Portal:Monaco

The Monaco Portal
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Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state and microstate in Western Europe. Situated on the French Riviera, it is a semi-enclave bordered by France to the north, east, and west, with the Mediterranean Sea to the south; the Italian region of Liguria is about 15 km (9.3 mi) east. With a population of 38,423 living in an area of 2.08 km² (0.80 sq mi), Monaco is the second smallest sovereign state in the world, after Vatican City, as well as the most densely populated. It also has the world's shortest national coastline of any non-landlocked nation, at 3.83 km (2.38 mi). Fewer than 10,000 of its residents are Monégasque nationals. While the official language of Monaco is French, Italian and Monégasque are also widely spoken and understood.

Monaco is governed under a form of semi-constitutional monarchy, with Prince Albert II as head of state, who holds substantial political powers. The prime minister, who is the head of government, can be either a Monégasque or French citizen; the monarch consults with the Government of France before an appointment. Key members of the judiciary are detached French magistrates. The House of Grimaldi has ruled Monaco, with brief interruptions, since 1297. The state's sovereignty was officially recognised by the Franco-Monégasque Treaty of 1861, with Monaco becoming a full United Nations voting member in 1993. Despite Monaco's independence and separate foreign policy, its defence is the responsibility of France, notwithstanding two small military units.

Monaco is recognised as one of the wealthiest and most expensive places in the world. Its economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with the opening of the state's first casino, the Monte Carlo Casino, and a rail connection to Paris. The country's mild climate, scenery, and gambling facilities contributed to its status as a tourist destination and recreation centre for the wealthy. Monaco has become a major banking centre and sought to diversify into the services sector and small, high-value-added, non-polluting industries. Monaco is a tax haven; it has no personal income tax (except for French citizens) and low business taxes. Over 30% of residents are millionaires, with real estate prices reaching €100,000 ($116,374) per square metre in 2018. Monaco is a global hub of money laundering, and in June 2024 the Financial Action Task Force placed Monaco under increased monitoring to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. (Full article...)

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Selected location article

The Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo is a luxury hotel in the heart of Monaco. It was built from 1890 to 1896 in the Belle Époque style by the architect Jean Marquet, with the participation of Gustave Eiffel. The hotel belongs to the Société des Bains de Mer. (Full article...)

List of articles

Selected pictures

Image 1Logo of the princely government of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 2Japanese Gardens (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 3Saint Martin Gardens (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 4Tall buildings in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 5Stade Louis II, home of AS Monaco FC (from Monaco)
Image 6Wards of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 7Monaco's flag and its coat of arms (from Monaco)
Image 8Palace guards in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 9Atrium in Monte Carlo Casino (from Monaco)
Image 10Monaco's Japanese Gardens (from Monaco)
Image 11Monte Carlo Casino (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 12Lycée Albert Premier of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 13Satellite view of Monaco, with the France–Monaco border shown in yellow (from Monaco)
Image 14La Condamine (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 15Formation lap for the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix. (from Monaco)
Image 16The Monaco harbour during the days of the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 17
Land reclamation in Monaco since 1861
(from Monaco)
Image 18Hotel de Paris lobby ceiling: Monaco draws tourists with its late 19th- and early-20th-century buildings and glamor. (from Monaco)
Image 19Monaco's team competes in the two-man bobsled at the 2014 Olympics. (from Monaco)
Image 20Prince's Palace of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 21Prince's Palace of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 22Walkway in the jardin exotique de Monaco (Exotic Gardens) (from Monaco)
Image 23Benjamin Balleret (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 24Seaside façade of the Salle Garnier, home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (from Monaco)
Image 25The Rock of Monaco in 1890 (from Monaco)
Image 26Charles Leclerc (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 27Fontvieille (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 28Fontvieille and its harbour (from Monaco)
Image 29Espresso at Café de Paris, Monte Carlo (from Monaco)
Image 30Enlargeable, detailed map of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 31Photochrom of Monaco circa 1900 (from Monaco)
Image 32The location of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 33Monaco (as part of the Republic of Genoa) in 1494 (from Monaco)
Image 34Monaco-Ville (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 35Satellite view with border (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 36Monte Carlo Casino (from Monaco)
Image 37Genovese coin from 1655 (from Monaco)
Image 38Ville ruelle in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 39Port Hercules (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 40Rainier I, victor of the naval battle at Zierikzee and first sovereign Grimaldi ruler of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 41Pedestrian crossing on Avenue de la Costa (from Monaco)
Image 42Albert II
Prince of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 43Oceanographic Museum (from Monaco)
Image 44Embassy of Monaco, Paris, France (from Monaco)
Image 45Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate (from Monaco)
Image 46In the centre is La Condamine. At the right with the smaller harbour is Fontvieille, with The Rock (the old town, fortress, and Palace) jutting out between the two harbours. At the left are the high-rise buildings of La Rousse/Saint Roman. (from Monaco)
Image 47Boulevard des Moulins meets Avenue Saint-Michel (from Monaco)
Image 48The marriage of Hollywood actress Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier III brought media attention to the principality. (from Monaco)
Image 49View of the Rock of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 50Public art in Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 51Lycée Albert Premier of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 52Hôtel de Paris (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 53Seaside façade of the Salle Garnier, home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 54Monte Carlo (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 55A map of the County of Nice showing the area of the Italian kingdom of Sardinia annexed in 1860 to France (light brown). The area in red had already become part of France before 1860. (from Monaco)
Image 56Jacques I, Prince of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 57Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 58Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort overlooks the Mediterranean Sea (from Monaco)
Image 59Lamarck intersection, Les Moneghetti (from Monaco)
Image 60Prince Albert I of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)

Selected ward

Lamarck Square, Les Moneghetti; this square contains, a garden, a post office, and a police station; the parish church (Sacred Heart) is 46 metres (50 yd) away.

Les Moneghetti (Monégasque: Muneghëti [muneˈɡeti]) is the north-central ward in the Principality of Monaco, bordering neighboring France. Moneghetti was incorporated in La Condamine. (Full article...)

List of articles

Selected environment article

The Rock of Monaco (French: Rocher de Monaco; Monégasque: Roca de Mùnegu) is a 62-metre (203 ft) tall monolith on the Mediterranean coast of the Principality of Monaco. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and the Port Hercules. (Full article...)

List of articles

Selected arts article

The Eurovision Song Contest 1970 was the 15th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 21 March 1970 at the RAI Congrescentrum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and presented by Willy Dobbe. It was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), who staged the event after winning the 1969 contest for the Netherlands in a joint victory with France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. As the 1969 contest was held in Spain, and the 1968 contest in the United Kingdom, a draw of ballots between the French and the Dutch broadcasters resulted in NOS being chosen as the host broadcaster.

Broadcasters from twelve countries participated in the contest this year. This was the lowest number of participants since the 1959 edition. The reason was that Finland, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Austria all boycotted the 1970 edition, officially because they felt that the contest marginalised smaller countries and was no longer good television entertainment, though it is rumoured that this was also in protest of the four-way tie result that had occurred in 1969. (Full article...)

Selected religion article

Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state and microstate in Western Europe. Situated on the French Riviera, it is a semi-enclave bordered by France to the north, east, and west, with the Mediterranean Sea to the south; the Italian region of Liguria is about 15 km (9.3 mi) east. With a population of 38,423 living in an area of 2.08 km² (0.80 sq mi), Monaco is the second smallest sovereign state in the world, after Vatican City, as well as the most densely populated. It also has the world's shortest national coastline of any non-landlocked nation, at 3.83 km (2.38 mi). Fewer than 10,000 of its residents are Monégasque nationals. While the official language of Monaco is French, Italian and Monégasque are also widely spoken and understood.

Monaco is governed under a form of semi-constitutional monarchy, with Prince Albert II as head of state, who holds substantial political powers. The prime minister, who is the head of government, can be either a Monégasque or French citizen; the monarch consults with the Government of France before an appointment. Key members of the judiciary are detached French magistrates. The House of Grimaldi has ruled Monaco, with brief interruptions, since 1297. The state's sovereignty was officially recognised by the Franco-Monégasque Treaty of 1861, with Monaco becoming a full United Nations voting member in 1993. Despite Monaco's independence and separate foreign policy, its defence is the responsibility of France, notwithstanding two small military units. (Full article...)

Selected sports article

Circuit de Monaco

The 2010 Monaco Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2010) was the sixth round of the 2010 Formula One season. It was held in the streets of Monaco on 16 May 2010 and was won by Red Bull's Mark Webber. (Full article...)

Selected education article

The American College of Monaco was an American tertiary education institution located in Monte Carlo, Monaco. It operated from 1968 until it went bankrupt in 1970. The college offered a four-year degree program and classes were held in hotels. Prince Rainier III was the college's chancellor, and it was established by the Principality at the request of Princess Grace. (Full article...)

Selected transportation article

Port Hercules (French: Port Hercule [pɔʁ ɛʁkyl]) is the only deep-water port in Monaco. The port has been in use since ancient times. The modern port was completed in 1926, and underwent substantial improvements in the 1970s. It covers almost 40 acres (160,000 m²), enough to provide anchorage for up to 700 vessels. The port is located in the La Condamine district. Harbour pilots are required for all vessels longer than 30 metres. The depth of water in the harbour ranges from seven metres for standard berths and up to 40 metres for the outer piers and cruise ship docks. (Full article...)

Selected biography

Georges Vigarello (born 16 June 1941) is a French historian and sociologist. He is a Research Director at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) of Paris. His main research interests include the sociology of the body, the history of hygiene, representations of the body over the centuries, and the social dimensions of sport. (Full article...)