San Marino

 
Pronunciation: /məˈriːnəʊ/
  • a republic forming a small enclave in Italy, near Rimini; population 30,200 (est. 2009); official language, Italian; capital, the town of San Marino. It is perhaps Europe’s oldest state, claiming to have been independent almost continuously since its foundation in the 4th century.

Origin:

said to be named after Marino, a Dalmatian stonecutter who fled there to escape the persecution of Christians under Diocletian