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San Marino

Republic of San Marino


The Republic of San Marino is one of the two microstates surrounded by Italy. It is also the oldest existing representative republic and the European state with the smallest population, excluding the Vatican City. It is landlocked in the northern Apennine Mountains, and only 10 km from the Adriatic coast. Its name derives from Saint Marinus, a stonemason from the Roman island of Rab in present-day Croatia. He founded an independent monastic community on Monte Titano in 301 AD, which later became the microstate. It is with Italy using Euro as currency, but still has its own currency called Scudo, one Scudo is worth € 37.50. They still mint gold coins denominated in Scudi, mostly as collector items.

While the country has the same geology as neighbouring Italy, with limestone as well as gypsum, there is no cave which is open to the public. But as the city exists since centuries, there are numerous subterranea, and at the moment we know of one which is open to the public.