Ever wondered which is the oldest nation in the world? We have found out the answer for you. If a panel of historians and geologists are to be believed, the Republic of San Marino, one of the world’s smallest countries, is also the world’s oldest country. This tiny landlocked country is completely surrounded by Italy and was founded on September 3rd way back in the year 301 BCE. A monastery at the top of Mount Titano, likely the center of the community, was constructed in sixth century BCE. However, the nation wasn’t recognized as independent until CE 1631 by the pope, who controlled much of central Italy politically at the time.
What helped its sustained independence was San Marino’s isolated position amid fortresses in high, mountainous terrain. It also boasts of the world’s oldest constitution. San Marino’s constitution, written in the year 1600, happens to be the world’s oldest.
Tourism dominates the economy of the 61 square kilometre (23.6 square miles) republic, which plays host to more than three million visitors every year.
Postage stamps and coins – keenly sought by collectors – are important sources of revenue.
Here are a few facts about San Marino:
1.Republic of San Marino
2.Capital: San Marino
3.Population 33,400
4.Area 61.2 sq km (23.6 sq miles)
5.Major language Italian
6.Major religion Christianity
7.Life expectancy 78 years (men), 85 years (women)
8.Currency euro
A Little History of the Nation
A stonemason, Marinus, who would eventually become a saint, came from his home in what is now Croatia to escape persecution for his Christian beliefs and founded the country as a republic. Its Statute of 1600, which functions as a de facto constitution in a country that doesn’t officially have one, was the first such document in the world. While San Marino is fairly unique now as a microstate, it reflects a long tradition of small city-states in Europe.
PNN/Agencies