Portal:Monaco

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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 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 Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology (French: Musée d'anthropologie préhistorique de Monaco; Monegasque: Müseu d’Antrupulugia Preisto̍rica de Mu̍negu) is located within the Jardin Exotique de Monaco. It was opened in 1902 and contains a collection of fossils and other excavated artifacts relating to the prehistory of Monaco and areas nearby.

The museum is home to the mummy of an Egyptian woman named Merit who died around 300BC. (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 New National Museum of Monaco Oceanographic Museum Odeon Tower St Martin Gardens Zoological Garden of Monaco

Selected pictures

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

Selected ward

Fontvieille (French pronunciation: [fɔ̃vjɛj]; Monégasque: Funtanaveya [fuŋtanaˈvɛja]) is the southernmost district of the Principality of Monaco. The district was designed by architect Manfredi Nicoletti and developed under the direction of Italian engineer Gianfranco Gilardini between the 1970s and 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

Philippe Charles Lucien Christanval (born 31 August 1978) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. During his career, he played for Monaco, Barcelona, Marseille and Fulham and earned six full international caps with the France national team, as well as selection to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. (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

Location on a map of Monaco

Monaco Heliport (French: Héliport de Monaco, ICAO: LNMC), also known as Monte Carlo Heliport, is a heliport situated in the district of Fontvieille in the Principality of Monaco. The heliport is the only aviation facility within Monaco. It was opened with the support of Prince Rainier III in 1976, with only one helipad, later expanded. The only scheduled destination is Nice Côte d'Azur Airport in Nice, France. Both arrivals and departures are routed over the water, to minimize noise. (Full article...)

Selected biography

Leclerc at the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix

Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (French pronunciation: [ʃaʁl(ə) ləklɛʁ]; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari. Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2022 with Ferrari, and has won eight Grands Prix across eight seasons.

Born and raised in Monte Carlo, Leclerc began competitive kart racing aged seven. After a successful karting career—culminating in his victory at the junior direct-drive Karting World Cup in 2011—Leclerc graduated to junior formulae. Progressing directly to Formula Renault 2.0, he finished runner-up to Nyck de Vries in the Alps Series and achieved several podium finishes in the Eurocup. Leclerc graduated to FIA European Formula 3 in 2015, winning several races as he finished fourth in his rookie season. He won his first championship at the 2016 GP3 Series with ART. Leclerc then won the inaugural FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2017 with Prema, becoming the fourth driver to win the GP2/Formula 2 championship in their rookie season and breaking several records.^{[note 1]} (Full article...)

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