Geography of San Marino

San Marino is a very small country in Europe. It is completely surrounded by Italy, so it has no coastline and is called an enclave. It is the third smallest independent country in Europe, after the Vatican City and Monaco.

The land of San Marino is mostly made up of the Apennines mountains. It is located at 43°56′N 12°28′E / 43.94°N 12.46°E / 43.94; 12.46 and covers an area of just 61.2 km² (23.6 sq mi). Because it is hilly and mountainous, only a small part of the land can be used for farming.

Several rivers run through San Marino. The biggest ones are the Ausa, the Marano, and the San Marino River. Even though it is tiny, San Marino has its own government.

Climate

San Marino has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm summers and cool winters. Because it is inland, it can snow in winter, especially at higher altitudes.

Political geography

Main article: List of cities in San Marino

San Marino is divided into 9 areas called municipalities. These areas are:

• Acquaviva
• Borgo Maggiore
• Chiesanuova
• Domagnano
• Faetano
• Fiorentino
• Montegiardino
• City of San Marino (Città di San Marino), the capital town
• Serravalle

Protected areas

San Marino does not have special protected areas. But it follows important international agreements to help protect plants and animals.

San Marino has laws to protect its trees. It is against the law to cut down any tree larger than 10 centimetres (about 4 inches) around. Even though San Marino is small, many areas are covered with trees like oaks. Some places have shrubs and bushes, and only a small part has rivers.