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 current Hotel Metropole building

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

Selected ward

Fontvieille (French pronunciation: [fɔ̃vjɛj]; Monégasque: Funtanaveya [fuŋtanaˈvɛja]) is the southernmost ward in the Principality of Monaco. It was developed by Italian engineer Gianfranco Gilardini and designed by architect Manfredi Nicoletti, between the 1970s and the 1990s. (Full article...)

List of articles
La Condamine Larvotto Jardin exotique Monaco-Ville Les Moneghetti Monte-Carlo Ravin de Sainte-Dévote 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

Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo (The Monte Carlo Ballet) is a classical ballet company established in 1985 by Caroline, Princess of Hanover in accordance with the wishes of her mother, Princess Grace of Monaco. It is the national company of the Principality of Monaco. (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

Sébastien Carole (born 8 September 1982), also known as Seb Carole, is a French former professional footballer who played as a winger. He represented Martinique at international level.

He started his career at AS Monaco and played mostly in England, where he made a combined 121 appearances for West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Leeds United, Darlington, Tranmere Rovers and Bury. He last played in non-League football for Knaresborough Town. (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

Beretta in 2012

Olivier Henri Aldo Léopold Beretta (born 23 November 1969) is a professional racing driver from Monaco who raced in Formula One in 1994 for the Larrousse team, partnering Érik Comas. He participated in 10 Grands Prix, debuting on 27 March 1994. He scored no championship points, and was replaced when his sponsorship money ran out. During 2003 and 2004, he tested for the Williams team. (Full article...)