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The Monaco Portal
Welcome! — Bienvenue! — Benvegnüu!

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...)

Selected location article

The Odeon Tower (French: Tour Odéon; Monégasque: Turre Odeu̍n) is a double-skyscraper in the Principality of Monaco. It was the first high-rise in the city-state to be built since the 1980s (high constructions had been abandoned due to aesthetic concerns and criticism of overdevelopment). At 170 metres high, Tour Odeon on its completion was the second tallest building on Europe's Mediterranean coast, after Gran Hotel Bali (186m) in Benidorm, Spain. Had Tour Odeon been built in neighboring France, it would have been among that country's 10 highest buildings.

This project from Groupe Marzocco was considered by some to be an important renewal of economic development for the second-smallest country in the world. Its construction was launched in the middle of the economic crisis, in 2009. The building was inaugurated in April 2015. (Full article...)

Selected pictures

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...)

Selected environment article

The Tête de Chien above Monaco

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...)

Selected arts article

Monaco participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Tout de moi" written by Philippe Bosco and Didier Fabre. The song was performed by Lise Darly, who was internally selected by the Monégasque broadcaster Télé Monte-Carlo (TMC) to represent Monaco in the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. The selection of Lise Darly and "Tout de moi" as the Monégasque entry was announced on 12 January 2005, while the song was presented on 18 March 2005.

Monaco competed in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 19 May 2005. Performing during the show in position 6, "Tout de moi" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Monaco placed twenty-fourth out of the 25 participating countries in the semi-final with 22 points. (Full article...)

Selected religion article

The location of Monaco (dark green, in circle) in Europe

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

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

Maurice Revelli (born 4 September 1964) is a Monegasque former professional footballer who played as a defender. (Full article...)

Did you know...

  • ... that Ron Monaco, described as the "longest of long shots", became a starter in the NFL having been just a backup in college?

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