San Marino

**San Marino**, kent offeecially as the **Maist Serene Republic o San Marino** (Italian: *Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino*) is a wee kintra situatit on the eastren side o the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave, in Italy. Its size is juist ower 61 km2 (24 sq mi) wi an estimatit population o amaist 30,000. Its caipital is the Ceety o San Marino. Ane o the European microstates, alang wi Liechtenstein, the Vatican, Monaco, Andorrae, an Maltae, San Marino haes the smawest population o aw the members o the Council o Europe.

San Marino is the auldest survivin sovereign state an constitutional republic in the warld, as the continuation o the monastic community foondit on 3 September 301, bi stonecutter Marinus o Arbe. Legend haes it that Marinus left Rab, then the Roman colony o Arba, in 257 when the future emperor, Diocletian, issued a decree cawin for the reconstruction o the ceety walls o Rimini, which haed been destroyed bi Liburnian pirates.

The constitution o San Marino, enactit in 1600, is the warld's auldest constitution still in effect. The kintra's economy mainly relies on tourism, an San Marino's cultur remains Italian, mainly Emilia-Romagnan in essence. It is ane o the wealthiest kintras in the warld in terms o GDP (per capita), wi a figure comparable tae some o the mair developed Italian regions, sic as Lombardy an the Province o Bolzano-Bozen. San Marino is considered tae hae a hichtlit stable economy, wi the lawest unemployment rate in Europe, nae naitional debt an a budget surplus.

## History

Accordin tae tradeetion, Saunt Marinus left the island o Rab in present-day Croatie wi his lifelang friend Leo, an went tae the ceety o Rimini as a mason. Efter the Diocletianic Persecution follaein his Christian sermons, he escaped tae the nearby Monte Titano, whaur he biggit a sma kirk an sicweys foondit what is nou the ceety an state o San Marino. The offeecial date o foondation o the Republic is 3 September 301.

Bi the mid-5t century, a community wis formed; acause o its relatively inaccessible location an its poverty, it haes succeeded, wi a few brief interruptions, in maintainin its unthirldom. In 1631, its unthirldom wis recognised bi the Papacy.

The advance o Napoleon's airmy in 1797 presentit a brief threat tae the unthirldom o San Marino, but the kintra wis spared its leeberty thanks tae ane o its Regents, Antonio Onofri, who managed tae gain the respect an friendship o Napoleon. Thanks tae his intervention, Napoleon, in a letter delivered tae Gaspard Monge, scientist an commissary o the French Govrenment for Science an Airt, promised tae guarantee an pertect the unthirldom o the Republic, afferin tae extend its territory accordin tae its needs. The affer wis declined bi San Marino, fearin tae provoke future revanchism that might threaten its freedom.

During the later phase o the Italian unification process in the 19t century, San Marino served as a refuge for mony fowk persecutit acause o thair support for unification. In recognition o this support, Giuseppe Garibaldi acceptit the wish o San Marino no tae be incorporatit intae the new Italian state.

The govrenment o San Marino made Unitit States Preses Abraham Lincoln an honorary ceetizen. He wrote in reply, sayin that the republic proved that "government foondit on republican principles is capable o being so administered as tae be secure an endurin."

#### 20t century
Durin Warld War I, when Italy declared war on Austrick-Hungary on 23 Mey 1915, San Marino remained neutral an Italy adoptit a hostile view o Sammarinese neutrality, suspectin that San Marino coud harbor Austrian spies who coud be gien access tae its new radiotelegraph station. Italy tried tae forcibly establish a detachment o Carabinieri in the Republic an then cut the Republic's telephone lines when it did no comply. Twa groups o ten volunteers did, housomeivver, jyne Italian forces in the fechtin on the Italian front, the first as combatants an the seicont as a Medical Corps operatin a Reid Cross field hospital. The existence o this hospital later caused Austrick-Hungary tae suspend diplomatic relations wi San Marino.

Frae 1923 tae 1943, San Marino wis unner the rule o the Sammarinese Fascist Pairty (PFS).

During Warld War II, San Marino remained neutral, awtho it haed been wrongly reportit on tae hae declared war on the United Kinrick on 17 September 1940.

Three days efter the faw o Benito Mussolini in Italy, PFS rule collapsed an the new govrenment declared neutrality in the conflict. The Fascists regained pouer on 1 Aprile 1944 but kept neutrality intact. Despite that, on 26 Juin 1944 San Marino wis bombed bi the Ryal Air Force, which mistakenly believed that the kinntra haed been owerrun bi German forces and wis bein uised tae amass stores an ammunition. At least 35 fowk wur killed in the operation. San Marino acceptit thoosans o civilian refugees when Allied forces went ower the Gothic Line. In September 1944, it wis briefly occupied bi German forces, who wur attackt bi Allied forces in the Battle o San Marino. Allied troops wi'drew frae the kintra shortly efterward.

The heid o state is a committee (council) o twa captains-regent. San Marino haed the warld's first democratically electit communist govrenment, which held office atween 1945 an 1957 an again atween 2006 an 2008.

San Marino is the warld's smallest republic, awtho when Nauru gained unthirldom in 1968 it challenged that claim, Nauru's land mass bein anly . Houiver Nauru's jurisdiction ower its surroondin waters (431,000&nbsp;km2) is thousands o times greater than the territory o San Marino.

San Marino became a member o the Council o Europe in 1988 an o the Unitit Nations in 1992. It is no a member o the European Union.

## Notes

## External links

* Chief o State an Cabinet Members 
* Secretary o State for External Relations an Politics
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* San Marino  frae *UCB Libraries GovPubs*
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* Meteo San Marino  Naitional Center O Meteorology an Climatology o San Marino, Local Forecast an Webcams
* Musei di Stato della Repubblica di San Marino 
* History of San Marino: Primary Documents frae *EUdocs*
* Renata Tebaldi International Voice Competition 
* San Marino  frae *allcountries.eu*
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* Visit San Marino—Offeecial San Marino Tourism Site Contrada Omagnano
*  General information o San Marino: Politics, Institutions an vera ither 
* San Marino: excerpt frae a 1769 Guidebook 
* Score San Marino Soccer — Score live san Marino