San Marino

Full name	Republic of San Marino.
Capital City	San Marino.
Language	Italian.
Currency	Euro.
Religion	Roman Catholic.
National Anthem	"Inno Nazionale".
Newspaper	La Tribuna Sanmarinese and San Marino Oggi.
Places to Visit	La Rocca, Palazzo Publico and State Museum.
Transport	Roadwaysbuses ply from all over Italy to this mountain destination; also self-driving is another option. Sometimes there are nine daily buses shuttling between San Marino and Rimini.
Shopping	antique swords; minted coins; and postage stamps.

Introduction
Though San Marino is the third smallest independent nation in Europe only after Monaco and Vatican City, it is the oldest European nation; being founded sometime in 301 AD. The country takes its name from its founder Marinus, a stonemason; who founded the country as a refuge for Christians, after he fled from Island of Arbe which was under the power of Emperor Diocletian, an anti-Christian Roman emperor.

Physical Map of San Marino :
A small mountain land mass completely engulfed within Italy, it happens to be Europe's third smallest independent country. San Marino is positioned on the Appennines Mountains; the largest section of the country falling on the sides and the peak of Mt. Titano. The Mt.Titano, has three peaks, each of which are fortified on top. At the bottom of the slopes of the mountains, are plain; most of which are dedicated to agriculture. Climate of San Marino : the prevalent clime of the country is Mediterranean. So, the summers are warm and sunny and the winter months are pleasantly cool. Rainfall through the year is also quite reasonable with the average annual precipitation ranging between 55 and 80 cm.

Location of San Marino :
The Republic of San Marino is situated atop the mountain of Titano, which is a part of the Appennines Mountains in the country of Italy. Italy completely encircles this tiny nation which measures no more than 24 Square Miles.

Flag of San Marino :
Officially adopted in the year 1862, the rectangular flag of San Marino is dominated by two colors: white and light blue (top to bottom). The two colors appear in horizontal stripes, equal in width. The color blue stands for the sky while white signifies the snow-capped Mt. Titano. At the center of the flag, sprawling across both colors is the country's insignia which is in the form of a shield which is bordered by two laurel leaves on two sides. Within the shield are three towers atop three peaks. Beneath the shield is a scroll with the word "Libertas" etched on it. The entire coat of arms is surmounted by a crown.

Flora and Fauna of San Marino :

Flora : San Marino shares its variety of flora with the northeast of the country of Italy. The Mediterranean clime sees to the fact that there is an abundance of vineyards and olive groves. However, the other types of plants to be found are ash, beech, yew, pine, oak, fir, maple and wild oak; aside of tropical flowers like bougainvillea.

Fauna : the fauna of the Republic of San Marino has similarity with that of the fauna of Italy too. The commonly spotted species are badger, porcupine, hare, fox and squirrel.

People of San Marino :
There are only two ethnic races in San Marino. They are the Sammarinese and Italians. They are a peace loving race who adheres strongly to their ethnic roots. They are also some of the staunchest Christians.

Arts, Culture and Music of San Marino :

Art : the country of San Marino prides itself in being home of the most important Renaissance and Baroque art. Art too is dominantly Italian in nature. The country also boasts of a number of fabulous sculptures that are scattered all over the country's public places. The traditional art forms of san Marino, however, are stone carving, coin minting and ceramics.

Culture : the culture of San Marino is uniform and homogenous. It is predominately Italian. The culture is termed as Sammarinese. For this reason the country is also called "La Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino" which means 'Most Serene Republic of San Marino'. This title in itself says a lot about the culture of the country.

Music : the only wide music in the country is its national anthem. However, San Marino being closely linked to Italy, shares some of its musical traits.

Economy of San Marino :
Small as it may be, the mountain-nation of San Marino has quite an impressive economy for a country whose only naturally available resource is building stone. In the agricultural sector, the main products are corn, olives, grapes and wheat. It is, however, its industries like banking, electronics and textiles that rakes in the most revenues. Tourism too is a big player. Exports from the country include ceramics, building stone, wood, lime, wheat, chestnuts, wine, baked goods and hides.