San Marino is a small landlocked country with an area of about 61.2 km2 (23.6 sq mi) on a rocky promontory at an elevation of 657 meters (2,156 ft) in central Italy. It is the third smallest country after Vatican and Monaco. It was founded as a Republic in 600 AD and recognized by the Papacy in 1631, and became a member of the United Nations in 1992. As of 2009, it had a population of 31,500. The ethnic composition is about 84.95% Sammarinese, 14.6% Italians and others. The country does not provide exact statistics of the religious affiliations of its people. However, it is inferred that at least 95% of the people are Catholics, as in Italy, but with a historical Jewish and Protestant minority. There are other small groups, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Waldensians. San Marino's schools a