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 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 Fort Antoine Theatre is a small amphitheatre on the Avenue de la Quarantaine in the Monaco-Ville ward of Monaco. The fort hosts open air plays in the summer months.

The theatre was originally constructed as a fortress in the early 18th-century before its destruction in 1944. Prince Rainier III had the fortress rebuilt as a theatre in 1953. The parapet of the fort is provided by pittosporum hedges. The militaristic nature of its architecture has been retained with a bartizan and a pyramid of cannonballs at the centre of the theatre. (Full article...)

List of articles
Casino Gardens and Terraces Avenue Princesse Grace Columbus Hotel Monaco 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 Zoological Garden of Monaco

Selected pictures

Image 1Embassy of Monaco, Paris, France (from Monaco)
Image 2Monaco (as part of the Republic of Genoa) in 1494 (from Monaco)
Image 3Satellite view of Monaco, with the France–Monaco border shown in yellow (from Monaco)
Image 4Seaside façade of the Salle Garnier, home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 5
Land reclamation in Monaco since 1861
(from Monaco)
Image 6The Monaco harbour during the days of the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 7
Panoramic view of Monaco from the Tête de Chien (Dog's Head) high rock promontory in 2011. Cap Martin is the jut of land in the distance, the Mediterrean sea is south
(from Monaco)
Image 8Palace guards in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 9Prince's Palace of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 10Tunnel in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 11Formation lap for the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix (from Monaco)
Image 12Stade Louis II, home of AS Monaco FC (from Monaco)
Image 132017 Monaco Grand Prix (from Monaco)
Image 14View of the Rock of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 15Port Hercules (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 16Monaco-Ville (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 17Monte Carlo Casino (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 18Albert II, Prince of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 19View of Monaco in 2016 (from Monaco)
Image 20Fontvieille and its new harbour (from Monaco)
Image 21Photochrom of Monaco circa 1900 (from Monaco)
Image 22Public art in Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 23Benjamin Balleret (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 24
Panoramic view of La Condamine and Monte Carlo
(from Monaco)
Image 25Logo of the princely government of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 26Lycée Albert Premier of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 27Atrium in Monte Carlo Casino (from Monaco)
Image 28Rainier I, victor of the naval battle at Zierikzee and first sovereign Grimaldi ruler of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 29Jacques I, Prince of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 30The location of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 311978 Monégasque franc coin with an effigy of Rainier III (from Monaco)
Image 32Charles Leclerc (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 33A 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 34Poster for the Exposition De Monaco (1920) (from Monaco)
Image 35La Condamine (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 36Le Portier under construction in 2023 (from Monaco)
Image 37The Rock of Monaco in 1890 (from Monaco)
Image 38
Panoramic view of Monaco City and the port of Fontvieille
(from Monaco)
Image 39View out from the Saint Martin Gardens (from Monaco)
Image 40Japanese Gardens (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 41Fontvieille (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 42Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 43Monte Carlo (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 44Saint Martin Gardens (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 45Lycée Albert Premier of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 46The Mayor of Monaco announcing concessions, ending the absolute monarchy of Prince Albert I in 1910 (from Monaco)
Image 47Monaco's famous hairpin turn, both a city street and part of its Grand Prix circuit (from Monaco)
Image 48Ville ruelle in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 49A 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 50Sainte-Dévote Chapel (from Monaco)
Image 51Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate (from Monaco)
Image 52Seaside façade of the Salle Garnier, home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (from Monaco)
Image 53Oceanographic Museum (from Monaco)
Image 54Tourism an important contributor, here is one hotel with an award winning pool (from Monaco)
Image 55Satellite view with border (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 56Wards of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 57Hôtel de Paris (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 58Monte Carlo Casino (from Monaco)
Image 59Walkway in the jardin exotique de Monaco (Exotic Gardens) (from Monaco)
Image 60Monaco's flag and its coat of arms (from Monaco)
Image 61The marriage of Hollywood actress Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier III brought media attention to the principality. (from Monaco)
Image 62Prince Albert I of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 63Enlargeable, detailed map of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 64Monaco coastline in October 2023, with a new apartment building (from Monaco)
Image 65In 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

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 2.02 km² (0.78 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 Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra (French: Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, OPMC) is the main orchestra in the Principality of Monaco. The orchestra gives concerts primarily in the Auditorium Rainier III, but also performs at the Salle des Princes in the Grimaldi Forum. (Full article...)

Selected religion article

The Catholic Church in Monaco is part of the worldwide 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 Catholic Church in France since the beginning of its history. Per the Constitution of Monaco (Art. 9) 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

Bierhoff in 2018

Oliver Bierhoff (born 1 May 1968) is a German football official and former player who played as a forward. He has previously served as the national team director of the German Football Association. A tall, strong and prolific goalscorer, Bierhoff was mostly renowned for his excellent abilities in the air, and as a target man, being able to deliver pin-point headers towards goal.

He spent his early career playing for Bayer Uerdingen, Hamburger SV and Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga where he had modest success. After a season in the Austria Bundesliga for Austria Salzburg, he was signed by Ascoli in Serie A. Ascoli were relegated in his first season and Bierhoff played three seasons with them in the Serie B. (Full article...)

Selected education article

The Lycée Albert Premier (Monegasque: Liçe̍ Albertu I^mu) of Monaco (or the Albert 1st of Monaco High School) is a prestigious public secondary school founded in 1910 in the Principality of Monaco. The school offers courses according to the curriculum prescribed by the French Directorate of National Education, Youth and Sports. It is located in Monaco-Ville on the Rock, site of the Visitation. (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

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...)