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55-558: The Arengo was the name of the assembly that ruled San Marino from the fifth century A.D. to 1243, and of the popular councils which regulated the political life in Northern Italy free comuni in the Middle Ages as well. 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 form of rule

110-400: A stonemason from the then- Roman island of Rab in present-day Croatia. According to legendary accounts, he was born in 275 AD, participated in the rebuilding of Rimini 's city walls after their destruction by Liburnian pirates , and later founded an independent monastic community on Monte Titano in 301 AD; thus, San Marino lays claim to being the oldest extant sovereign state, as well as

165-544: A 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 0.01/10, ranking it last globally out of 172 countries. San Marino has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification : Cfa ), with some continental influences. It has warm to hot summers and cool winters, typical of inland areas of the central Italian Peninsula . Precipitation is scattered throughout the year with no real dry month. Snowfalls are common and heavy almost every winter, especially above 400–500 m (1,300–1,600 feet) of elevation. San Marino has

220-503: 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 acquiesce. Two groups of ten volunteers joined the Italian forces in the fighting on the Italian front ,

275-580: A lady from Rimini and the owner of Mount Titano decided to gift him the mountain. Marinus was canonised as a saint, and later, the State of San Marino grew up from the centre created by the monastery. His feast day/memorial day is 3 September, commemorating the day, in 301, when he founded what became known as San Marino , which is also the state's national holiday. He is venerated in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faiths. According to legend, he died in

330-578: A monastic community in San Marino dates to the 5th or 6th century AD, when a monk named Eugippus recorded that another monk had lived in a monastery in the area. In 1291, San Marino appealed to the bishop of Arezzo, Ildebrandino Guidi di Romena, against the contribution demands by the Vicario del Montefeltro . Jurist Palamede di Rimini decided in favour of San Marino and recognised its tax exemption from tributes demands of Montefeltro. In 1296, when Guglielmo Durante

385-523: A patron saint of the republic. 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 by one of its regents, Antonio Onofri , who managed to gain the respect and friendship of Napoleon. Due to Onofri's intervention, Napoleon promised, in a letter to Gaspard Monge , scientist and commissary of the French Government for Science and Art, to guarantee and protect

440-518: Is a landlocked country ; however, its northeastern end is within ten kilometres (six miles) of the Adriatic coast through the Italian city of Rimini . 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 . San Marino's official language is Italian . The country derives its name from Saint Marinus ,

495-415: 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 having two heads of state chosen in frequent elections

550-519: Is derived directly from the customs of the Roman Republic . The council is equivalent to the Roman Senate ; the captains regent, to the consuls of ancient Rome . It is thought the inhabitants of the area came together as Roman rule collapsed to form a rudimentary government for their own protection from foreign rule. San Marino is a multi-party democratic republic. A new election law in 2008 raised

605-1073: Is led by a Castle Captain ( Italian : Capitano di Castello ) and a Castle Council ( Giunta di Castello ), elected every five years. The nine castelli are the City of San Marino , which is San Marino's capital city, Acquaviva , Borgo Maggiore , Chiesanuova , Domagnano , Faetano , Fiorentino , Montegiardino , and Serravalle . San Marino's 44 curazie are Cà Berlone , Cà Chiavello , Cà Giannino , Cà Melone , Cà Ragni , Cà Rigo , Cailungo (di Sopra and di Sotto), 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 (di Sopra and di Sotto), Valgiurata , and Ventoso . San Marino's military forces are among

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660-505: Is one of only three countries in the world to be completely surrounded by one other country. The other two are Vatican City , also surrounded by Italy, and Lesotho , surrounded by South Africa. It is the third smallest country in Europe, after Vatican City and Monaco , and the fifth-smallest country in the world. The terrestrial ecoregion of Italian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests lies within San Marino's territory. The country had

715-489: Is one of the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP (PPP) per capita , with a figure comparable to the most developed European regions. The country ranks 44th in the Human Development Index . According to legendary accounts that are first recorded centuries after he is suggested to have lived, Saint Marinus left the island of Rab in present-day Croatia with his lifelong friend Leo, and went to

770-509: Is part of the Army Militia, and is the ceremonial military band of San Marino. It consists of approximately 60 musicians. The uniform is similar to that of the Army Militia. Military Ensemble music accompanies most state occasions in the republic. Established in 1842, the Gendarmerie of San Marino is a militarised law enforcement agency. Its members are full-time and have responsibility for

825-514: Is the oldest existing representative republic and the European state with the smallest population, apart from Vatican City. It is surrounded by Italy . Located on the northeastern side of the Apennine Mountains , it is the fifth-smallest country in the world, with a land area of just over 61 km ( 23 + 1 ⁄ 2  sq mi) and a population of 33,642, as of 2023. San Marino

880-557: Is vested in both the government and the Grand and General Council . The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. San Marino is considered to have the earliest written governing documents still in effect, as the Statutes of 1600 are still at the core of its constitutional framework. San Marino was originally led by the Arengo , initially formed from the heads of each family. In

935-576: The Adriatic coast at Rimini. Its hilly topography, with no substantial naturally flat ground, is part of the Apennine mountain range. The highest point in the country, the summit of Monte Titano , is 749 m (2,457 ft) above sea level ; the lowest, the Ausa River (ending in the Marecchia ), is 55 m (180 ft). San Marino has no still or contained bodies of water of any significant size. It

990-751: The Gothic Line . In September 1944, it was briefly occupied by German forces, who were defeated by the Allies in the Battle of San Marino . Allied troops occupied San Marino for two months before departing. San Marino had the world's first democratically elected communist government – a coalition between the Sammarinese Communist Party and the Sammarinese Socialist Party , which held office between 1945 and 1957. The coalition lost power through

1045-515: The Kingdom of Italy signed a Convention of Friendship in 1862. 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". During World War I , when Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary on 24 May 1915, San Marino remained neutral and Italy adopted

1100-632: The United Kingdom on 17 September 1940. The Sammarinese government later transmitted a message to the British government stating that they had not actually declared war. On 28 July 1943, three days after the fall of the Fascist regime in Italy , PFS rule collapsed and the new government declared neutrality in the conflict. The PFS regained power on 1 April 1944, but kept neutrality intact. On 26 June 1944, San Marino

1155-706: The fatti di Rovereta . San Marino became a member of the Council of Europe in 1988 and of the United Nations in 1992. It is not a member of the European Union , although it uses the euro as its currency (despite not legally being part of the Eurozone ). Before the introduction of the euro, the country's currency was the Sammarinese lira . As of June 2020, San Marino had the highest death rate per capita of any country, due to

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1210-567: The 13th century, power was given to the Grand and General Council. In 1243, the first two captains regent were nominated by the council. Still today, Captains Regent are elected every six months by the council. 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

1265-640: The Crossbow Corps is now a ceremonial force of approximately 80 volunteers. Since 1295, the Crossbow Corps has provided demonstrations of crossbow shooting at festivals. Its uniform design is medieval. While still a statutory military unit, the Crossbow Corps has no military function today. 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

1320-531: 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 councilors 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 captains are chosen from opposing parties so that there

1375-530: The Guard of the Rock is a distinctive red and green. The Guard of the Grand and General Council commonly known as The Guard of the council or locally as the "Guard of Nobles", formed in 1741, 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

1430-471: The Guard of the council are to protect the captains regent , and to defend the Grand and General Council during its formal sessions. They also act as ceremonial bodyguards to government officials at both state and church festivals. 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

1485-516: 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

1540-584: The State did not pay taxes to the Montefeltro. In 1320, the community of Chiesanuova chose to join the country. In 1463, San Marino was enlarged by the inclusion of the communities of Faetano , Fiorentino , Montegiardino , and Serravalle ; since then, the country's borders have remained unchanged. In 1503, Cesare Borgia , the son of Pope Alexander VI , occupied the Republic for six months until his father's successor, Pope Julius II , intervened and restored

1595-449: The armed forces of San Marino, but is largely ceremonial. It is a matter of civic pride for many Sammarinese 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. Formally this

1650-499: The city of Rimini as a stonemason. 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. According to William Miller, these accounts of the origin of San Marino "are a mixture of fables and miracles, but perhaps contain some grains of fact". The earliest historical evidence for

1705-557: The country's independence. On 4 June 1543, Fabiano di Monte San Savino, nephew of the later Pope Julius III , attempted to conquer the republic, but his infantry and cavalry failed as they got lost in a dense fog, which the Sammarinesi attributed to Saint Quirinus , whose feast day it was. After the Duchy of Urbino was annexed by the Papal States in 1625, San Marino became surrounded by

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1760-559: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic . In April 2021, it was reported that San Marino was using the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine rather than vaccines approved by the EU, following a slow rollout for the latter vaccines. On 31 August 2022, San Marino officials voted to legalize abortion in the republic, to be paid for by the public health system, "one of the last European states to have had

1815-445: 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. After the war, San Marino suffered from high rates of unemployment and inflation, leading to increased tension between the lower and middle classes. The latter, fearing that the moderate government of San Marino would make concessions to

1870-496: The hands of powerful landowners. The Sammarinese Socialist Party agitated for universal male suffrage by convening an arengo in 1906. The heads of the households agreed to let all adult male citizens vote. Many wealthy landowners opposed the changes and formed the Sammarinese Fascist Party in 1922. They would go on to rule the country until the end of World War II , when a Socialist- Communist coalition government

1925-498: The independence of the Republic, even offering to extend its territory according to its needs. The offer was declined by the regents, fearing future retaliation from other states' revanchism . During the later phase of the Italian unification process in the 19th century, San Marino served as a refuge for many people persecuted because of their support for unification, including Giuseppe Garibaldi and his wife Anita . Garibaldi allowed San Marino to remain independent. San Marino and

1980-542: The lower class majority, began to show support for the Sammarinese Fascist Party ( Partito Fascista Sammarinese , PFS), founded in 1922 and styled largely on their Italian counterpart . PFS rule lasted from 1923 to 1943, and during this time they often sought support from Benito Mussolini 's fascist government in Italy. During World War II , San Marino remained neutral, although it was wrongly reported in an article in The New York Times that it had declared war on

2035-581: The old parishes of the republic. All citizens 18 years or older are eligible to vote. Besides 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

2090-457: The oldest constitutional republic . Uniquely, San Marino's constitution dictates that its democratically elected legislature , the Grand and General Council , must elect two heads of state every six months. Known as the Captains Regent , they serve concurrently and with equal powers. The country's economy is mainly based on finance , industry , services , retail , and tourism . It

2145-466: The papal states. This led to its seeking the formal protection of the Papal States in 1631, but this never amounted to a de facto Papal control of the republic. The country was occupied on 17 October 1739 by the legate (Papal governor) of Ravenna , Cardinal Giulio Alberoni , but independence was restored by Pope Clement XII on 5 February 1740, the feast day of Saint Agatha , after which she became

2200-408: The political framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic : the captains regent are heads of state , and there is a pluriform multi-party system . Executive power is exercised by the government. Although there is no formal head of government, the secretary for foreign and political affairs is in many ways equal to the prime minister in other countries. Legislative power

2255-578: The procedure outlawed under all circumstances". Thirty-two members of the legislature approved the bill while 10 abstained and 7 voted against. San Marino is surrounded by Italy in Southern Europe , i.e. almost completely by the province of Rimini in the region of Emilia Romagna and, only on a stretch of about three kilometres in the south, by the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region. San Marino lies about ten kilometres (six miles) from

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2310-532: The protection of citizens and property, and the preservation of law and order. Saint Marinus Tradition holds that he was a stonemason by trade who came from the island of Arba (today Rab ), on the other side of the Adriatic Sea (in what is now part of modern-day Croatia , then part of the Roman Empire ), fleeing persecution for his Christian beliefs in the Diocletianic Persecution . Known only by

2365-633: The saint's protection and blessing against the Goths. This laid the foundation for modern San Marino with its nine municipalities. With such a large expansion of population it became clear that San Marino could not remain without a central structure so the Arengo was formed; based on the original Roman Senate, it was made of the head of each of the Great Families. Since the 17th century, the Grand and General Council became more oligarchic, with political power resting in

2420-427: The single name Marinus (lit. of the sea), he was ordained a deacon by Gaudentius of Rimini ; later, he was recognised and accused by an insane woman of being her estranged husband, so he quickly fled to Monte Titano to build a chapel-monastery and live as a hermit. Another version of the story says that hearing that the town of Rimini (Italy) was being rebuilt, he travelled there and was astonished to find among

2475-400: The smallest 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. Once at the heart of San Marino's army,

2530-407: The supreme body of San Marino . After the death of the founders, the community was governed by a small leaderless collection of monks based around the church of St. Agatha on the top of Monte Titano. However, around a hundred years later when Rome looked close to collapse and the Goths were threatening Italy, eight neighbouring towns joined the 'land of San (saint) Marino (the founder)' seeking

2585-607: The threshold for small parties entering Parliament, causing political parties to organise themselves into two alliances: the right-wing Pact for San Marino , led by the Sammarinese Christian Democratic Party ; and the left-wing Reforms and Freedom , led by the Party of Socialists and Democrats , a merger of the Socialist Party of San Marino and the former communist Party of Democrats . The 2008 general election

2640-517: The winter of 366 and his last words were: " Relinquo vos liberos ab utroque homine " ("I leave you free from both men"). This somewhat mysterious phrase is most likely to refer to the two "men" from whose oppressive power Marinus had decided to separate himself, becoming a hermit on Mount Titano: respectively the Emperor and the Pope . This affirmation of freedom (first and foremost fiscal franchise) from both

2695-471: The workmen many Christians of formerly high position who had been sentenced to hard labour because of their refusal to sacrifice to the gods. He sought to comfort them and to alleviate their sufferings, so far as was in his power. In his old age Marinus withdrew to a hermitage and decided to seclude himself on Mount Titano, living the life of a hermit in holy contemplation. As his reputation for his sanctity grew, others started to follow him there, until finally

2750-427: Was bombed by four waves of Allied bombers under the belief that San Marino had been occupied by German forces and was being used to amass stores and ammunition. The Sammarinese government declared on the same day that no military installations or equipment were located on its territory, and that no belligerent forces had been allowed to enter. San Marino accepted thousands of civilian refugees when Allied forces overran

2805-401: Was cumbersome and the Arengo was crippled by feuds between the Great Families. By the early 13th century the Arengo had become so dysfunctional that the citizens of San Marino decided to elect their own assembly, which they called the Grand and General Council . This assembly became very powerful, and by 1243 the Pope , who was the nominal ruler of San Marino, made the Grand and General Council

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2860-569: Was elected as one of the two captains regent. He had previously been the Ambassador to the United States and is the world's first openly gay head of state. San Marino is geographically divided into nine castelli ( lit.   ' castles ' , equivalent to a municipality ), each of which contains a capital ( capoluogo ), with other population centres sorted into curazie (equivalent to Italian frazioni ). Each castello

2915-610: Was elected. San Marino in Europe  (dark grey) San Marino ( / ˌ s æ n m ə ˈ r iː n oʊ / SAN mə- REE -noh , Italian: [sam maˈriːno] ; Romagnol : San Maréin or San Maroin ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( Italian : Repubblica di San Marino ) and also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino (Italian: Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino ),

2970-402: Was the governor of Romagna, Sammarinesi appealed to Pope Boniface VIII against the further requests by the Montefeltro podestas regarding tributes. Abbot Ranieri di Sant'Anastasio was assigned to judge the dispute. A long process was held using various witnesses and sources to determine San Marino tax's exemption status. The verdict was probably in favour of the autonomy of San Marino, as later

3025-532: Was won by the Pact for San Marino with 35 seats in the Grand and General Council against the Reforms and Freedom party's 25. On 1 October 2007, Mirko Tomassoni was elected as captain regent, making him the first disabled person elected to that office. San Marino has had more female heads of state than any other country: 15 as of October 2014, including three who served twice. On 1 April 2022, 58-year-old Paolo Rondelli

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