50 Interesting Facts About San Marino

Last updated on January 12th, 2022

34. A commemorative stamp starring 92-year-old Granny Isetta, who could remember all four Italian football championship titles since 1934, was issued by San Marino, marking the Italian victory in FIFA World Cup 2006.

35. San Marino is the only surviving Italian microstate.

36. The statutes of 1600, the first legal documents mentioning San Marino’s institutional organs are misunderstood to be the world’s oldest written constitution.

37. Until 1463, the land area of San Marino consisted only of Mount Titano.

38. Foreign militaries took control of San Marino for three times in the history, however briefly.

39. Abraham Lincoln, the then president of the United States, was offered honorary citizenship of San Marino, which the president accepted wholeheartedly.

40. During the World War I, Italy, suspended all telephone connections with San Marino, suspecting that it could harbor Austrian spies who could be given access to its new radiotelegraph station.

Related: Interesting facts about Slovenia

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41. In 1940, a false claim was made by press that San Marino had declared war on Britain. It is also said that on account of this false information, the British Royal Air Force bombed the country causing damage to railways and killing 63 civilians. The British government however later regretted their action.

42. During the Battle of Rimini, the country also sheltered almost 100,000 refugees. Interesting to note here is the fact that the country only had a population of 15,000 people at that time.

43. The country is also the world’s only nation to witness a communist government which was democratically elected into power.

44. Despite competing in 12 summers and 7 winter Olympics, San Marino never won a medal.

45. The first international football win came to the country when they beat Liechtenstein 1-0 in 2004.

46. Foreign visitors are not required to show their passport while entering San Marino from Italy.

47. The three towers on the flag of San Marino represent the three towers on Mt. Titano. The towers are included on the flag because of their strategic importance in the defense of the country throughout its history.

48. A large number of Italians live in San Marino.    

49. San Marino has had the highest number of female head of state than any other country.

50. San Marino is entirely composed of hilly terrain and has no flat ground.

San Marino – country at a glance