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 Jardin St. Martin (Monégasque: Giardi̍n San Martin) are located in the Monaco-Ville ward of Monaco. The gardens are made up of a series of paths on the south west face of the Rock of Monaco. They have an estimated area of 11,200 square meters (1.12 hectares). Flora include Aleppo pine trees and yellow agaves in its terraces with medieval fortifications also featuring in the gardens. Archaeological finds in the gardens have been dated to the Holocene era.

François Cogné's bronze statue of Prince Albert I as a sailor stands at the centre of the gardens. (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 Japanese Garden, Monaco Jardin Exotique de Monaco Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology New National Museum of Monaco Oceanographic Museum Odeon Tower Zoological Garden of Monaco

Selected pictures

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

Selected ward

A view of the Mediterranean in La Rousse

La Rousse (French pronunciation: [la ʁus]; Monégasque: A Russa), also formerly known as La Rousse-Saint Roman (until 2013), is the northernmost ward in the Principality of Monaco. La Rousse is incorporated in the traditional quarter of Monte Carlo. Since 2018, it is home to a police station near the border with France. (Full article...)

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

Selected environment article

The Tête de Chien (Monégasque: Testa de Can; "Dog's Head") is a 550 m (1,804 ft) high rock promontory near the village of La Turbie in the Alpes-Maritimes department of France. It overlooks the Principality of Monaco, and is the highest point on the Grande Corniche road.

The American diplomat Samuel S. Cox, in his 1870 travel book Search for Winter Sunbeams in the Riviera, Corsica, Algiers and Spain wrote that the Tête de Chien more resembled a tortoise than a dog's head, and believed that Tête de Chien, or rather Testa de Can, was a corruption of Testa de Camp ("Field Head"), as it was where Caesar stationed his troops after the conquest of Gaul. Vere Herbert, the heroine of Ouida's 1880 novel Moths is described as living under the Tête de Chien, "...within a few miles of the brilliant Hell [Monaco]." (Full article...)

List of articles
Land reclamation in Monaco Mont Agel Port Hercules Rock of Monaco

Selected arts article

The Eurovision Song Contest 1977 was the 22nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 7 May 1977 at the Wembley Conference Centre in London, United Kingdom, and presented by Angela Rippon. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the contest was held in the United Kingdom following its victory at the 1976 contest with the song "Save Your Kisses for Me" by Brotherhood of Man. It was the first time the event took place in the month of May since the first contest in 1956.

Eighteen countries participated in the contest; Sweden returned after its absence from the previous edition, while Yugoslavia decided not to enter. (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

Martin Okelo Djetou (born 15 December 1974) is a French former footballer who played as a defender. (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

The Chemin des Révoires (Monégasque: Cami̍n d’ë Revëre) is a pathway within Les Révoires district of the Principality of Monaco. It is the highest point in Monaco. (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...)