Travel the World - Week 16

This is the 16th week in my Travel the World personal challenge. Each week I am randomly choosing one country (there are 195 countries in the world) and doing a little research on that country. I then select one tidbit of information about the country as inspiration for the card I make.

This week's country is...

San Marino

San Marino is a small enclave completely surrounded by Italy.

Geographically San Marino is the third smallest state in Europe, and the landlocked nation also claims to be the world’s oldest republic.

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

The only countries in the world that have a smaller land area than San Marino are: The Vatican state, Monaco, Nauru, and Tuvalu. Thus, San Marino is the world’s fifth smallest country.

In area, the country is one-third the size of Washington, DC.

During his presidency, Abraham Lincoln was offered honorary citizenship of San Marino, which he accepted wholeheartedly.

With over 100 unique sculptures in a small area, San Marino has some very amazing works of art, the most famous of which is the Lady of Liberty located in front of the city hall.

San Marino is one of the densely populated countries in the world.

There is just 292 km (181.44 miles) of paved roads in the country.

With no public airport, no trains, and no way to approach the country via boat, you pretty much have to come through Italy to enter San Marino. They did briefly have a train line. In 1932, a train line (which involved several tunnels, due to the mountainous terrain) opened that ran from the Italian city of Rimini to San Marino. Sadly, the railway was destroyed during World War II and never rebuilt.

In 2017, San Marino received the title of ‘Least Visited Country in Europe‘, after just 60,000 international tourists ventured here.

Mount Titano is a central focal point in the country and boasts 3 peaks. Mount Titano is the highest point in the immediate area and gives San Marino the amazing views it is known for, stretching all the way to the Adriatic Sea. Each of Mount Titano’s peaks holds one of San Marino’s three towers, Guaita, Cesta, and Montale. Montale is privately owned and inaccessible to tourists, however, you can climb both Guaita and Cesta on your trip to San Marino. They boast incredible views of both the surrounding countryside and each other.

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

The piadina, a thin Italian flatbread, is a common dish in San Marino. Found in specialized food stands called piadinerie, the piadina consists of thin bread filled with cheeses, meats and/or vegetables or with sweet fillings such as jam or chocolate spread.

San Marino is known for the its Torta Tre Monti (“Cake of the Three Mountains” or “Cake of the Three Towers”), a cake of layered wafers covered in chocolate depicting the Three Towers of San Marino.

The last battle in which San Marino actively participated was in 1463.

San Marino depends on Italy for its defense as the country does not have its own deference forces. They however have a small military of their own but nothing to fight in the event of a war or dispute.

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.

Electricity in San Marino is imported from Italy via electrical grid.

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

I decided to let this San Marino fact be the inspiration for this week's card... San Marino is the only country in the world with more vehicles than people. There were 1263 vehicles for every 1000 people in the country in 2010.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Unity All Cylinders stamped with Catherine Pooler Midnight Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Paper: Recollections Black and Ivory and SU Pacific Point CS and American Crafts DP

Embellishments: Gina Marie Designs Glitter Enamel Dots