Portal:Monaco

The Monaco Portal
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Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is a semi-enclave bordered by France to the north, east and west. The principality is home to nearly 39,000 residents as of the 2020s, of whom about 9,883 are Monégasque nationals. It is recognised as one of the wealthiest and most expensive places in the world. The official language of Monaco is French. Monégasque, English and Italian are also spoken and understood by many residents.

With an area of 2.08 km² (0.80 sq mi), Monaco is the second-smallest sovereign state in the world, after Vatican City. Its population of 38,423 in 2024 makes it the most densely populated sovereign state. Monaco has the world's shortest national coastline (not counting landlocked nations): 3.83 km (2.38 mi). The principality is about 15 km (9.3 mi) from the border with Italy and consists of nine administrative wards, the largest of which is Monte Carlo.

The principality 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, besides maintenance of two small military units. (Full article...)

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Selected location article

The Tea House in Monaco's Japanese Garden

The Japanese Garden is a municipal park on the Avenue Princesse Grace, in the Larvotto ward of Monaco. It is next to the Grimaldi Forum convention centre. The garden is 0.7 hectares in size, and features a stylised mountain, hill, waterfall, beach, brook, and a Zen garden for meditation. It is open daily from 9:00 to sunset.

The garden was commissioned by Prince Rainier III in 1994. It was designed by Yasuo Beppu, the winner of the Flower Exhibition of Osaka 1990, as a miniature representation of Shintoist philosophy. (Full article...)

List of articles
Casino Gardens and Terraces Avenue Princesse Grace Columbus Hotel Monaco Fort Antoine Theatre Grimaldi Forum Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo Hotel Metropole, Monte Carlo Jardin Exotique de Monaco Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology New National Museum of Monaco Oceanographic Museum Odeon Tower St Martin Gardens Zoological Garden of Monaco

Selected pictures

Image 1Wards of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 2Albert II, Prince of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 3Hotel de Paris lobby ceiling: Monaco draws tourists with its late 19th- and early-20th-century buildings and glamor. (from Monaco)
Image 4Seaside façade of the Salle Garnier, home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (from Monaco)
Image 5Benjamin Balleret (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 6The Monaco harbour during the days of the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 7Lamarck intersection, Les Moneghetti (from Monaco)
Image 8View of the Rock of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 9
Land reclamation in Monaco since 1861
(from Monaco)
Image 10Fontvieille and its harbour (from Monaco)
Image 11The Rock of Monaco in 1890 (from Monaco)
Image 12In 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 13Fontvieille (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 14Saint Martin Gardens (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 15Lycée Albert Premier of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 16Atrium in Monte Carlo Casino (from Monaco)
Image 17Genovese coin from 1655 (from Monaco)
Image 18Ville ruelle in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 19Monte Carlo Casino (from Monaco)
Image 20Monte Carlo Casino (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 21Monaco (as part of the Republic of Genoa) in 1494 (from Monaco)
Image 22Logo of the princely government of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 23Walkway in the jardin exotique de Monaco (Exotic Gardens) (from Monaco)
Image 24Formation lap for the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix (from Monaco)
Image 25Charles Leclerc (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 26Public art in Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 27Satellite view with border (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 28Photochrom of Monaco circa 1900 (from Monaco)
Image 29Monte Carlo (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 30Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort overlooks the Mediterranean Sea (from Monaco)
Image 31Satellite view of Monaco, with the France–Monaco border shown in yellow (from Monaco)
Image 32Japanese Gardens (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 33The marriage of Hollywood actress Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier III brought media attention to the principality. (from Monaco)
Image 34Poster for the Exposition De Monaco (1920) (from Monaco)
Image 35Stade Louis II, home of AS Monaco FC (from Monaco)
Image 36Lycée Albert Premier of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 37Monaco's flag and its coat of arms (from Monaco)
Image 38Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate (from Monaco)
Image 39Rainier I, victor of the naval battle at Zierikzee and first sovereign Grimaldi ruler of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 40Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 41The location of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 42Pedestrian crossing on Avenue de la Costa (from Monaco)
Image 43Monaco-Ville (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 44Jacques I, Prince of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 45Prince Albert I of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 46Enlargeable, detailed map of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 47A 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 48Boulevard des Moulins meets Avenue Saint-Michel (from Monaco)
Image 49Monaco's team competes in the two-man bobsled at the 2014 Olympics. (from Monaco)
Image 50La Condamine (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 51Oceanographic Museum (from Monaco)
Image 52Embassy of Monaco, Paris, France (from Monaco)
Image 53Espresso at Café de Paris, Monte Carlo (from Monaco)
Image 54Hôtel de Paris (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 55Prince's Palace of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 56Prince's Palace of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 57Palace guards in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 58Tall buildings in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 59Seaside façade of the Salle Garnier, home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 60Monaco's Japanese Gardens (from Monaco)
Image 61Port Hercules (from Outline of Monaco)

Selected ward

Sainte-Dévote Chapel

Ravin de Sainte-Dévote (French pronunciation: [ʁavɛ̃ də sɛ̃t devɔt]; Monégasque: Valu̍n de Santa Devota, English: Ravine of Saint Devota) is a ward in the Principality of Monaco. (Full article...)

List of articles
La Condamine Fontvieille, Monaco Larvotto Jardin exotique Monaco-Ville Les Moneghetti Monte-Carlo La Rousse

Selected environment article

Land reclamation is done in Monaco through a policy of building land in the sea with concrete blocks because land is very scarce, as the country is comparatively tiny, at 2.08 km² (0.80 sq mi). To solve this problem and to continue economic development, for years the country has added to its total land area by reclaiming land from the sea. (Full article...)

List of articles
Mont Agel Port Hercules Rock of Monaco Tête de Chien

Selected arts article

Monaco is a sovereign city-state, country, and microstate on the French Riviera, along the Mediterranean coast. The country has long been under the control of the Grimaldi family, who have encouraged musical development. Prince Rainier III introduced the Prince Rainier III Prize for Musical Composition to reward Monegasque musicians. (Full article...)

Selected religion article

The Roman Catholic Church in Monaco is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.

The country forms a single archdiocese: the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monaco, which is part of the Roman Catholic Church in France since the beginning of its history. Per the Constitution of Monaco (Art. 9) Roman Catholicism is the official church of Monaco, and is the majority religion; religious freedom is also guaranteed by the constitution. In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom. (Full article...)

Selected sports article

Monaco national rugby union team has been playing since the 1990s. They currently only play friendly games and do not compete in the European Nations Cup, but they are still member of World Rugby. In October 2019, Monaco ranked 101st out of 105 national teams according to World Rugby. (Full article...)

Selected education article

The International School of Monaco (ISM) is a co-educational, day-school located in the Larvotto District of Monaco. Founded in 1994, as of August 2024, ISM had over 830 students aged 3 to 18 years old, drawn from over 60 nationalities. It is one of seventeen educational establishments located in the country. The school is independent from the Monaco government, unlike other private institutions located in the principality ISM has no contract with them. (Full article...)

Selected transportation article

Transport in Monaco is facilitated with road, air (helicopter), rail, and water networks. Rail transport is operated by SNCF with only Monaco Monte Carlo station seeing passenger service and the total length of the line inside the Principality is 1.7 km (1.1 mi). Monaco has five bus routes operated by Compagnie des Autobus de Monaco. There are also two other bus routes which connect Monaco with neighboring regions such as Nice and Menton. (Full article...)

Selected biography

Romeo Acquarone (1895 – 1980) was a professional tennis player born in Monaco. He became a French citizen in 1937. Acquarone won the Bristol Cup in France in 1920 (beating Joseph Negro in the final). The Bristol Cup was the top professional tournament in the world in the 1920s. (Full article...)