Blink and you'll miss it

I know it's just the beginning of fall, but I could do with a bit of mild weather right now.

photo by Fidel Angelov

As the foundation of the oldest constitutional republic in the world, San Marino's constitution, dating back to 1600, is the world's oldest written constitution still in effect. (Which puts us 1787'ers a bit behind.)

For over 1700 years, San Marino has held its own as an enclave within the boundaries of Italy, on the border between the region of Emilia Romagna and Marche in the Apennines mountain range. The highest point in the country, Monte Titano, is situated at 2,457 ft above sea level. There are no bodies of water of any significant size. San Marino is the third-smallest country in Europe, with only Vatican City and Monaco being smaller. The climate is Mediterranean, with warm summers and mild winters.

From further reading wikipedia, I see that one of the ways San Marino seems to have survived so long is that it engendered sympathy from fellow republicans and chose sides well (and late) in the major conflicts of history. Oh, and its relative poverty made it an unsubstantial prize for would-be conquerors.