What is the world’s oldest country?
This question is not as easy to answer as you might think. We need to discuss what a country actually is, the differences between empires, civilisations, and countries, and then find a place that fits this definition.
In this episode I want to introduce you all to a country that I think could be considered the oldest in the world. You might disagree with me, but I think it is an interesting story in any case!
Along the way, we will learn some useful vocabulary.
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Vocabulary
- Sovereignty (Noun): The power of a country to govern itself without being controlled by another country.
- After many years of war, the country finally gained full sovereignty.
- Civilisation (Noun): A society with its own culture, laws, and way of life that has existed for a long time.
- Ancient Egypt was one of the world’s earliest civilisations.
- Constitution (Noun): A set of rules or laws that explains how a country is governed.
- The United States has one of the most famous written constitutions in the world.
- State (Noun): A political area with its own government and laws, like a country.
- Japan is a modern state with a long history and strong economy.
- Independent (Adjective): Free and not controlled by another country or authority.
- India became independent from British rule in 1947.
- Monastic (Adjective): Related to monks or religious communities who live quiet, simple lives.
- San Marino was started as a small monastic community on a mountain.
Old Countries, Empires, and Civilisations
Which country is the oldest in the world?
Most people would probably say Egypt, China, Iran, or maybe Japan. These are undoubtedly very old civilisations, but I don’t know if we can say these have been the same country throughout their entire histories.
I mean this in the sense of a country being a continuous, stable, political thing. The civilisation and people may be ancient, but the society and country may be younger.
In fact, trying to decide the age of a country is really difficult. If we focus on “civilisational” age, then China or Egypt probably have the oldest civilisations.
But is ancient China really the same country as modern China? Compared to the Ming Dystany or the Song Dynasty, the modern People’s Republic of China has a different political system, different types of leaders, different ideologies, and a different way of seeing itself.
Here’s another example. Is the Roman Empire the same thing as modern Italy? I’d say no. It is completely different politically.
The other option for measuring a countries age is to think about continuous and stable political sovereignty. Having the same constitution, the same political system and institutions, and having a relatively stable identity for a long time.
I’m from the UK, so let’s think about the UK for a second. I would argue that England as a political thing dates from the 10th century (so is about 1000 years old), but the modern UK in its current form dates from 1927. This is when most of Ireland left the old United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).
So… let me ask the question again. Which country is the oldest in the world?
In my opinion (which you might all disagree with), the oldest country in the world is a tiny, quiet European country. It is a country so small that most people forget it exists, yet so old that it has survived for over 1,700 years without major changes.
That country is San Marino.
San Marino is a microstate (meaning it is tiny) and it is located inside Italy. It is just 61 square kilometres in size and has about 34,000 people living there.
Despite its small size, San Marino is a fully independent republic with its own government, military, and foreign policy. And has been independent for 1700 years.
What is a Country?
Before I talk more about San Marino, let’s think about a basic but important question: what is a country?
If we want to be accurate, we should actually say “sovereign state” instead of country. Country is a slightly general or informal term that can lead to some confusion (like the fact the United Kingdom is one country made up of four different countries). So, political scientists say sovereign state to avoid this confusion.
Sovereignty is probably the key idea when talking about countries. Sovereignty (or being sovereign) means having full control over your own territory, laws, and decisions. A sovereign country is not ruled by another state.
Most modern definitions of sovereign state include a few key things.
First, it must have a defined territory. This means land with clear borders. Second, it needs a permanent population. People must live there permanently. Third, it must have a government that controls what happens inside its borders. And finally, it usually needs to be recognized by other countries around the world.
Things get a little bit confusing when we think about places that meet some, but not all of these conditions. Places like Taiwan, Palestine, and Kosovo. They have land, people, and governments, but not all other countries recognize them.
Over time, the idea of a “country” has changed. In the past, many parts of the world were made up of empires, kingdoms, or city-states. These were not the same thing as the modern nation-states we think of today.
For example, 1,000 years ago, Europe was full of small regions ruled by local lords or religious leaders, not modern governments.
So, when we are thinking about the oldest countries, I’d argue that should look at a place that has stayed politically independent, with its own government and traditions, for an extremely long time.
And I think San Marino fits this definition.
The History of San Marino
San Marino’s history starts in 301 AD, during the Roman Empire.
According to legend, a Christian stonemason named Marinus fled from the city of Rimini to escape religious persecution. At that time, Christianity was still illegal in the Roman Empire, and Christians were often punished for their beliefs.
Marinus climbed Mount Titano, a steep mountain in central Italy, and built a small monastic community. A monastic community is a religious group of people living together, separated from the world.
This community would eventually become the Republic of San Marino.
This makes San Marino over 1,700 years old, and some historians argue it has remained independent and self-governing ever since. If true, that would make it the oldest surviving republic in the world.
San Marino’s survival is quite remarkable. While Europe experienced massive changes, the fall of the Roman Empire, the rise of kingdoms and empires, wars, invasions, and unifications, San Marino stayed independent.
One reason it lasted so long is its small size and mountainous location. It was easy to defend and often ignored by powerful rulers. But San Marino also made smart choices. For example, during the time of Napoleon, the French emperor offered to give San Marino more land. San Marino refused, saying they preferred to stay small and independent.
Later, during Italian unification in the 1800s, most of the smaller states in Italy were absorbed into the new Kingdom of Italy. But San Marino was allowed to remain independent.
It had given refuge and safety to Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of the leaders of the unification movement. As a reward, Italy respected San Marino’s independence.
Even during World War II, San Marino stayed officially neutral. Although it was surrounded by Fascist Italy, it continued to exist as an independent state.
San Marino also uses the oldest written constitution in the world. Its constitution was written in the year 1600. It is considered the oldest written constitution still in use anywhere in the world.
Why Could San Marino Be the Oldest Country?
As I mentioned at the beginning of the episode, there are a few different ways to measure the age of a country.
You could look at when the country was first founded. You could look at how long it has been independent. Or you could think about whether its government structure or name has stayed the same over time.
By these standards, San Marino has a pretty strong claim to being the oldest country in the world.
First, it was founded in 301 AD. This is before Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Over 1,700 years ago. It has stayed in the same location, kept the same name, and most importantly maintained its sovereignty throughout that entire time.
Second, it has been self-governing for almost its entire history. It didn’t become a colony, join an empire, or get taken over by a kingdom. While it was sometimes influenced by bigger powers, it never lost control of its own affairs. This makes it very different from other ancient places.
For example, China is often considered one of the world’s oldest civilizations, but modern China has had many changes in government: dynasties, empires, civil wars, and revolutions. The United Kingdom has existed in different forms too, and only fully unified in the 18th century. Japan has had the same royal family for a long time, but the country itself has changed dramatically, especially in the 19th century and after World War II.
San Marino, on the other hand, has kept many of its traditions and political systems unchanged. It still uses a constitution that was written in the year 1600.
Of course, not everyone agrees. Some argue that other nations have longer cultural or political traditions, even if their modern governments are newer. Others say San Marino was too small or too dependent on bigger neighbours to truly be “independent.”
In any case, I think San Marino is fascinating.
Final Thought
In my opinion, San Marino is the oldest country. I mean this in the sense that modern San Marino is relatively similar in politics and structure to when it was originally founded.
Of course, there will have been changes and evolutions, but unlike other old countries San Marino has not undergone rapid radical change, revolution, colonisation, etc.
However, I’m aware that this may be controversial. You may think that China, Egypt, Iran, Japan, or France is older.
But I’d argue that each of these countries has had radical change that makes the age of the modern sovereign state questionable.
Iran was colonised and conquered by the Greeks, Arabs, Mongols, and Turks, each time bringing massive political and cultural change. And then the major revolution in 1979 completely shifted the entire political system.
No one really knows when Japan exactly became a unified country (as the early history is a mix of myth and fact), and then the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and the new constitution after WW2 completely changed the country.
And while China has had a continuous culture for thousands of years, the sovereign state of China has been interrupted by conquest, civil wars, and political revolutions.
During this time, San Marino has peacefully and quietly remained an independent republic, with no wars, conquests, or revolutions.
What do you think? Which country do you think is the oldest?
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