Portal:Monaco

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The Monaco Portal
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Microstate of Monaco.

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 38,682 residents, of whom 9,486 are Monégasque nationals; it is recognised as one of the wealthiest and most expensive places in the world. The official language is French; Monégasque, English and Italian are 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 38,367 in 2023 makes it the most densely populated sovereign state. Monaco has the world's shortest coastline: 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 constitutional monarchy, with Prince Albert II as head of state, who wields political power despite his constitutional status. 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 Animalier de Monaco is a zoo located on the Esplanade Rainer III, in Monaco's Fontvieille ward, on the southern side of the Rock of Monaco. It was established by Rainier III, Prince of Monaco in 1954. 250 animals are held in the zoo, representing some 50 species.

The zoo is a hectare in size, set over four levels on the rock. None of the animals were purchased; all have come from donations, circuses, or abandoned animals and those seized by circuses. Five animals came to the zoo after the 2009 closure of the zoo at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. (Full article...)

List of articles
Casino Gardens and Terraces Avenue Princesse Grace 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 St Martin Gardens

Selected pictures

Image 1Prince Albert I of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 2Monte Carlo Casino (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 3Satellite view of Monaco, with the France–Monaco border shown in yellow (from Monaco)
Image 4
Land reclamation in Monaco since 1861
(from Monaco)
Image 5
Panoramic view of Monaco City and the port of Fontvieille
(from Monaco)
Image 6Seaside façade of the Salle Garnier, home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (from Monaco)
Image 7The marriage of Hollywood actress Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier III brought media attention to the principality. (from Monaco)
Image 8Charles Leclerc (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 9Wards of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 10Prince's Palace of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 11Port Hercules (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 12Saint Martin Gardens (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 13Monaco's famous hairpin turn, both a city street and part of its Grand Prix circuit (from Monaco)
Image 14Benjamin Balleret (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 15View of the Rock of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 16Hôtel de Paris (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 17Atrium in Monte Carlo Casino (from Monaco)
Image 18Stade Louis II, home of AS Monaco FC (from Monaco)
Image 19Embassy of Monaco, Paris, France (from Monaco)
Image 20Albert II, Prince of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 21View of Monaco in 2016 (from Monaco)
Image 22Lycée Albert Premier of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 23Le Portier under construction in 2023 (from Monaco)
Image 242017 Monaco Grand Prix (from Monaco)
Image 25Walkway in the jardin exotique de Monaco (Exotic Gardens) (from Monaco)
Image 26Tunnel in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 27Public art in Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 28Jacques I, Prince of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 29View out from the Saint Martin Gardens (from Monaco)
Image 30Monaco's flag and its coat of arms (from Monaco)
Image 31Rainier I, victor of the naval battle at Zierikzee and first sovereign Grimaldi ruler of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 32Oceanographic Museum (from Monaco)
Image 33
Panoramic view of Monaco from the Tête de Chien (Dog's Head) high rock promontory in 2020. Cap Martin is the jut of land in the distance, the Mediterrean sea is south
(from Monaco)
Image 34In 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 35Monaco-Ville (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 36Palace guards in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 37Fontvieille (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 38
Panoramic view of La Condamine and Monte Carlo
(from Monaco)
Image 39Formation lap for the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix (from Monaco)
Image 40The Monaco harbour during the days of the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 411978 Monégasque franc coin with an effigy of Rainier III (from Monaco)
Image 42Fontvieille and its new harbour (from Monaco)
Image 43Sainte-Dévote Chapel (from Monaco)
Image 44Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 45Seaside façade of the Salle Garnier, home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 46Satellite view with border (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 47Ville ruelle in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 48Monte Carlo (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 49The Rock of Monaco in 1890 (from Monaco)
Image 50Logo of the princely government of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 51A view of the 2011 Monaco Porsche Supercup. Motor racing is very popular in Monaco, with the famous Grand Prix course using city streets and wrapping itself around the harbor (from Monaco)
Image 52Monaco coastline in October 2023, with a new apartment building (from Monaco)
Image 53Enlargeable, detailed map of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 54A 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 55Photochrom of Monaco circa 1900 (from Monaco)
Image 56Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate (from Monaco)
Image 57The Mayor of Monaco announcing concessions, ending the absolute monarchy of Prince Albert I in 1910 (from Monaco)
Image 58La Condamine (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 59Monaco (as part of the Republic of Genoa) in 1494 (from Monaco)
Image 60Monte Carlo Casino (from Monaco)
Image 61Japanese Gardens (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 62Poster for the Exposition De Monaco (1920) (from Monaco)
Image 63The location of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 64Lycée Albert Premier of Monaco (from Monaco)

Selected ward

Lamarck Square, Les Moneghetti; this square contains, a garden, a post office, and a police station; the parish church (Sacred Heart) is 46 metres (50 yd) away.

Les Moneghetti (Monégasque: Muneghëti [muneˈɡeti]) is the north-central ward in the Principality of Monaco, bordering neighboring France. Moneghetti was incorporated in La Condamine. (Full article...)

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

Selected environment article

The Rock of Monaco (French: Rocher de Monaco; Monégasque: Roca de Mùnegu) is a 62-metre (203 ft) tall monolith on the Mediterranean coast of the Principality of Monaco. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and the Port Hercules. (Full article...)

List of articles
Land reclamation in Monaco Mont Agel Port Hercules Tête de Chien

Selected arts article

The Eurovision Song Contest 1970 was the 15th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest and took place in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), the contest was held at the RAI Congrescentrum on 21 March 1970, and was hosted by Dutch television presenter Willy Dobbe.

Twelve countries participated in the contest this year. This was the lowest number of participants since the 1959 edition. The reason was that Finland, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Austria all boycotted the 1970 edition, officially because they felt that the contest marginalised smaller countries and was no longer good television entertainment, though it is rumoured that this was also in protest of the four-way tie result that had occurred in 1969. (Full article...)

Selected religion article

The history of the Jews in Monaco goes back at least a century, most notably to the time of the Holocaust. Monaco had a very small Jewish presence before World War II, numbering approximately 300 people. During the war, the principality's government issued false identity papers to its Jewish residents to protect them from Nazi deportation. Prince Louis II refused to dismiss Jewish civil servants and protected Édouard de Rothschild from deportation. However, Monaco's police arrested and turned over 42 Central European Jewish refugees to the Nazis. Sixty Jews were arrested 27–28 August 1942, and ninety in total, according to The Algemeiner.

In 1948, the Association Cultuelle Israelite de Monaco was founded as the official organization of Monaco's Jewish community, and it provides the community with a synagogue, Hebrew school and no kosher food store, but a kosher section in some supermarkets. Today's Jewish community in Monaco consists primarily of retirees from France and the United Kingdom, and there is also a small population of North African and Turkish Jews. More Sephardic Jews came when they were expelled from countries like Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Yemen, and South America/ Spain. To them, Monaco and France were alternatives to Israel. (Full article...)

Selected sports article

Circuit de Monaco

The 2010 Monaco Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2010) was the sixth round of the 2010 Formula One season. It was held in the streets of Monaco on 16 May 2010 and was won by Red Bull's Mark Webber. (Full article...)

Selected education article

The American College of Monaco was a tertiary institution located in Monte Carlo, Monaco, that operated from 1968 until 1970. The college offered a four-year degree program and was reportedly established by the Principality at the request of Princess Grace.

The college held classes in the Hotel Hermitage behind the Hotel de Paris, and the famous Monte Carlo Casino during its first academic year. After that, the school relocated to the Hotel Splendid, on the border of Beausoleil. Prince Rainier III was the Chancellor of the School, and the famous oceanographer, Jacques Yves Cousteau, was a member of its Board of Academic Overseers. (Full article...)

Selected transportation article

Port Hercules (French: Port Hercule [pɔʁ ɛʁkyl]) is the only deep-water port in Monaco. The port has been in use since ancient times. The modern port was completed in 1926, and underwent substantial improvements in the 1970s. It covers almost 40 acres (160,000 m²), enough to provide anchorage for up to 700 vessels. The port is located in the La Condamine district. Harbour pilots are required for all vessels longer than 30 metres. The depth of water in the harbour ranges from seven metres for standard berths and up to 40 metres for the outer piers and cruise ship docks. (Full article...)

Selected biography

Georges Vigarello (born 16 June 1941) is a French historian and sociologist. He is a Research Director at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) of Paris. His main research interests include the sociology of the body, the history of hygiene, representations of the body over the centuries, and the social dimensions of sport. (Full article...)