Which European country is home to the world's oldest surviving republic?

Which European country is home to the world's oldest surviving republic? San Marino. The tiny Republic of San Marino is widely recognized as the world's oldest surviving sovereign state and oldest constitutional republic.

According to San Marino's traditional founding story, the Christian stonemason Marinus established a community on Monte Titano in AD 301. Historians treat parts of this account cautiously, but documentary evidence confirms a self-governing community there by the Middle Ages. San Marino's claim is therefore rooted in both an ancient foundation tradition and unusually continuous political independence.

Its Arengo, an assembly of heads of families, served as an early governing institution. The office of the two Captains Regent, who jointly serve as heads of state, was established in 1243. San Marino's earliest surviving statutes date from 1263, and the Holy See formally recognized its independence in 1631.

The country is completely surrounded by Italy and covers just over 61 square kilometres. It is sometimes confused with Vatican City, which is newer as a sovereign state, or Monaco, a principality rather than a republic.