Search results
San Marino is a landlocked country; however, its northeastern end is within ten kilometres (six miles) of the Italian city of Rimini on the Adriatic coast. The country's capital city, the City of San Marino, is located atop Monte Titano, while its largest settlement is Dogana, within the municipality of Serravalle.
- Flag of San Marino
The flag of San Marino is formed by two equal horizontal...
- City of San Marino
The City of San Marino is the terminus of seven of San...
- European Microstate
Map of the European microstates. A European microstate or...
- Battle of San Marino
The Battle of San Marino was an engagement on 17–20...
- Constitution of San Marino
The Constitution of the Republic of San Marino (also called...
- Saint Marinus
Marinus was canonised as a saint, and later, the State of...
- Flag of San Marino
- Overview
- Geography
- History
San Marino, small, landlocked republic situated on the slopes of Mount Titano, on the Adriatic side of central Italy between the Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions and surrounded on all sides by the republic of Italy. It is the smallest independent state in Europe after Vatican City and Monaco and, until the independence of Nauru (1968), the smalles...
San Marino has an irregular rectangular form with a maximum length of 8 miles (13 km), northeast to southwest. It is crossed by the Marano and Ausa (Aussa) streams, which flow into the Adriatic Sea, and by the stream of San Marino, which falls into the Marecchia River. The landscape is dominated by the huge, central limestone mass of Mount Titano (2,424 feet [739 metres]); hills spread out from it on the southwest, whereas the northeastern part gently slopes down toward the Romagna plain and the Adriatic coast. The silhouette of Mount Titano, with its three summits crowned by ancient triple fortifications, may be seen from many miles away. In 2008 Mount Titano and the historic centre of San Marino were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Britannica Quiz
Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz
The climate is mild and temperate, with maximum temperatures in the high 70s F (about 26 °C) in summer and the high teens F (about −7 °C) in winter. Annual rainfall ranges between about 22 inches (560 mm) and 32 inches (800 mm). Vegetation is typical of the Mediterranean zone, with variations due to elevation, and includes olive, pine, oak, ash, poplar, fir, and elm, as well as many kinds of grasses and flowers. Besides domestic and farmyard animals, moles, hedgehogs, foxes, badgers, martens, weasels, and hares are found. Indigenous birds and birds of passage are plentiful.
Although traces of human presence from both prehistoric and Roman times exist in the territory, Mount Titano and its slopes are known to have been populated, with certainty, only after the arrival of St. Marinus and his followers. San Marino citizens, or Sammarinesi, make up more than four-fifths of the country’s population, with Italians composing most of the remainder. Thousands of Sammarinesi reside abroad, principally in Italy, the United States, France, and Argentina. Nearly nine-tenths of San Marino’s citizens are Roman Catholics, though there is no official religion. The official language is Italian. A widely spoken dialect has been defined as Celto-Gallic, akin to the Piedmont and Lombardy dialects as well as to that of Romagna.
Because centuries-long quarrying has exhausted Mount Titano’s stone and ended the craft that depended upon it, the territory is now without mineral resources. All electrical power is transferred via electrical grid from Italy, San Marino’s main trading partner. The country’s principal resources are industry, tourism, commerce, agriculture, and crafts. Manufactures include electronics, paint, cosmetics, ceramics, jewelry, and clothing. Ceramic and wrought-iron articles, as well as modern and reproduction furniture, are among San Marino’s traditional craft products. Fine printing, particularly of postage stamps, is a consistent source of revenues. Banking is a vital industry. In 2002 San Marino replaced the Italian lira with the euro as its national currency.
The Republic of San Marino traces its origin to the early 4th century ce when, according to tradition, St. Marinus and a group of Christians settled there to escape persecution. The Castellum Sancta Marini is mentioned in the Liber Pontificalis (“The Book of the Pontiffs”) in 755; the oldest document in the republican archives mentions the abbot of San Marino in 885. By the 12th century San Marino had developed into a commune ruled by its own statutes and consuls. The commune was able to remain independent despite encroachments by neighbouring bishops and lords, largely because of its isolation and its mountain fortresses. Against the attacks of the Malatesta family, who ruled the nearby seaport of Rimini, San Marino enjoyed the protection of the rival family of Montefeltro, who ruled Urbino. By the middle of the 15th century, it was a republic ruled by a Grand Council—60 men taken from the Arengo, or Assembly of Families. Warding off serious attacks in the 16th century (including an occupation by Cesare Borgia in 1503), San Marino survived the Renaissance as a relic of the self-governing Italian city-states. Rule by an oligarchy and attempts to annex it to the Papal States in the 18th century marked the decline of the republic.
When Napoleon invaded Italy, he respected the independence of the republic and even offered to extend its territory (1797). The Congress of Vienna (1815), at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, also recognized its independent status. During the 19th-century movement for Italian unification, San Marino offered asylum to revolutionaries, among them Giuseppe Garibaldi. After Italy became a national state, a series of treaties (the first in 1862) confirmed San Marino’s independence. In World War II, San Marino remained neutral, but it was the target of a British bombing raid in 1944 and was briefly occupied by both the Germans and the Allies later that year.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Apr 10, 2024 · Explore All Countries. San Marino. Europe. Page last updated: April 10, 2024. Photos of San Marino. view 1 photos. Introduction. Background. Geographically the third-smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and Monaco), San Marino also claims to be the world's oldest republic.
Oct 4, 2023 · Landlocked San Marino is one of the world's smallest countries. Surrounded by Italy, it is an echo from an era when city-states proliferated across Europe.
Feb 24, 2021 · Key Facts. Flag. With its land area covering only 24 sq miles (61 sq km), San Marino is one of the smallest countries in Europe after the Vatican and Monaco.Landlocked and surrounded by Italy, the country is in the Appennines Mountains region, with most of it on the slopes of Mt. Titano.
- San Marino (city)
- Republic of San Marino
- 61.00 km 2
- 61.00 km 2
(more) San Marino, city, capital of San Marino. It is located near the centre of the country and set high on the western slopes of Mount Titano. In 2008 the mountain and the historic centre of the city were together named a UNESCO World Heritage site. San Marino, Republic of San Marino.
San Marino. history of San Marino, a survey of important events and people in the history of San Marino from ancient times to the present. San Marino. The Republic of San Marino traces its origin to the early 4th century ce when, according to tradition, St. Marinus and a group of Christians settled there to escape persecution.
