San Marino

Interesting Facts About San Marino

• San Marino claims to be the oldest extant sovereign state and the oldest constitutional republic, founded in AD 301
• The country is completely surrounded by Italy and covers just over 61 square kilometres, making it the fifth-smallest country in the world
• San Marino has a unique constitutional structure where two Captains Regent, chosen from opposing political parties, serve as heads of state for six-month terms with equal powers
• 97.2% of the population professed the Catholic faith in 2011, tracing back to the country's founding when Saint Marinus established a monastic community to protect Christians from Roman persecution
• The Sammarinese dialect of Romagnol is also spoken in the country, mainly by the elderly, though it is considered an endangered language
• Several notable athletes from San Marino have achieved Olympic medals, including Alessandra Perilli (silver and bronze medalist in shooting at Tokyo 2020) and Gian Marco Berti (silver medalist in shooting at Tokyo 2020)
• Valentina Monetta, born in San Marino in 1975, represented her country four times in the Eurovision Song Contest as a singer

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