Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco (French: Principauté de Monaco), is the second smallest country in the world after the Vatican City. Monaco is a city-state, meaning that the entire country is just one city.
Overview
Monaco is located south-east of France, on the Mediterranean Sea in Western Europe. Monaco's official language is French while the language of the Monégasque is also a national language. Monaco's population is around 38,000 but under 10,000 of its citizens are Monégasque nationals.
The currency is the Euro (EUR), though Monaco is not part of the European Union (EU). Monaco is considered a tax haven and one of the wealthiest countries in the world because many rich people live there.
In 1297, Francesco Grimaldi and his army captured the fortress on the Rock of Monaco, but they were evicted by the Geonoese army. However, the Grimaldi family continued to fight for Monaco over the next century.[3]Rainier I was the first Grimaldi ruler of Monaco. The Republic of Genoa eventually lost Monaco while fighting the Crown of Aragon. In 1419, the Grimaldi family purchased Monaco from Aragon.
Early modern period
In 1642, Honoré II, gave himself the title "Prince of Monaco".[4] Until then, the rulers of Monaco were called the "Lords of Monaco". In 1793, Monaco was invaded by France.[5]
At the time, the towns of Menton and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin were part of Monaco. However, the citizens of these towns wanted to be part of France. Charles III gave the towns to France in exchange for Monaco's full independence.[6] A treaty was signed in 1861 which said that France would protect Monaco in case of a war.
20th century
In the early 1900s, Monaco became very popular among wealthy people because of the Monte Carlo casino. In 1910, there was a revolution in Monaco because the people wanted a democracy.[7] Because of this, the powers of the Prince of Monaco were reduced. During World War II, Monaco was occupied by Italy.
Its surface area is 2.02 square kilometres, of which approximately 0.4 were recovered from the sea since 1980.
Politics
Wards of Monaco
Monaco is a constitutional monarchy, meaning that the head of state is a monarch with little to no say in the way the country is governed. Monaco is a principality, which is a type of monarchy where the monarch holds the title of Sovereign Prince.[8]
Constitution
The constitution of Monaco designates three councils to run the country. The three councils are:
The National Council, which is the legislature. It consists of 24 elected members, who may be members of political parties. The National Council meets twice a year to discuss bills put forward by the Prince's government. The council is presided over by a president.
The Communal Council is the city council. It consists of 15 elected members, one of which is the mayor. The Communal Council is in charge of the social and cultural aspects of the country.
In addition, Monaco is divided into ten administrative wards.
Defense
Monaco has no military and is protected by France. However, it does have a police force of around 515 members.
Economy
Monte Carlo Casino
Tourism is the main industry. Tourism is extremely popular during the Monaco Grand Prix. People in Monaco pay no income tax. Many rich people live in Monaco and it is known for being very wealthy. Another large industry is gambling due to the Monte Carlo Casino.
Culture
Monaco's culture is heavily influenced by its surrounding countries such as France and Italy. The main religion is Catholicism. The cuisine is influenced by that of northern Italy and southern France.
Entertainment
In terms of music, Monaco has an opera house, a symphony orchestra and a classical ballet company. Monaco has participated regularly in the Eurovision Song Contest, winning in 1971. There are three museums in Monaco. The Principality of Monaco hosts major international events such as :
Monaco also has an annual bread festival on 17 September every year.
Education
Public
Monaco has ten state-operated schools, including: seven nursery and primary schools; one secondary school; one lycée that provides general and technological training and one lycée that provides vocational and hotel training.
Private
There are also two grant-aided denominational private schools. There is one university located in Monaco, namely the International University of Monaco (IUM).
1. Transcontinental country/territory that is part of both Europe and Asia. 2. Territory or with territory geographically part of North America. 3. Partially recognized. 4. Not all dependent territories are listed. 5. Territory has some form of self-rule. 6. Territory or with territory geographically part of Africa. 7. Governed by the Holy See.
