The 'Principality of Monaco' (), more commonly known as 'Monaco', is a
constitutional monarchy and
city-state in
Western Europe located along the
French Riviera between the
Mediterranean Sea and
France. It is one of six
microstates located in Europe.
Monaco is the world's
most densely populated country and second-smallest independent nation; with a
population of just 32,410 and an area of 1.96
square kilometers (485
acres), Monaco is the world's smallest
French-speaking polity.
Geography
The whole territory of Principality of Monaco
The Principality of Monaco is the second-smallest independent state in the world, after
Vatican City. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, 18 kilometers (11
mi) east of
Nice and near the
Italian border. It is surrounded on three sides by
France (
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Région). It consists of a narrow strip along the coast at the bottom of the foothills of the
Alps and its highest point is "Le Rocher" at 141 meters (459
ft).
Map of Monaco.
The
principality is noted for its natural scenery and mild, sunny
climate. The average minimum temperature in January and February is 8°
C (47 °
F); in July and August the average maximum temperature is 26 °C (78 °F).
Monaco is a narrow coastal strip. Its physical geography includes a long beach and steep cliffs that rise vertically upwards to heights of 63 meters (206 ft) above sea level.
Administrative division
The distinction between State and City of Monaco is purely theoretical. The state in fact consists of one
municipality (''commune'') only. According to the
constitution of 1911, the principality was subdivided into three municipalities:
★ Monaco (
Monaco-Ville, the old city on a rocky promontory extending into the Mediterranean, known as the
Rock of Monaco, or simply le Rocher (the rock), where the palace is located
★
Monte Carlo, the principal residential and resort area with the casino in the east and northeast
★
La Condamine, the northwest section including the port area
The three municipalities were merged into one in 1917 (after accusations that the government was acting according to the motto "divide and conquer"), and they had the status of
wards (''quartiers'') thereafter.
★
Fontvieille was added as fourth ward, a newly constructed area reclaimed from the sea (in the 1970s)
★
Moneghetti became the fifth ward, created from a part of La Condamine
★
Larvotto became the sixth ward, created from a part of Monte Carlo
★
La Rousse/Saint Roman (including
Le Ténao) became the seventh ward, also created from a part of Monte Carlo
Subsequently, three additional wards were created:
★
Saint Michel, from a part of Monte Carlo
★
La Colle, from a part of La Condamine
★
Les Révoires, from a part of La Condamine
An additional ward is planned by new land reclamation, to be settled from 2014:
★ Le Portier
Currently the principality is subdivided into 10 wards (with their official numbers - Le Portier, the planned ward, is anticipated as number 11):
| Nr | Ward | Area(m2) | Population(Censusof 2000) | Densitykm−2 | CityBlocks''(îlots)'' | Remarks |
|---|
| 'Former municipality of Monaco' |
| 05 | Monaco-Ville | 184,750 | 1,034 | 5597 | 19 | Old City with palace |
| 'Former municipality of Monte Carlo' |
| 01 | Monte Carlo/Spélugues (''Bd. Des Moulins-Av. de la Madone'') | 281,461 | 3,034 | 10779 | 20 | the casino and resort area |
| 02 | La Rousse/ Saint Roman (''Annonciade-Château Périgord'') | 105,215 | 3,223 | 30633 | 15 | in the northeast, incl. Le Ténao |
| 03 | Larvotto/Bas Moulins (''Larvotto-Bd Psse Grace'') | 328,479 | 5,443 | 16570 | 15 | eastern beach area |
| 10 | Saint Michel (''Psse Charlotte-Park Palace'') | 142,223 | 3,807 | 26768 | 24 | central residential area |
| 'Former municipality of La Condamine' |
| 04 | Condamine | 237,283 | 3,847 | 16213 | 27 | port area in the northwest |
| 07 | La Colle (''Plati-Pasteur-Bd Charles III'') | 188,073 | 2,822 | 15005 | 15 | on the western border with Cap d'Ail |
| 08 | Les Révoires (''Hector Otto-Honoré Labande'') | 75,747 | 2,515 | 33203 | 11 | containing the Jardin Exotique |
| 09 | Moneghetti/ Bd de Belgique (''Bd Rainier III-Bd de Belgique'' | 107,056 | 3,003 | 28051 | 18 | |
| 'new land reclaimed from the sea' |
| 06 | Fontvieille | 324,157 | 3,292 | 10156 | 9 | started 1971 |
| 11 | Le Portier | 275,0001) | - | - | - | planned (for 2014) |
| | Monaco | 1,974,444 | 32,020 | 16217 | 173 | |
| 1) Area not included in total, as it is only proposed |
For statistical purposes, the wards of Monaco are further subdivided into 173
city blocks (''îlots''), which are comparable to the
census blocks in the
United States.
History
Main articles: History of Monaco
Monaco apparently first gained its name from the nearby
Phocaean
Greek colony of
Marseille, in the sixth century BC, which referred to the Ligurians as Monoikos, from the Greek Μόνοικος — μόνος + οίκος, "single house", which bears the sense of a people either settled in a "single habitation" or of "living apart" from others. According to an ancient myth,
Hercules passed through the Monaco area. A temple was constructed there by Phoceans, the temple of Hercules Monoikos.
Following a land grant from Emperor
Henry VI in
1191, Monaco was re-founded in
1228 as a colony of
Genoa. Monaco has been ruled by the House of
Grimaldi since
1297, when
François Grimaldi ("''Malizia''", "The Malicious") and his men captured the fortress protecting the famous
Rock of Monaco while he was dressed as a
Franciscan monk – or, in
Italian ''Monaco'', although this is a coincidence as the area was already known by this name.
From
1793 to
1814, Monaco was under French control. The
Congress of Vienna designated Monaco as a protectorate of the Kingdom of
Sardinia from
1815 until
1860 when the
Treaty of Turin ceded to France the surrounding county of
Nice (as well as
Savoy). During this time there was unrest in the towns of
Menton and
Roquebrune, which declared independence, hoping for annexation by
Sardinia. The unrest continued until the ruling prince gave up his claim to the two towns (some 95% of the country) to France in return for four million francs. This transfer and Monaco's sovereignty was recognised by the
Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861.
Until the
1911 constitution, the
princes of Monaco were
absolute rulers. In July
1918, a treaty was signed providing for limited French protection over Monaco. The treaty, part of the
Treaty of Versailles, established that Monegasque policy would be aligned with French political, military, and economic interests.
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco acceded to the throne following the death of his grandfather, Prince
Louis II, in
1949. A new constitution, proclaimed in
1962, abolished
capital punishment, provided for
women's suffrage, and established a
Supreme Court to guarantee fundamental liberties. In
1993, Monaco became a member of the
United Nations, with full voting rights.
In
2002, a new treaty between France and Monaco clarified that if there are no heirs to carry on the dynasty, the principality will remain an independent nation rather than revert to France. Monaco's military defence, however, is still the responsibility of France.
By
31 March 2005, Prince Rainier III had become too ill to exercise his duties and relinquished them to his son
Prince Albert, Marquis of Baux. On
6 April 2005, Prince Rainier died and his son succeeded him as Albert II of Monaco. Prince Albert II of Monaco formally became the ruler of Monaco on
12 July 2005, in a celebration that began with a solemn
Mass at the cathedral where his father was buried three months before, after a reign of fifty-six years. His accession to the throne was a two-step event with another ceremony drawing heads of state for an elaborate ceremony held on
19 November 2005. He is the son of the late actress and princess
Grace Kelly.
Law and government
Monaco and harbour view.
Monaco has been governed as a
constitutional monarchy since
1911, with the
Sovereign Prince of Monaco as
head of state. The
executive branch consists of a
Minister of State (the
head of government), who presides over a four-member Council of Government (the
Cabinet). The minister of state is a French citizen appointed by the prince from among candidates proposed by the French government. Under the
1962 constitution, the prince shares his power with the
unicameral National Council (parliament). The twenty-four members of this
legislative body are elected from lists by
universal suffrage for five-year terms. The principality's local affairs are directed by the Communal Council, which consists of fifteen elected members and is presided over by the mayor
Monaco became a member of the United Nations in 1991, and received its first foreign diplomatic representative on
16 February 2006, when a French Ambassador was accredited to the Principality.
On both a per-capita and per-area basis, Monaco has the largest police force and police presence in the world.
The
Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince (Prince's Company of Carabiniers) is the military force of Monaco. Although Monaco's defence is the responsibility of
France, it maintains a small force for the protection of the
Sovereign Prince of Monaco. It was formed by
Prince Honoré IV in
1817 for the protection of the Principality. The company numbers approximately one hundred officers and men; while the
NCOs and soldiers are local, the officers have generally served in the
French Army. Together with the local fire service, the Carabiniers form Monaco's total public forces. In addition to their guard duties, the company patrols the Principality's beaches and coastal waters, as well as other duties around the Palace in
Monaco-Ville.
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Monaco
One of Monaco's main sources of income is
tourism; each year many are attracted to its casino and pleasant climate. In 2001, a major new construction project extended the pier used by cruise ships in the main harbour. The principality has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, non-polluting industries such as cosmetics and biothermics.
As befits a world leader in glamour and money, Monaco is one of the most expensive places on Earth. As of February 2007, Monaco had Europe's most expensive real estate, ahead of even London. The principality is often regarded as a tax haven, and most of its inhabitants are millionaires from other countries. The glamour and prestige associated with Monaco and its style-conscious people can be seen in the number of high class cars, designer fashion boutiques such as
Chanel, trendy restaurants, and its royal family, especially since the marriage of Prince Rainier to
Grace Kelly, later
HSH Princess Grace of Monaco.
The state retains
monopolies in numerous sectors, including
tobacco and the postal service. The
telephone network (
Monaco Telecom) used to be owned by the state; it now owns 45%, while the remaining 55% is owned by
Cable and Wireless (49%) and Compagnie Monégasque de Banque (6%). It is still, however, a monopoly. Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas.
Monaco is not a member of the
European Union but is very closely linked to it via a customs union with France, and as such its
currency is the same as that of France: the
euro. Prior to 2002, Monaco minted their own franc coins, the
Monegasque franc. Monaco has acquired the right to mint
euro coins with Monegasque designs on their national side.
Tax haven
The State has no
income tax for individuals. The lack of personal income tax has led to a considerable number of wealthy "tax refugee" residents from European countries, who earn the majority of their income from activity outside Monaco;
celebrities such as
Formula One drivers attract most of the attention, but the majority of them are business people.
In 2000, a
report by French
parliamentarians Arnaud Montebourg and
Vincent Peillon alleged that Monaco has lax policies with respect to money laundering, including within its famed casino, and that the government of Monaco puts political pressure on the judiciary so that alleged crimes are not properly investigated.
The
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (
OECD) issued in 1998 a first report on the consequences of the
tax havens financial systems. Monaco does not appear in the list of these territories until 2004, when
OECD became indignant regarding the Monegasque situation
[1] and denounces it in its last report
[2] (as well as
Andorra, the
Principality of Liechtenstein,
Liberia and the
Republic of the Marshall Islands) underlining its lack of co-operation as regards financial information disclosure and availability.
In 2000, the
Financial Action Task Force (
FATF) underlined that Monaco suffers a great lack of adequate resources
[3]. The Principality is no longer blamed in the
FATF 2005 report
[4], as well as all other territories in 2006
[5].
Since 2003, the
International Monetary Fund (
IMF) has identified Monaco, along with 36 other territories, as
tax havens[6].
The
Council of Europe also decided to issue reports naming tax havens. 22 territories, Monaco included, were thus evaluated between 1998 and 2000 on a first round. Monaco is the only territory that refuses to perform the second round, initially forecast between 2001 and 2003, whereas the 21 other territories are implementing the third and last round, planned between 2005 and 2007
[7]
Education
Schools
Monaco has ten state-operated schools, including seven nursery and primary schools, one secondary school (Collège Charles III), one lycée that provides general and technological training (Lycée Albert 1er, which compares favorably to those in neighboring southern France), and one lycée that provides vocational and hotel training.
[1]
There are also two grant-aided denominational private schools (including
Institution François d'Assise Nicolas Barré and
Ecole des Sœurs Dominicaines) and one international school (
International School of Monaco).
Colleges and universities
★
International University of Monaco
Demographics
View of Monaco-Ville
Monaco's population is unusual in that the native Monegasques are a minority in their own country. The largest proportion of residents are French nationals (47%), followed by Monegasque (16%), and Italians (16%). The remaining 21% belong to one of the other 125 nationalities that make up Monaco's international population. At 45, Monaco's average age is the highest in the world.
Languages
French is the only official language, but
Italian,
English, and the two local languages,
Monégasque (a local variety of
Ligurian) and
Occitan, are also spoken. The literacy rate is 99%.
Religion
Roman Catholicism is the official
religion, with freedom of other religions guaranteed by the constitution. There are five Catholic churches in Monaco and one
cathedral presided over by an
archbishop.
Security
Monaco has no army or air force, but has a small coast guard consisting of three small patrol boats. Security is provided by an armed police force consisting of about 1200 men and women. There is also a (mainly ceremonial) bodyguard unit for the Prince and his palace called the
Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince which numbers about 100 officers and men and is equipped with modern weapons such as M-16 rifles and 9mm pistols. The defense of the nation is provided by
France.
Flag
The flag of Monaco reflects the
heraldic colors of the
Grimaldi family. It is one of the world's oldest national flag designs. The flag of Monaco is identical to that of
Indonesia (except for the ratio of height to width).
[2]
Notes
1. '' Declaration of April 18th, 2004, by the representative of the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration Gabriel Makhlouf regarding the list of alleged tax havens non-cooperatives countries comparable''
2. '' Stage Report 2004: Project of OECD on the detrimental tax practices, OECD, Paris, 2004 ''
3. '' Review to Identify Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories: Increasing the Worldwide Effectiveness of Anti-Money Laundering Measures, FATF, Paris, 2000 ''
4. '' Review to Identify Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories: Increasing the Worldwide Effectiveness of Anti-Money Laundering Measures, FATF, Paris, 2005 ''
5. '' Review to Identify Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories: Increasing the Worldwide Effectiveness of Anti-Money Laundering Measures, FATF, Paris, 2006 ''
6. '' « Financial Centres with Significant Offshore Activities » in Offshore Financial Centres. The Assessment Program. A Progress Report Supplementary Information, IMF, Washington, 2005 ''
7. '' First Mutual Evaluation Report on the Principality of Monaco, Moneyval, Strasbourg, 2003 ''
See also
★
Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra
External links
★
Official website of the Prince's Palace of Monaco
★
ahead of London in Real estate prices
★
Monaco yacht show
★
Official website for Tourism
★
CIA Factbook Entry for Monaco
★
Permanent Mission of Monaco to the United Nations
★
Monte Carlo -- all you need to know before coming in Monaco ★
★
MonacoRevue.com -- Online magazine in English about Monaco's people and lifestyle ★
★
Monaco Announces Its First GDP Figures★
★
History of Monaco: Primary documents
★
In the House of Grimaldi, a reprint of a 1993 article from the author's personal website
★
Order of the doctors of Monaco
★
★
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
