienze San Marino (International Academy of Sciences San Marino). The latter is known for adopting Esperanto as the language for teaching and for scientific publications; further, it makes wide use of e-learning
E-learning
E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. The information and communication systems, whether networked learning or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process...
.
Italian author Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco Knight Grand Cross is an Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose , an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
has attempted to create a "university without physical structures" in San Marino.
Sport
San Marino, along with ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, enjoy sports and football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
is its most popular sport. Basketball and volleyball are also popular. The three sports have their own federations, the San Marino Football Federation
San Marino Football Federation
The San Marino Football Federation is the governing body of football in San Marino. It organises the San Marino football league , a national cup , a super cup and the San Marino national football team...
, the San Marino Basketball Federation
San Marino Basketball Federation
San Marino Basketball Federation is the governing body of basketball in San Marino. It was founded in 1968. It organizes the internal league and runs the San Marino national basketball team.The current president of the federation is Gian Primo Giardi....
and the San Marino Volleyball Federation
Federazione Sammarinese Pallavolo
San Marino Volleyball Federation or FSPAV is the governing body of volleyball and beach volleyball in San Marino. It was formed in 1980.It organizes the internal league and runs the San Marino national volleyball team....
.
The San Marino Championship
Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio
Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio is an amateur league competition for football clubs located at the top echelon of the Sammarinese football league system and has been operating since 1985...
, founded under the auspices of the FSGC (San Marino Football Federation
San Marino Football Federation
The San Marino Football Federation is the governing body of football in San Marino. It organises the San Marino football league , a national cup , a super cup and the San Marino national football team...
), is the premier footballing competition in San Marino. The fifteen teams that take part in the competition are split into two groups of eight and seven teams. The top three from each section at the end of the regular season progress into a semi-knockout style Championship Playoff. Prior to 2007, the playoff champion earned a spot in the preliminary rounds of the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. In 2007, UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
granted San Marino a spot in the 1st Qualifying Round of the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. The domestic cup winner also gets a spot in the UEFA Cup qualifying stages. 2007 league champions S.S. Murata
S.S. Murata
S.S. Murata is a Sanmarinese football club, based in Murata, a civil parish of the city of San Marino. The club was founded in 1966. Murata currently plays in Girone B of Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio. The team's colors are black and white.-Overview:...
was the first team to represent San Marino in the Champions League when they participated in the 2007–08 competition, losing to Finnish team Tampere United
Tampere United
Tampere United is a Finnish football club, which played in the Veikkausliiga, the premier football league in Finland, until the 2010 season, but is currently excluded from participating in Finnish football. The club comes from the city of Tampere. The current head coach of the club is Jarkko Wiss,...
. San Marino also has a representative in the Italian system, with San Marino Calcio
San Marino Calcio
San Marino Calcio is a Sanmarinese football club based in Serravalle.The club was founded in 1960 as S.S. Serenissima . Serenissima merged with S.S. Juvenes in 1973, changing its name to A.C...
playing in the fourth tier of Italian football, Serie C2/B
Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione is the name of the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consists of 54 teams, but in the season 2010–11 the teams are only 49 divided geographically into three divisions of 17, 16 and 16 teams each...
. San Marino play their home matches in the Sanmarinese at the Stadio Olimpico of Serravalle.
The San Marino national football team
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
played its first unofficial international match in 1986, in which it suffered a 0–1 defeat to the Canadian Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
team. Its first competitive outing was on 14 November 1990, a 0–4 loss against Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
in the European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
qualifier. These defeats set the tone for most of the following outings of the team, who are regarded as easy victories in the qualifying sections of the European Championship and the World Cup.
They had a brief moment of glory when they faced England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in a World Cup qualifier on 17 November 1993 and took the lead through Davide Gualtieri
Davide Gualtieri
Davide Gualtieri is a retired Sammarinese footballer.He is most well-remembered for scoring the fastest ever goal in FIFA World Cup qualification history. He achieved the record in a qualifier that took place on 17 November 1993...
after just 8.3 seconds—still the fastest goal in World Cup competition. Until recently, San Marino's international record was one of almost total failure, with famous draws against Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
and Latvia
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
being the only partial successes in an international career that contains over seventy defeats. However, on the 29 April 2004, San Marino recorded their first ever win, with a 1–0 victory over Liechtenstein in an international friendly. Andy Selva
Andy Selva
Andy Selva is an Italian-born Sanmarinese professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for Fidene and the San Marino national team.-Club career:...
scored the only goal in a close game that finally gave this tiny republic a footballing victory.
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
in the Stadio Olimpico. It was also the largest goal margin defeat in European Championship Qualifying history. In the same competition on 7 February 2007, they came within eight seconds of the best result in their history. They were level at 1–1 with the Republic of Ireland after ninety-four minutes when Stephen Ireland
Stephen Ireland
Stephen James Ireland is an Irish footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Aston Villa.-Cobh Ramblers:...
scored within eight seconds of the final whistle. The goal scored by San Marino was their European Qualifying first goal since losing 4–1 to Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
in 1998.
As of September 2011, San Marino is 203rd in the FIFA world rankings
FIFA World Rankings
The FIFA World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, currently led by Spain. The teams of the member nations of FIFA , football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
—jointly last with three other teams.
A Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
race, the San Marino Grand Prix
San Marino Grand Prix
The San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One championship race which was run at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in the town of Imola, near the Apennine mountains in Italy, between 1981 and 2006...
, was named after the state, although it did not take place there. It was held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari is an auto racing circuit near the Italian town of Imola, east of Bologna and east of the Ferrari factory in Maranello....
in the Italian town of Imola
Imola
thumb|250px|The Cathedral of Imola.Imola is a town and comune in the province of Bologna, located on the Santerno river, in the Emilia-Romagna region of north-central Italy...
, about northwest of San Marino, along the Via Emilia. The race was etched in infamy after two fatal accidents occurred at the 1994 Grand Prix
1994 San Marino Grand Prix
The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 1, 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy. It was the third race of the 1994 Formula One season...
, when Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
and Roland Ratzenberger
Roland Ratzenberger
Roland Ratzenberger was an Austrian racing driver who raced in Formula Nippon, Formula 3000 and Formula One...
were killed. The race was removed from the calendar in 2007
2007 Formula One season
The 2007 Formula One season was the 58th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship, which began on 18 March and ended on 21 October after seventeen events. The Drivers' Championship was won by Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen by one point at the...
.
The San Marino and Rimini's Coast motorcycle Grand Prix
San Marino and Rimini's Coast motorcycle Grand Prix
The San Marino and Rimini Coast's motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the World Motorcycle Racing season. The name of the race is a misnomer as the race has always taken place in Italy, but because there is already an Italian motorcycle Grand Prix it was called the San...
was reinstated in the schedule in 2007 and takes place at the Misano World Circuit
Misano World Circuit
The Misano World Circuit and before 2006 called Circuito Internazionale Santamonica, is an Italian racetrack located next to the town of Misano Adriatico in the frazione of Santamonica. Originally designed in 1969 as a length of , it hosted its first event in 1972...
, as does San Marino's round of the World Superbike Championship.
Manuel Poggiali
Manuel Poggiali
Manuel Poggiali is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion from San Marino. He was the 2001 125cc World Champion, and the 2003 250cc World Champion. He scored 12 race wins, 11 pole positions, and 35 podium finishes...
is one of San Marino's most successful sportsmen. He has won two motorcycle World Championships, in 2001 with 125 cc bikes and in 2003 with 250 cc bikes. Another successful San Marino motorcycle rider is Alex De Angelis
Alex de Angelis
Alex de Angelis is a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from San Marino.Alex made his debut at world championship level in 1999 in the 125 cc class; his first full season was in 2000, when his best results were two sixth places. He rode a total of four full seasons in the 125cc category...
, a race winner in the 250 cc class, who is currently racing in the Moto2 class, with the country of San Marino itself being his main sponsor.
San Marino has a professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team, T & A San Marino
San Marino (baseball team)
San Marino Baseball Club is a professional baseball team based in the city of San Marino, in the Republic of San Marino. The current commencial name is T & A San Marino because the main sponsor of the club is currently Tecnologie e Ambiente S.A.....
, which plays in the top division of Italian professional baseball, the Serie A1
Serie A1 (baseball)
The Italian Baseball League is a professional baseball league that is governed by FIBS , which has its headquarters in Rome...
. It has participated in the European Cup tournament
European Cup (baseball)
The European Cup is an annual baseball tournament, sanctioned and created by the Confederation of European Baseball . The tournament features the top teams of the professional baseball leagues in Europe....
for the top European professional baseball teams several times, hosting the event in 1996
1996 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Atlanta Braves ; John Wetteland, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Bernie Williams**American League Division Series*National League Championship Series MVP: Javy López...
, 2000
2000 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*Regular Season Champions*World Series Champion - New York Yankees*Postseason - October 3 to October 26Click on any series score to link to that series' page....
, 2004
2004 in baseball
-Headline events of the year:*The Boston Red Sox win their first World Series since , ending the Curse of the Bambino.*With 262 hits, Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners breaks George Sisler's record of 257. Suzuki also sets the record for most singles in a season, with 225.*2004 also marked the final...
, and 2007
2007 European Cup (baseball)
The 2007 European Cup was held in San Marino on June 12 to June 16. Kinheim Haarlem were the winners of the competition.-Group A:-Group B:-Finals:Semifinals:Kinheim Haarlem defeated San Marino 7-0...
. It won the championship in 2006
2006 in baseball
-Headline Event of the Year:*The 2006 World Baseball Classic final 4 teams are Japan, Cuba, Korea and the Dominican Republic, with the United States at 3–3 failing to qualify for the semi-finals. Under the leadership of manager Sadaharu Oh and veterans Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka, Japan ...
and was a runner-up in 2010
2010 European Cup (baseball)
The 2010 European Cup was an international baseball competition among the top teams of the professional baseball leagues in Europe, held in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands from June 1 to 6, 2010.-Brno:...
.
The long climb up to the top of San Marino has become a mecca for thousands of recreational road cyclists who train in nearby Misano every spring and autumn.
San Marino has had little success
San Marino at the Olympics
San Marino, following its début at the 1960 Summer Olympics, has competed in 12 Summer Olympics and 7 Winter Olympics. The country has never won a medal....
at the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, winning no medals. At the 2004 and 2008 games, three clay target shooters achieved the highest positions. In this sport, San Marino also hosted a competition in the 2009 ISSF World Cup
2009 ISSF World Cup
The 2009 ISSF World Cup is the twenty-fourth annual edition of the ISSF World Cup in the Olympic shooting events, governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation. Four qualification competitions are held in each event, spanning from April to June, and the best shooters will qualify for the...
.
Cuisine
Italian cuisine
Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Arab cuisines...
, especially that of the adjoining Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....
and Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
regions, but it has a number of its own unique dishes and products. Its best known is probably the Torta Tre Monti
Torta Tre Monti
Torta Tre Monti is a traditional Sammarinese cake made of layers of thin waffled wafers cemented together by chocolate or hazelnut creme. The final product is covered in chocolate fondant...
("Cake of the Three Mountains" or "Cake of the Three Towers"), a wafer layered cake covered in chocolate depicting The Three Towers of San Marino
The Three Towers of San Marino
The Three Towers of San Marino are a group of towers located in the small European country of San Marino. Located on the three peaks of Monte Titano in the capital, also called San Marino, they are depicted on both the national flag and coat of arms...
. The country also has a small wine
Sammarinese wine
Sammarinese wine is wine from San Marino, which is home to a small but profitable wine industry. Being a small enclave within Italy, its wine industry is often overshadowed by its larger neighbor. The region produces a number of wines such as Brugneto and Tessano and Biancale and Roncale...
industry.
LGBT
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in San Marino may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in San Marino, but households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples. The total ban on homosexualityHomosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
was abolished in San Marino in 1864. In 1974, Parliament passed a new penal code containing Article 274, punishing with imprisonment from three months to one year those "regularly committing lustful acts with a person of the same sex, if from that act public scandal is derived". Article 274 was subsequently repealed in September 2004.
UNESCO
The site “San Marino: Historic Centre and Mount Titano” has become part of the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008. The decision was taken during the 32nd Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee composed of 21 Countries convened in Québec, Canada.Music
The country has a long and rich musical tradition, closely linked to that of Italy, but which is also highly independent in itself. In the 17th century, composers like the Sammarinese Francesco Maria Marini di Pesaro wrote some of the finest pieces of the era.San Marino
San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest
San Marino has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twice, since debuting in the 2008 Contest.-2008 debut:In June 2007, Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino , the Sammarinese public service broadcaster, indicated interest in joining the contest in the near future, all depending on...
entered the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
for the first time, in 2008
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
, with the band, Miodio
Miodio
Miodio is a band that consists of three Italian and two Sammarinese members. They represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, performing the song Complice. This was the first time San Marino had entered the competition...
, singing "Complice
Complice
"Complice" , is a song by pop group Miodio from San Marino. The group was chosen internally to represent this Republic for their first entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade. 50 entries were in the race to represent San Marino in this year's Eurovision...
". The group failed to make it to the final from the first semi-final and finished 19th out of a field of 19 with 5 points. They came behind Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
's Kreisiraadio
Kreisiraadio
Kreisiraadio is an established Estonian comedy act, made up of Hannes Võrno, Peeter Oja and Tarmo Leinatamm.They have been around since 1993 with radio and TV sketch shows...
who came 18th with 8 points. San Marino gave its first ever highest (12) points to Greece
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
Greece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 32 times since 1974, with the exception of 1975, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1999 and 2000. Greece won for the first time in 2005 with "My Number One" song by Elena Paparizou. Following the introduction of a semi-final round for the 2004 contest, Greece...
.
In 2011 San Marino decided to come back to the Eurovision Song Contest with Senit
Senit
Senhit Zadik Zadik known as Senit in Bologna is an Italian singer of Eritrean descent. She represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.-Biography:She was born and raised in Bologna, Italy by her Eritrean parents...
singing the song "Stand By
Stand By
"Stand By" is a song by Italian singer Senit. The song represented San Marino in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 on 10 May 2011. This was San Marino's second appearance in the contest. The song placed 16th out of 20, and as a result it did not qualify for the final....
". She finished 16th in a field of 19 in the semi-final, coming behind Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
's Daria Kinzer
Daria Kinzer
Daria Kinzer is a Croatian singer who represented Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Germany. Kinzer won the national selection on March 5 with her entry "Celebrate", and took part in the first semifinal night of the Contest finishing at 15th place...
with the song "Celebrate
Celebrate (Daria Kinzer song)
"Celebrate" is a song by Croatian female singer Daria, written by Croatian song composer Boris Đurđević. It represented Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 but failed to qualify for the finals. Her performance was notable because she changed outfits twice during the course of the song....
" and coming in front of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
's Stella Mwangi
Stella Mwangi
Stella Nyambura Mwangi is a Norwegian-Kenyan singer, songwriter and rapper. Mwangi writes a lot of her music about the situation in her home country Kenya, also about discrimination both Stella and her family had to go through after moving to Norway in 1991...
, who sang "Haba Haba
Haba Haba
"Haba Haba" is a song performed by Norwegian-Kenyan singer-songwriter Stella Mwangi, from her second studio album Kinanda . It was Norway's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011...
". In the final voting, San Marino gave their 12 points to Raphael Gualazzi
Raphael Gualazzi
Raffaele Gualazzi , better known as Raphael Gualazzi, is an Italian singer and pianist.-Love Outside the Window:...
and his song "Madness Of Love
Follia d'amore
"Follia d'amore" is a song by Raphael Gualazzi. The song was the winner of the Sanremo Festival in the newcomer artists' section and also won the Critics' "Mia Martini" Award for newcomers....
" from Italy.
Public holidays and festivals
| Date | Name | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day New Year's Day New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome... |
Festival marking the beginning of the new year. |
| 6 January | Epiphany | Commemorates the visit of the three Wise Men or magi to the infant Jesus. |
| 5 February | Feast of Saint Agatha | Commemoration of St. Agatha, Patroness of the Republic, as well as liberation from foreign rule. |
| variable * | Easter Easter Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday... |
Resurrection of Jesus Jesus Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity... . |
| variable ** | Easter Monday Easter Monday Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures... |
Monday after Easter day. |
| 25 March | Anniversary of the Arengo Arengo The Arengo was the name of the assembly that ruled San Marino from the fifth century C.E. to 1243. It was made up of the heads of San Marino's Great families and had no leader or fixed meeting place. This made San Marino almost unique in the period as a state that had no Head of State. However this... |
Anniversary of the Arengo Arengo The Arengo was the name of the assembly that ruled San Marino from the fifth century C.E. to 1243. It was made up of the heads of San Marino's Great families and had no leader or fixed meeting place. This made San Marino almost unique in the period as a state that had no Head of State. However this... and the Festa delle Milizie (Feast of the Militants). |
| 1 May | Labour Day Labour Day Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for... |
Celebration of workers and employees. |
| variable *** | Corpus Domini Corpus Christi (feast) Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite solemnity, now designated the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ . It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran and Old Catholic Churches. Like Trinity Sunday and the Solemnity of Christ the King, it does not commemorate a particular event in... |
Commemoration of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. |
| 28 July | Liberation from Fascism | Commemoration of the fall of the Sammarinese Fascist Party Sammarinese Fascist Party The Sammarinese Fascist Party or Partito Fascista Sammarinese was a fascist political party that ruled San Marino from 1923 to 1943.... . |
| 15 August | Ferragosto Ferragosto Ferragosto is an Italian holiday celebrated on August 15. Originally, it may have related to a celebration of the middle of the summer and the end of the hard labour in the fields.... (Assumption) |
Commemoration of the Virgin Mary's direct assumption into heaven upon her death. |
| 3 September | The Feast of San Marino and the Republic | National feast of San Marino, celebrating the origin of the Republic in 301 301 Year 301 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Postumius and Nepotianus... . |
| 1 November | All Saints' Day | Feast dedicated to all saints. |
| 2 November | Commemoration of all those who died at war | Remembrance of all those who gave their lives for San Marino in war. |
| 8 December | Immaculate Conception Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology... |
Remembrance of the Virgin Mary's conception without original sin. |
| 24 December | Christmas Eve | Day before the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Jesus Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity... . |
| 25 December | Christmas Christmas Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days... |
Birth of Jesus Jesus Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity... . |
| 26 December | St. Stephen's Day St. Stephen's Day St. Stephen's Day, or the Feast of St. Stephen, is a Christian saint's day celebrated on 26 December in the Western Church and 27 December in the Eastern Church. Many Eastern Orthodox churches adhere to the Julian calendar and mark St. Stephen's Day on 27 December according to that calendar, which... |
Commemoration of the death of Saint Stephen Saint Stephen Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches.... , the first Christian martyr. |
| 31 December | New Year's Eve New Year's Eve New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the... |
Celebration which closes and marks the end of the year. |
| * Easter Easter Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday... : the first Sunday after the full moon Full moon Full moon lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun.Lunar eclipses can only occur at... and the March equinox Equinox An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator... ** Easter Monday Easter Monday Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures... : the Monday after Easter day *** Corpus Domini Corpus Christi (feast) Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite solemnity, now designated the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ . It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran and Old Catholic Churches. Like Trinity Sunday and the Solemnity of Christ the King, it does not commemorate a particular event in... : the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity... |
||
See also
- Associazione Guide Esploratori Cattolici SammarinesiAssociazione Guide Esploratori Cattolici SammarinesiThe Associazione Guide Esploratori Cattolici Sammarinesi is the national Scouting and Guiding association of San Marino. Scouting and Guiding in San Marino started within the respective Italian organizations and became independent in 1973...
- City State
- Communications in San MarinoCommunications in San Marino- Television and Radio :San Marino has only one television network, San Marino RTV, which is owned by a company with the same name. In 1997, there were approximately 9,000 televisions in the country....
- Foreign relations of San MarinoForeign relations of San Marino-International organizations:Among other international organizations, San Marino is a full member of the following international organizations:* United Nations* International Court of Justice...
- Most Serene RepublicMost Serene RepublicMost Serene Republic is a title attached to the following countries:* Republic of Venice , city-state that existed from 697 to 1797 based in the city of Venice with continuously controlled territory along the eastern Adriatic at its strongest period...
- San Marino Grand PrixSan Marino Grand PrixThe San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One championship race which was run at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in the town of Imola, near the Apennine mountains in Italy, between 1981 and 2006...
- Autodromo Enzo e Dino FerrariAutodromo Enzo e Dino FerrariThe Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari is an auto racing circuit near the Italian town of Imola, east of Bologna and east of the Ferrari factory in Maranello....
, the circuit that hosted the San Marino Grand Prix
- Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
External links
- Chief of State and Cabinet Members
- Secretary of State for External Relations and Politics
- San Marino from UCB Libraries GovPubs
- San Marino—San Marino Tourism Site
- Meteo San Marino National Center Of Meteorology and Climatology of San Marino, Local Forecast and Webcams
- Musei di Stato della Repubblica di San Marino
- History of San Marino: Primary Documents from EUdocs
- Renata Tebaldi International Voice Competition
- San Marino from allcountries.eu
- Visit San Marino—Official San Marino Tourism Site Contrada Omagnano General information of San Marino: Politics, Institutions and very other
- San Marino: excerpt from a 1769 Guidebook
- Score San Marino Soccer— Score live san Marino