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San Marino

Region: Europe

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Introduction

Background
Geographically the third smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and Monaco), San Marino also claims to be the world's oldest republic. According to tradition, it was founded by a Christian stonemason named MARINUS in A.D. 301. San Marino's foreign policy is aligned with that of the European Union, although it is not a member; social and political trends in the republic track closely with those of its larger neighbor, Italy.

Geography

Location
Southern Europe, an enclave in central Italy
Geographic coordinates
43 46 N, 12 25 E
Map references
Europe
Area
total: 61 sq km
land: 61 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative
about one third times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries
total: 39 km
border countries: Italy 39 km
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Climate
Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers
Terrain
rugged mountains
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Torrente Ausa 55 m
highest point: Monte Titano 755 m
Natural resources
building stone
Land use
arable land: 16.67%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 83.33% (2011)
Irrigated land
NA
Natural hazards
NA
Environment - current issues
air pollution; urbanization decreasing rural farmlands
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution
Geography - note
landlocked; smallest independent state in Europe after the Holy See and Monaco; dominated by the Apennines

People and Society

Nationality
noun: Sammarinese (singular and plural)
adjective: Sammarinese
Ethnic groups
Sammarinese, Italian
Languages
Italian
Religions
Roman Catholic
Population
32,742 (July 2014 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 16% (male 2,779/female 2,445)
15-24 years: 10.9% (male 1,822/female 1,733)
25-54 years: 42.4% (male 6,552/female 7,328)
55-64 years: 12% (male 1,957/female 1,957)
65 years and over: 18.5% (male 2,756/female 3,413) (2014 est.)
Median age
total: 43.6 years
male: 42.6 years
female: 44.4 years (2014 est.)
Population growth rate
0.87% (2014 est.)
Birth rate
8.7 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
Death rate
8.31 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
Net migration rate
8.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 94.1% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 0.65% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2014 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 4.52 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 83.18 years
male: 80.64 years
female: 85.94 years (2014 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.49 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Health expenditures
7.2% of GDP (2010)
Physicians density
4.88 physicians/1,000 population (2011)
Hospital bed density
3.9 beds/1,000 population (2011)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
Education expenditures
NA
Literacy
definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 96%
male: 97%
female: 95%
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 15 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2011)

Government

Country name
conventional long form: Republic of San Marino
conventional short form: San Marino
local long form: Repubblica di San Marino
local short form: San Marino
Government type
republic
Capital
name: San Marino
geographic coordinates: 43 56 N, 12 25 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions
9 municipalities (castelli, singular - castello); Acquaviva, Borgo Maggiore, Chiesanuova, Domagnano, Faetano, Fiorentino, Montegiardino, San Marino Citta, Serravalle
Independence
3 September 301
National holiday
Founding of the Republic, 3 September (A.D. 301)
Constitution
consists of several legislative instruments, chief among them the Statutes (Leges Statuti) of 1600 and the Declaration of Citizen Rights of 1974; latter document amended 2000, 2002 (2013)
Legal system
civil law system with Italian civil law influences
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state: Co-chiefs of State Captain Regent Valeria CIAVATTA and Captain Regent Luca BECCARI (for the period 1 April-1 October 2014)
head of government: Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs Pasquale VALENTINI (since 5 December 2012)
cabinet: Congress of State elected by the Great and General Council for a five-year term
elections: co-chiefs of state (captains regent) elected by the Grand and General Council for a six-month term; election last held in March 2014 (next to be held in Septermber 2014); secretary of state for foreign and political affairs elected by the Grand and General Council for a five-year term; election last held on 11 November 2012 (next to be held by November 2017)
election results: Anna Maria MUCCIOLI and Gian Carlo CAPICCHIONI elected captains regent; percent of legislative vote - NA; Pasquale VALENTINI elected secretary of state for foreign and political affairs; percent of legislative vote - NA
note: the popularly elected parliament (Grand and General Council) selects two of its members to serve as the captains regent (co-chiefs of state) for a six-month period; they preside over meetings of the Grand and General Council and its cabinet (Congress of State), which has nine other members, all are selected by the Grand and General Council; assisting the captains regent are nine secretaries of state; the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs has some prime ministerial roles
Legislative branch
unicameral Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande e Generale (60 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 November 2012 (next to be held by November 2017)
election results: percent of vote by party - San Marino Common Good coalition (San Marino Bene Comune) 50.7% (PDCS 29.5%, PSD 14.3%, AP 6.7%), Entente for the Country coalition (Intesa per Il Paese) 22.3% (PS 12.1%, UPR 8.4%, USDM 1.7%), Active Citizenry coalition (Cittadinanza Attiva) 16.1% (SU 9.1%, Civic 10 6.7%), Civic Movement R.E.T.E. 6.3%, For San Marino 2.8%, San Marino 3.0 1.8%; seats by party - San Marino Common Good coalition 35 (PDCS 21, PSD 10, AP 4), Entente for the Country coalition 12 (PS 7, UPR 5), Active Citizenry 9 (SU 5, Civic 10 4), Civic Movement R.E.T.E. 4
Judicial branch
highest court(s): Council of Twelve or Consiglio dei XII (consists of 12 members)
note - the College of Guarantors for the Constitutionality and General Norms functions as San Marino's constitutional court
judge selection and term of office: judges elected by the Grand and General Council from among its own to serve 5-year terms
subordinate courts: first instance and first appeal criminal, administrative, and civil courts; justices of the peace or conciliatory judges
Political parties and leaders
San Marino Common Good: Christian Democrats or PDCS [Marco GATTI]
Party of Socialists and Democrats or PSD [Gerardo GIOVAGNOLI]
Popular Alliance or AP [Stefano PALMIERI]
Entente for the Country: Socialist Party or PS [Augusto CASALI]
Union for the Republic or UPR [Giovanni LONFERNINI]
Sammarinese Union of Moderates or USDM [Romeo MORRI and Glauco SANSOVINI]
Active Citizenship: United Left or SU [Alessandro ROSSI]
Civic 10 [Mateo CIACCI]
other: Civic Movement R.E.T.E. (Network) [Gloria ARCANGELONI]
For San Marino [Emilio DELLA BALDA]
San Marino 3.0 [Simone DELLA VALLE]
Political pressure groups and leaders
NA
International organization participation
CE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Schengen Convention (de facto member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Paolo RONDELLI (since 16 July 2007)
chancery: 1711 N Street NW, 2nd floor, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: 202-223-2418
FAX: 202-223-2748
Diplomatic representation from the US
the US does not have an embassy in San Marino; the ambassador to Italy is accredited to San Marino
Flag description
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the main colors derive from the shield of the coat of arms, which features three white towers on three peaks on a blue field; the towers represent three castles built on San Marino's highest feature, Mount Titano: Guaita, Cesta, and Montale; the coat of arms is flanked by a wreath, below a crown and above a scroll bearing the word LIBERTAS (Liberty); the white and blue colors are also said to stand for peace and liberty respectively
National symbol(s)
three peaks each displaying a tower
National anthem
name: "Inno Nazionale della Repubblica" (National Anthem of the Republic)
lyrics/music: none/Federico CONSOLO
note: adopted 1894; the music for the lyric-less anthem is based on a 10th century chorale piece

Economy

Economy - overview
San Marino's economy relies heavily on tourism, the banking industry and the manufacture and export of ceramics, clothing, fabrics, furniture, paints, spirits, tiles, and wine. The manufacturing and financial sectors account for more than half of San Marino's GDP. The per capita level of output and standard of living are comparable to those of the most prosperous regions of Italy. The economy benefits from foreign investment due to its relatively low corporate taxes and low taxes on interest earnings. The income tax rate is also very low, about one-third the average EU level. San Marino does not issue public debt securities; when necessary, it finances deficits by drawing down central bank deposits. San Marino's economy has been contracting since 2008, largely due to weakened demand from Italy - which accounts for nearly 90% of its export market - and financial sector consolidation. Difficulties in the banking sector, the recent global economic downturn, and the sizeable decline in tax revenues have contributed to negative real GDP growth. The government has adopted measures to counter the economic downturn, including subsidized credit to businesses and is seeking to shift its growth model away from a reliance on bank and tax secrecy. San Marino continues to work towards harmonizing its fiscal laws with EU and international standards. In September 2009, the OECD removed San Marino from its list of tax havens that have yet to fully adopt global tax standards, and in 2010 San Marino signed Tax Information Exchange Agreements with most major countries. In 2013 San Marino's Government signed a Double Taxation Agreement with Italy, but a referendum on EU membership failed to reach the quorum needed to bring it to a vote.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$1.306 billion (2013 est.)
$1.353 billion (2012 est.)
$1.409 billion (2011 est.)
note: data are in 2013 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate)
$1.866 billion (2013 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
-3.5% (2013 est.)
-4% (2012 est.)
-2.5% (2011 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$NA (2013 est.)
$55,000 (2012 est.)
$60,800 (2011 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
exports of goods and services: 176.6%
imports of goods and services: -153.3%
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
agriculture: 0.1%
industry: 39.2%
services: 60.7% (2009)
Agriculture - products
wheat, grapes, corn, olives; cattle, pigs, horses, beef, cheese, hides
Industries
tourism, banking, textiles, electronics, ceramics, cement, wine
Industrial production growth rate
-1.1% (2012 est.)
Labor force
21,960 (September 2013)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture: 0.2%
industry: 33.5%
services: 66.3% (September 2013 es)
Unemployment rate
7% (2012)
5.5% (2011)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Population below poverty line
NA%
Budget
revenues: $667.7 million
expenditures: $721.8 million (2011)
Taxes and other revenues
35.8% of GDP (2011)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)
-2.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
Public debt
25.8% of GDP (2013 est.)
20.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.8% (2012 est.)
2% (2011)
Commercial bank prime lending rate
5.92% (31 December 2011 est.)
5.38% (31 December 2010 est.)
Stock of narrow money
$1.326 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of broad money
$4.584 billion (31 December 2007)
$4.584 billion
Stock of domestic credit
$8.822 billion (30 September 2010)
$8.008 billion (31 December 2009)
Market value of publicly traded shares
$NA
Exports
$3.827 billion (2011 est.)
$2.576 billion (2010 est.)
Exports - commodities
building stone, lime, wood, chestnuts, wheat, wine, baked goods, hides, ceramics
Exports - partners
Italy 82.3% (2012 est.)
Imports
$2.551 billion (2011 est.)
$2.132 billion (2010 est.)
Imports - commodities
wide variety of consumer manufactures, food, energy
Imports - partners
Italy 81.8% (2012 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$308.6 million (2012 est.)
$341.9 million (2011)
Debt - external
$NA
Exchange rates
euros (EUR) per US dollar -
0.7634 (2012 est.)
0.7752 (2011 est.)
0.755 (2010 est.)
0.7198 (2009 est.)
0.6827 (2008 est.)

Energy

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use
18,700 (2012)
Telephones - mobile cellular
36,000 (2011)
Telephone system
general assessment: automatic telephone system completely integrated into Italian system
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity 170 telephones per 100 persons
international: country code - 378; connected to Italian international network (2011)
Broadcast media
state-owned public broadcaster operates 1 TV station and 3 radio stations; receives radio and TV broadcasts from Italy (2012)
Internet country code
.sm
Internet hosts
11,015 (2012)
Internet users
17,000 (2009)

Transportation

Roadways
total: 292 km
paved: 292 km (2006)

Military

Military branches
no regular military forces; voluntary Military Corps (Corpi Militari) performs ceremonial duties and limited police support functions (2010)
Military service age and obligation
18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription; government has the authority to call up all San Marino citizens from 16-60 years of age to service in the military (2012)
Manpower available for military service
males age 16-49: 6,892 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 16-49: 5,565
females age 16-49: 6,067 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
male: 186
female: 166 (2010 est.)
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of Italy

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international
none

This country information was last updated on January 01, 1970.