Did you know that there can be a country within a country?
Right from school we are taught that countries are formed of many states and states are made of cities. But did you know that there can be a country, within a country too? Well, in terms of national and international borders, when a state or country that is entirely encircled by another state or country, it is known as an enclave. Therefore, the only method to reach an enclave is by travelling through the engulfing nation. You’ll also notice that most enclaves are formed following political, cultural, or social divisions based on race or ethnicity. Let’s explore some exciting examples of such enclaves and their history.
The Kingdom of Lesotho
Lesotho, also referred to as the Kingdom of Lesotho, is an enclave in South Africa. It is the largest of the three enclave countries that exist in the world and is surrounded by South African territory. It was established under the reign of King Moshoeshoe in 1833 and covers an area of 30,355 sq. kms. An approximate 2,084,000 Basotho people (a South African tribe) reside here, and they primarily communicate in the Sesotho language. Around 90% of the population follows Christianity.
Earlier known as Basutoland, the enclave saw various rulers, including King Moshoeshoe (1822–1868), British colonists, Dutch colonists, and Boers (South Africans of Dutch and German origin).
After the Free State-Basotho War between Moshoeshoe and Boers (1867–1868), Queen Victoria granted Moshoeshoe’s request to turn Basutoland into a British protectorate. Lesotho was eventually declared the British Crown Colony of Basutoland from 1884 until its independence in 1966. Lesotho is currently a member of the United Nations and a fully sovereign state.
San Marino
San Marino, located six miles from Italy’s Adriatic coast at Rimini, is an enclave within the Italian territory. This is the fifth-smallest country in the world, with an area of just 61 sq. km. and a population of 33,700 people. People here primarily speak Italian. Established by Saint Marinus in 301 AD, initially, its only territorial area was Mount Titano. It was in the mid-1400s that the Italian leader Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta tried to conquer towns around Rome and San Marino acquired some castles around it. As gratitude for their help during this battle, that Pope Pius II (1458–1464) gifted castles and villages of Fiorentino, Montegiardino and Serravalle to San Marino in 1463. After this, the Republic of San Marino’s boundaries were finalised in 1463, as we see it today.
Vatican City
Within the Italian city of Rome, there is a city–state and enclave called Vatican City. It is only 44 hectares (0.44 sq. km) and is the world’s least populated country (~800 people). The smallest nation among the three enclaves, the Vatican is home to priests and nuns from all over the world. This country is entirely encircled by one Italian city, Rome.
After St. Peter’s Basilica was constructed over the remains of St. Peter, Vatican City officially became the capital of the Catholic Church in the 4th century CE. Popes who resided in the Vatican earlier had power over the territory, known as the Papal States. However, the Italian government seized the Papal States, other than the Vatican’s territories, in 1870, which started a dispute that continued for 60-long years.
Finally, in 1929, The Lateran Treaty (between Pope Pius XI and the Kingdom of Italy under King Victor Emmanuel III) affirmed Vatican City’s sovereign independence. Post-independence, the pope of the Catholic Church and the bishop of Rome were made in charge of this theocracy.