San Marino

San Marino is an old place- the official date of independence from the Roman Empire is September 3rd, 301.


San Marino is a constitutional republic. The constitution was put in place in 1600 and modified in 1926.

In the early 19th Century, Giuseppe Garibaldi allowed San Marino to remain independent during the unification of Italy.
They have a strong military tradition and one of the smallest military forces in the world.

The military is actually mainly ceremonial. The Italian army is actually charged with protecting San Marino.

During WWII, San Marino initially declared was on Britain, then when Italy declared surrender San Marino declared neutrality. In September 1944 San Marino declared war on Germany.


FYI: San Marino does not have a US Embassy nor does the US have a San Marino Embassy.

Secretary Rice meets with The Honorable Fiorenzo Stolfi, Secretary for Foreign and Political Affairs and
for Economic Planning of the Republic of San Marino and President of the Council of Europe.

The Roman Catholic Church is the main religion.