Portal:Monaco

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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 38,682 residents, of whom 9,486 are Monégasque nationals; it is widely recognised as one of the wealthiest and most expensive places in the world. The official language of the principality is French. In addition, Monégasque (a variety of Ligurian), 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 in the world, trailing only the dependency of Macau. Monaco also has the world's shortest coastline, measuring just 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. (Full article...)

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Selected location article

The Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology 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. (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 New National Museum of Monaco Oceanographic Museum Odeon Tower St Martin Gardens Zoological Garden of Monaco

Selected pictures

Image 1Wards of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 2Benjamin Balleret (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 3Public art in Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 4Prince's Palace of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 5Satellite view with border (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 6The location of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 7Logo of the princely government of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 8Satellite view of Monaco, with the France–Monaco border shown in yellow (from Monaco)
Image 9Enlargeable, detailed map of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 10Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 11Port Hercules (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 12Monaco (as part of the Republic of Genoa) in 1494 (from Monaco)
Image 13
Panoramic view of Monaco from the Tête de Chien (Dog's Head) high rock promontory
(from Monaco)
Image 14Lycée Albert Premier of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 15Formation lap for the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix (from Monaco)
Image 16Monte Carlo (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 17Sainte-Dévote Chapel (from Monaco)
Image 18Rainier I, victor of the naval battle at Zierikzee and first sovereign Grimaldi ruler of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 19Lycée Albert Premier of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 20Prince Albert I of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 21Monaco-Ville (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 22
Panoramic view of La Condamine and Monte Carlo
(from Monaco)
Image 23In 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 24Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate (from Monaco)
Image 25Monaco's flag and its coat of arms (from Monaco)
Image 26The marriage of actress Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier III brought media attention to the principality. (from Monaco)
Image 27View of Monaco in 2016 (from Monaco)
Image 28Fontvieille (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 29The Mayor of Monaco announcing concessions, ending the absolute monarchy of Prince Albert I in 1910 (from Monaco)
Image 30Albert II, Prince of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 311978 Monégasque franc coin with an effigy of Rainier III (from Monaco)
Image 32The Monaco harbour during the days of the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 33A view of the 2011 Monaco Porsche Supercup. Motor racing is very popular, with one course encompassing almost the whole country. (from Monaco)
Image 34Seaside façade of the Salle Garnier, home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (from Monaco)
Image 35Monte Carlo Casino (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 36Charles Leclerc (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 37The Rock of Monaco in 1890 (from Monaco)
Image 38Fontvieille and its new harbour (from Monaco)
Image 39Stade Louis II, home of AS Monaco FC (from Monaco)
Image 40
Land reclamation in Monaco since 1861
(from Monaco)
Image 41Jacques I, Prince of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 42Hôtel de Paris (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 43Oceanographic Museum (from Monaco)
Image 44Seaside façade of the Salle Garnier, home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 45Palace guards in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 46Monte Carlo Casino (from Monaco)
Image 47Embassy of Monaco, Paris, France (from Monaco)
Image 48La Condamine (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 49View of the Rock of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 50
Panoramic view of Monaco City and the port of Fontvieille
(from Monaco)
Image 51A 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)

Selected ward

Sainte-Dévote Chapel

Ravin de Sainte-Dévote (French pronunciation: [ʁavɛ̃ də sɛ̃t devɔt]; Monégasque: Valu̍n de Santa Devota, English: Ravine of Saint Devota) is a ward in the Principality of Monaco. (Full article...)

List of articles
La Condamine Fontvieille, Monaco Larvotto Jardin exotique Monaco-Ville Les Moneghetti Monte-Carlo La Rousse

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

"Un banc, un arbre, une rue" (French pronunciation: [œ̃ bɑ̃ œ̃n‿aʁbʁ yn ʁy]; "A Bench, a Tree, a Street") is a song recorded by French singer Séverine, with music composed by Jean-Pierre Bourtayre and French lyrics written by Yves Dessca [fr]. It represented Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 held in Dublin, resulting in the country's only ever win in the contest. (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 kosher food store. 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. (Full article...)

Selected sports article

Circuit de Monaco

The 2009 Monaco Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2009) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 24 May 2009 at the Circuit de Monaco, in Monaco. The race, which was contested over 78 laps, was the sixth round of the 2009 Formula One season. It was won by Brawn GP driver Jenson Button, with his teammate Rubens Barrichello second, and Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen third.

This year a peace and sport initiative was introduced on this Grand Prix under the High Patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco. Sébastien Bourdais scored his last world championship points at this race. (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...)