San Marino
| Most Serene Republic of San Marino Repubblica di San Marino
|
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||
| Motto: Libertas (Latin) "Freedom" |
||||||
| Anthem: "Inno Nazionale della Repubblica" "National Anthem of the Republic" |
||||||
 Location of San Marino (green)
on the European continent (dark grey) — [Legend] |
||||||
| Capital | City of San Marino 43°56′N 12°26′E / 43.933°N 12.433°E |
|||||
| Largest city | Dogana | |||||
| Official languages | Italian | |||||
| Ethnic groups | Sammarinese Italian[1] |
|||||
| Demonym | Sammarinese | |||||
| Government | Parliamentary republic | |||||
| - | Captains Regent | Gianfranco Terenzi Guerrino Zanotti |
||||
| Legislature | Grand and General Council | |||||
| Independence | ||||||
| - | from the Roman Empire | 3 September 301 (traditional) | ||||
| - | Constitution | 8 October 1600 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 61.2 km2 (219th) 24 sq mi |
||||
| - | Water (%) | 0 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 31 December 2011 estimate | 32,193 [2] (219th) | ||||
| - | Density | 520/km2 1,346.8/sq mi |
||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2008 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $1.17 billion[3][4] (177th) | ||||
| - | Per capita | $35,928[3][4] (24th) | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2008 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | US$ 1.44 billion[3][4] (163rd) | ||||
| - | Per capita | US$ 44,208[3][4] (15th) | ||||
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | |||||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |||||
| - | Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||||
| Drives on the | right | |||||
| Calling code | +378 | |||||
| Patron saint | Saint Agatha | |||||
| Internet TLD | .sm | |||||
| [5] | ||||||
San Marino is one of the smallest countries in the world. It is found in southern Europe, fully surrounded by Italy. Fewer than 30,000 people live there. Its total area is 61 km2. Its capital is the City of San Marino.
San Marino is the world's oldest republic that still exists. It was started in A.D. 301 by a skilled builder called Saint Marinus. Its written constitution was adopted on October 8, 1600. The very small nation was recognized by Napoleon's France in 1797, and by the other European nations at the 1815 Congress of Vienna.
Even though it is an independent country, it depends very much on Italy. Since the 19th century, when Italy was unified, San Marino has been fully surrounded by Italy.
The biggest industry in San Marino is tourism. Selling postage stamps is an important source of income, too. San Marino is not a member of the European Union, but the euro is used in San Marino.
People in San Marino speak the Italian language. Most people in San Marino believe in Roman Catholicism.
Geography[change | change source]
View of a place called Borgo Maggiore
|
San Marino is covered by the Apennine mountain range, and it has a rugged terrain. The highest point in the country is Monte Titano. There are no bodies of water of any significant size. San Marino has no natural level ground. It is hilly terrain.
San Marino is the third smallest country in Europe, Only Vatican City and Monaco are smaller.
Two rivers flow through San Marino. There is no major water transport, and no major port or harbour.
Municipalities[change | change source]
These are the 9 castelli (municipalities) of San Marino:
| Cities in San Marino | |||||
| Rank | City | Area km2 |
Population | ||
| 1986 | 1996 | 2006 | |||
| 1. | Serravalle | 10,53 | 6.995 | 8.085 | 9.847 |
| 2. | Borgo Maggiore | 9,01 | 4.421 | 5.358 | 6.061 |
| 3. | City of San Marino | 7,09 | 4.179 | 4.350 | 4.409 |
| 4. | Domagnano | 6,62 | 1.885 | 2.207 | 2.899 |
| 5. | Fiorentino | 6,56 | 1.478 | 1.798 | 2.253 |
| 6. | Acquaviva | 4,86 | 1.148 | 1.264 | 1.881 |
| 7. | Faetano | 7,75 | 738 | 870 | 1.139 |
| 8. | Chiesanuova | 5,46 | 724 | 866 | 1.036 |
| 9. | Montegiardino | 3,31 | 557 | 717 | 843 |
| San Marino | 61,19 | 22.125 | 25.515 | 30.368 | |
Cuisine[change | change source]
The cuisine of San Marino is strongly similar to Italian, especially that of the Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions. 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. It shows The Three Towers of San Marino. The country also has a small wine industry.
Public holidays and festivals[change | change source]
| Date | Name | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | 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 | Resurrection of Jesus. |
| variable ** | Easter Monday | Monday after Easter day. |
| 25 March | Anniversary of the Arengo | Anniversary of the Arengo and the Festa delle Milizie (Feast of the Militants). |
| 1 May | Labour Day | Celebration of workers and employees. |
| variable *** | Corpus Domini | Commemoration of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. |
| 28 July | Liberation from Fascism | Commemoration of the fall of the Sammarinese Fascist Party. |
| 15 August | Ferragosto (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. |
| 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 | Remembrance of the Virgin Mary's conception without original sin. |
| 24 December | Christmas Eve | Day before the commemoration of the birth of Jesus. |
| 25 December | Christmas | Birth of Jesus. |
| 26 December | St. Stephen's Day | Commemoration of the death of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. |
| 31 December | New Year's Eve | Celebration which closes and marks the end of the year. |
| * Easter: the first Sunday after the full moon and the March equinox ** Easter Monday: the Monday after Easter day |
||
References[change | change source]
- ↑ http://www.sanmarinosite.com/eng/demografia.html
- ↑ [1], Upeceds, Government of San Marino. Accessed on March 31, 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Conto della Generazione dei Redditi Nazionali, Upeceds, Government of San Marino. Accessed on June 6, 2010.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 World Development Indicators, World Bank. Note: "PPP conversion factor, GDP (LCU per international $)" for Italy was used.
- ↑ "San Marino". UNECE Statistics Programme. UNECE. 2009. http://www.unece.org/stats/profiles2009/san_marino.pdf. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
