The Genoese built a fortress on the site of present-day Monaco in 1215. The current ruling Grimaldi family secured control in the late 13th century, and a principality was established in 1338. Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with a railroad linkup to France and the opening of a casino. Since then, the principality's mild climate, splendid scenery, and gambling facilities have made Monaco world famous as a tourist and recreation center.

Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy
43 44 N, 7 24 E
Europe
total: 1.95 sq km ; land: 1.95 sq km ; water: 0 sq km
about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
total: 4.4 km ; border countries: France 4.4 km
4.1 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers
hilly, rugged, rocky
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m ; highest point: Mont Agel 140 m
none
arable land: 0% ; permanent crops: 0% ; other: 100% (urban area) (2005)
NA


NA
NA
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling ; signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
second-smallest independent state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban
32,671 (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 15% (male 2,514/female 2,394) ; 15-64 years: 62.3% (male 10,047/female 10,312) ; 65 years and over: 22.7% (male 3,019/female 4,385) (2007 est.)
total: 45.5 years ; male: 43.4 years ; female: 47.4 years (2007 est.)
0.386% (2007 est.)
9.12 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
12.92 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
7.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 0.974 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.688 male(s)/female ; total population: 0.912 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 5.27 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 6.09 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 79.82 years ; male: 75.99 years ; female: 83.85 years (2007 est.)
1.75 children born/woman (2007 est.)
NA
NA
NA
noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s) ; adjective: Monegasque or Monacan
French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21%
Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%
French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque
definition: age 15 and over can read and write ; total population: 99% ; male: 99% ; female: 99% (2003 est.)


conventional long form: Principality of Monaco ; conventional short form: Monaco ; local long form: Principaute de Monaco ; local short form: Monaco
constitutional monarchy
name: Monaco ; geographic coordinates: 43 44 N, 7 25 E ; time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ; daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four quarters (quartiers, singular - quartier); Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo

1419 (beginning of rule by the House of Grimaldi)
National Day (Saint Rainier's Day), 19 November (1857)
17 December 1962
based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: Prince ALBERT II (since 6 April 2005) ; head of government: Minister of State Jean-Paul PROUST (since 1 June 2005) ; cabinet: Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch ; elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government
unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16 members elected by list majority system, 8 by proportional representation; to serve five-year terms) ; elections: last held 9 February 2003 (next to be held February 2008) ; election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UNAM 21, UND 3
Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council)
National and Democratic Union or UND [Guy MAGNAN]; Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the Future of Monaco or UNAM)
NA
ACCT, CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITSO, ITU, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of Poland which is white (top) and red
chief of mission: Ambassador to the US and UN Gilles NOGHES ; chancery: 565 Fifth Avenue, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10017 ; telephone: (212) 286-0500 ; FAX: (212) 286-1574
the US does not have an embassy in Monaco; the US Ambassador to France is accredited to Monaco; the US Consul General in Marseille (France), under the authority of the US ambassador to France, handles routine diplomatic and consular matters concerning Monaco





Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant climate. The principality also is a major banking center and has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, nonpolluting industries. The state has no income tax and low business taxes and thrives as a tax haven both for individuals who have established residence and for foreign companies that have set up businesses and offices. The state retains monopolies in a number of sectors, including tobacco, the telephone network, and the postal service. Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas.
$976.3 million ; note: Monaco does not publish national income figures; the estimates are extremely rough (2006 est.)
$NA
0.9% (2000 est.)
$30,000 (2006 est.)
agriculture: 0% ; industry: 4.9% ; services: 95.1% (2005)
44,000 ; note: includes workers from all foreign countries (2005 est.)

0% (2005)
NA%
lowest 10%: NA% ; highest 10%: NA%

1.9% (2000)

revenues: $863 million ; expenditures: $920.6 million (2005 est.)

none
tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer products
NA%


NA kWh

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France











$716.3 million ; note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France (2005)


$916.1 million ; note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France (2005)



$18 billion (2000 est.)


$NA
euro (EUR)
EUR
euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
calendar year
$NA
34,000 (2005)
17,200 (2005)
general assessment: modern automatic telephone system ; domestic: NA ; international: country code - 377; no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into the French communications system
AM 1, FM NA, shortwave 8 (1998)
34,000 (1997)
5 (1998)
25,000 (1997)
.mc
14,520 (2007)
2 (2000)
20,000 (2006)




1 (2007)


total: 50 km ; paved: 50 km (1999)

registered in other countries: 64 (Bahamas 11, Barbados 1, Georgia 10, Isle of Man 3, Liberia 8, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 7, Norway 5, Panama 11, St Kitts and Nevis 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 6, unknown 1) (2007)
Monaco



males age 18-49: 6,256 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 4,971 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 148 (2005 est.)

defense is the responsibility of France; the Palace Guard performs ceremonial duties (2003)
none



