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

Selected ward

Port Hercule, La Condamine

La Condamine (French pronunciation: [la kɔ̃damin]; Monégasque: A Cundàmina [a kuŋˈdamina]) is the central ward and a quartier in the Principality of Monaco. The quartier's landmarks include Port Hercules, the Rainier III Nautical Stadium, and the Princess Antoinette Park. Its farmers' market, at Place d'Armes, has been held since 1880. (Full article...)

List of articles
Fontvieille, Monaco 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

The Eurovision Song Contest 1966, originally known as the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 1966 (English: Eurovision Song Contest Grand Prix 1966), was the 11th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 5 March 1966 at Villa Louvigny in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, and presented by Josiane Chen. It was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CLT), who staged the event after winning the 1965 contest for Luxembourg with the song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" by France Gall. Broadcasters frome eighteen countries participated in the contest, the same countries that had competed the previous year.

The winner was Austria with the song "Merci, Chérie", performed and composed by Udo Jürgens, and written by Jürgens and Thomas Hörbiger. This was Udo Jürgens third consecutive entry in the contest, finally managing to score a victory for his native country. Austria would not go on to win again until the 2014 edition. This was also the first winning song to be performed in German. The contest is also noted for its historic results for several countries. Austria who came first, Sweden who came second, Norway who came third and Belgium who came fourth all achieved their best results up until then, some of which would stand for several decades. In contrast, traditional Eurovision heavyweights such as France, United Kingdom, and Italy all achieved their worst result by far up till that point, with the general public in the aforementioned countries meeting these results with a degree of consternation. (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

David Gigliotti (born 30 May 1985) is a French footballer who currently plays for GS Consolat in the Championnat National. (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

Chiron in 1931

Louis Alexandre Chiron (French pronunciation: [lwi ʃi.ʁɔ̃]; 3 August 1899 – 22 June 1979) was a Monégasque racing driver who competed in rallies, sports car races, and Grands Prix.

Among the greatest drivers between the two World Wars, his career embraced over thirty years, starting in 1923, and ending at the end of the 1950s. He is still the oldest driver ever to have started a race in the Formula One World Championship, having taken 6th place in the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix when he was 55. Three years later he became the oldest driver to enter a Formula One race, at 58. The Bugatti Chiron takes its name from him. Until 2024, when Charles Leclerc matched his achievement, he was the only Monegasque driver to have won the Monaco Grand Prix. (Full article...)