I | INTRODUCTION |
San
Marino, independent nation in southern Europe. San Marino is located in
the Apennine Mountains of northern Italy, near the seaside resort of Rimini on
the Adriatic Sea. Entirely surrounded by Italian territory, San Marino is one of
the world’s smallest countries, with a total area of only 60.5 sq km (23.4 sq
mi). In Europe, only Vatican City and Monaco are smaller in area.
A rugged land, tiny San Marino is dominated by
Mount Titano, a craggy limestone mountain that rises to 739 m (2,425 ft).
Forests and pastures cover the foothills. High on the slopes of Titano is the
old town of San Marino, the capital of the republic and a popular tourist
attraction. Defensive fortifications perch atop each of Titano’s three summits.
Since the early Middle Ages, San Marino’s rugged terrain, lack of natural
resources, and relative isolation have helped preserve it from conquest by more
powerful neighbors.
Before World War II, the people of San Marino
were among the poorest in Europe. The San Marinese survived mainly by grazing
livestock, growing food crops, and quarrying stone for building materials. Since
the 1960s, tourism has come to dominate San Marino’s economy. Today, with more
than 3 million visitors annually, tourism generates more than half of San
Marino’s national revenue, and the people of San Marino are among the world’s
most affluent.
According to local tradition, San Marino was
founded in the 4th century AD and is the oldest surviving republic in Europe.
Legends trace the republic’s founding to 301, when a Christian stonemason sought
refuge from religious persecution on Mount Titano among a small community of
followers. San Marino’s continued independence is guaranteed by a customs union
and friendship treaty with Italy, first signed in 1862 and revised several times
since then.
II | LAND |
San Marino is located in the central
Apennines, east of Florence, Italy. The highest point, the three-peaked Mount
Titano, commands a wide view of the Adriatic shore located 19 km (12 mi) away.
Most of the republic lies in the basin of the Marecchia River, which empties
into the Adriatic. The climate is mild with an average annual precipitation of
690 mm (27 in).
Because tourism is San Marino’s main economic
activity, environmental pressures are not serious. Existing problems are
generally related to air pollution from automobile traffic and acid rain
produced by industries outside San Marino.
III | PEOPLE |
The population of San Marino (2008 estimate)
is 29,973. Nine out of ten people in San Marino live in urbanized areas. The
official language of San Marino is Italian, but many residents speak
Emiliano-Romagnolo, a Romance language similar to Italian, as a first language.
San Marino’s people are mostly Roman Catholic, and for many residents Catholic
holy days are occasions for religious devotion.
The capital is San Marino (population, 2003
estimate, 4,601), a community perched on the rugged western slopes of Mount
Titano. Government offices are located in the town. Ancient defensive walls
encircle the city. Towers rising from Mount Titano’s three heavily fortified
summits can be seen from many parts of the town. Floodlights light up the towers
against the night sky. At the city’s edge, the mountain drops nearly 300 m
(1,000 ft).
Other population centers include Borgo
Maggiore, a market town located 185 m (600 ft) below the capital on the
mountain’s lower slopes, and Serravalle, a manufacturing center to the
north.
IV | ECONOMY |
San Marino is a prosperous country whose
citizens enjoy a high standard of living, exceptionally low unemployment, and
extensive social welfare benefits. The economy is so strong that thousands of
Italian residents commute into San Marino each day to work.
Tourism drives the economy. More than 3
million people visit the country each year to see its rugged, picturesque beauty
and ancient fortifications, many of which have been restored. Tourism accounts
for more than half of all revenue generated in San Marino. During the 1990s, San
Marino developed a dynamic and profitable finance sector. The country’s
political stability and low taxes have driven much of this growth. San Marino’s
finely printed postage stamps and unique coins are coveted by collectors and
provide another important source of revenue.
Traditionally, most San Marinese made a
living by growing food crops, grazing livestock, and quarrying stone. The
quarries are largely exhausted, but agriculture remains a visible part of life
in San Marino, especially cattle rearing and the production of cereal grains,
olives, and grapes. Since World War II, San Marino has developed some light
industries, include textiles and clothing, wine and cheese, leather goods,
cement, synthetic rubber products, and ceramics.
San Marino belongs in a customs union with
Italy. Under the terms of the union, San Marino pays customs duties on goods
that pass through Italy to reach San Marino. In addition, the union prohibits
San Marino from opening gambling houses and allows Italy to preserve monopolies
on sales of tobacco and other goods. In exchange, San Marino receives an annual
subsidy from Italy called the Canone Doganale.
Like Italy, San Marino uses the euro,
the currency of the European Union (EU), although San Marino is not an EU
member. San Marino mints its own coins, but no paper currency. Previously, the
republic minted the San Marinese lira, which could be exchanged at face
value for the Italian lira. San Marino received permission to issue a
limited number of its own euro coins, allowing it to preserve a specialty market
for its coins.
A highway links San Marino to Rimini on the
Adriatic coast. San Marino has no internal railroads, apart from a short
cable-operated line (see Funicular) connecting Borgo Maggiore and the
capital city, but it has over 100 km (62 mi) of good roads. The closest airport
and railroad terminus is in Rimini. Regular bus service runs connect Rimini and
San Marino.
V | GOVERNMENT |
A written constitution adopted by San Marino in
1600 remains largely in force today. The constitutional structure of San Marino
is unusually complex for so small a country. This fact reflects the longstanding
desire of the San Marinese to preserve their liberties by dividing authority.
A ten-member administrative body called the
Congress of State, or cabinet, exercises executive power. Two people, called
captains regent (or chief executives), are chosen from opposing political
parties to preside over the cabinet for six-month terms. The captains regent are
elected by San Marino’s legislative body, the Great and General Council. The
legislature’s 60 members are elected by proportional representation for
five-year terms.
Judicial authority in both civil and criminal
cases is vested largely in Italian judges. Local San Marinese justices of the
peace only hear civil cases involving small sums of money. Appeals go first to
an Italian judge. Final court review of cases is handled by an administrative
tribunal in San Marino.
San Marino joined the Council of Europe in
1988 and became a full member of the United Nations (UN) in 1992.
VI | HISTORY |
Tradition has it that in ad 301 a Christian stonecutter named
Marinus from the island of Rab, off the coast of Dalmatia, came to the city of
Rimini. Marinus soon took refuge on nearby Mount Titano, where he gathered a
small group of Christians seeking escape from religious persecution. With the
passage of time, Marinus was venerated as Saint Marinus (or San Marino in
Italian), and his community developed the institutions of a small state. At
first, San Marino’s economic insignificance and isolated location was a source
of safety from invasion. Later, however, it became the target of Hungarian,
Saracen, and Norman attacks. As a result, fortifications were built on the peaks
of Mount Titano.
During the 11th century, San Marino became a
commune and extended its sway over nearby territories. The feudal bishops of
Montefeltro and Rimini opposed San Marino’s growing power, but in the 13th
century San Marino’s independence was recognized by the papacy and the powerful
dukes of Urbino. San Marino was seized by Italian soldier Cesare Borgia in 1503
but soon regained its freedom. In 1631, when the Papal States had surrounded the
tiny republic, San Marino’s independence was reaffirmed by Pope Urban VIII.
French general Napoleon Bonaparte (later Napoleon I), who invaded Italy in 1796,
also respected San Marino’s independence, which was confirmed by the Congress of
Vienna in 1815.
During Italy’s struggle for unification, San
Marino gave refuge to many famous exiles and fugitives—notably Giuseppe
Garibaldi, his wife, and his aides—after the fall of the Roman Republic in 1849.
In 1851 an Austro-Vatican force entered San Marino to arrest some former members
of the Roman assembly. San Marino has had a treaty of cooperation and friendship
with Italy since 1862. The necessity for friendly relations with Italy has
generally made it impractical for San Marinese policies to deviate significantly
from Italian interests.
Politics in San Marino often follow patterns
in Italy, although unlike its larger neighbor, San Marino declared its
neutrality in World War II. From 1945 to 1957 the republic was ruled by a
moderate coalition of communists and socialists. In 1957 the Christian
Democratic Party, aided by communist dissidents, took control of the government.
In 1978 a coalition led by communists again came to power. The 1983 election
left control in leftist hands, but in July 1986 a new Christian
Democrat-Communist coalition was formed. From 1992 to 2000 a center-left
coalition of Christian Democrats and Socialists governed San Marino. In 2000 the
Socialists withdrew from the government, and a new multiparty coalition led by
the Christian Democrats assumed power.
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