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 widely recognised as one of the wealthiest and most expensive places in the world. The official language of the principality is French. In addition, Monégasque (a variety of Ligurian), 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 in the world, trailing only the dependency of Macau. Monaco also has the world's shortest coastline, measuring just 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. (Full article...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Selected location article

The Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo is a luxury hotel that is located at Place du Casino in Monte Carlo, Monaco. It was opened in 1864 as part of the development of Monaco by the Société des Bains de Mer. In March 2019, the hotel reopened after undergoing a $280 million renovation, which took more than four years to complete. (Full article...)

List of articles
Casino Gardens and Terraces Avenue Princesse Grace Columbus Hotel Monaco Fort Antoine Theatre Grimaldi Forum 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 1A view of the 2011 Monaco Porsche Supercup. Motor racing is very popular, with one course encompassing almost the whole country. (from Monaco)
Image 2Seaside façade of the Salle Garnier, home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (from Monaco)
Image 3Hôtel de Paris (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 4The Rock of Monaco in 1890 (from Monaco)
Image 5
Panoramic view of Monaco from the Tête de Chien (Dog's Head) high rock promontory
(from Monaco)
Image 6Public art in Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 7The marriage of actress Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier III brought media attention to the principality. (from Monaco)
Image 8Satellite view with border (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 9Monaco's flag and its coat of arms (from Monaco)
Image 10Fontvieille (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 11Fontvieille and its new harbour (from Monaco)
Image 12The Mayor of Monaco announcing concessions, ending the absolute monarchy of Prince Albert I in 1910 (from Monaco)
Image 13View of Monaco in 2016 (from Monaco)
Image 14Oceanographic Museum (from Monaco)
Image 15Lycée Albert Premier of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 16La Condamine (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 17Seaside façade of the Salle Garnier, home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 18Logo of the princely government of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 19Formation lap for the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix (from Monaco)
Image 20Monaco (as part of the Republic of Genoa) in 1494 (from Monaco)
Image 21A 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 22The location of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 23
Panoramic view of Monaco City and the port of Fontvieille
(from Monaco)
Image 24Jacques I, Prince of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 25Palace guards in Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 26Monte Carlo Casino (from Monaco)
Image 27Sainte-Dévote Chapel (from Monaco)
Image 28Wards of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 29Rainier I, victor of the naval battle at Zierikzee and first sovereign Grimaldi ruler of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 30Enlargeable, detailed map of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 31Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 32Prince Albert I of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 33Prince's Palace of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 34Satellite view of Monaco, with the France–Monaco border shown in yellow (from Monaco)
Image 35Embassy of Monaco, Paris, France (from Monaco)
Image 36The Monaco harbour during the days of the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 37Stade Louis II, home of AS Monaco FC (from Monaco)
Image 38View of the Rock of Monaco (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 39Charles Leclerc (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 401978 Monégasque franc coin with an effigy of Rainier III (from Monaco)
Image 41Monte Carlo Casino (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 42In 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)
Image 43
Land reclamation in Monaco since 1861
(from Monaco)
Image 44Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate (from Monaco)
Image 45Lycée Albert Premier of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 46Monaco-Ville (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 47Albert II, Prince of Monaco (from Monaco)
Image 48Port Hercules (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 49Benjamin Balleret (from Outline of Monaco)
Image 50
Panoramic view of La Condamine and Monte Carlo
(from Monaco)
Image 51Monte Carlo (from Outline of Monaco)

Selected ward

A view of Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo (/ˌmɒnti ˈkɑːrloʊ/ MON-tee KAR-loh, Italian: [ˈmonte ˈkarlo]; French: Monte-Carlo [mɔ̃te kaʁlo], or colloquially Monte-Carl [mɔ̃te kaʁl]; Monégasque: Munte Carlu [ˈmuŋte ˈkaɾlu]; lit. 'Mount Charles') is officially an administrative area of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to a larger district, the Monte Carlo Quarter (corresponding to the former municipality of Monte Carlo), which besides Monte Carlo/Spélugues also includes the wards of La Rousse/Saint Roman, Larvotto/Bas Moulins and Saint Michel. The permanent population of the ward of Monte Carlo is about 3,500, while that of the quarter is about 15,000. Monaco has four traditional quarters. From west to east they are: Fontvieille (the newest), Monaco-Ville (the oldest), La Condamine, and Monte Carlo.

Monte Carlo is situated on a prominent escarpment at the base of the Maritime Alps along the French Riviera. Near the quarter's western end is the "world-famous Place du Casino, the gambling center ... that has made Monte Carlo an international byword for the extravagant display and reckless dispersal of wealth". It is also the location of the Hôtel de Paris, Café de Paris and Salle Garnier (the casino theatre which is the home of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo). The quarter's eastern part includes the community of Larvotto with Monaco's only public beach, as well as its new convention center (the Grimaldi Forum), and the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort. At the quarter's eastern border, one crosses into the French town of Beausoleil (sometimes referred to as Monte-Carlo-Supérieur), and 8 kilometres (5 mi) to its east is the western border of Italy. (Full article...)

List of articles
La Condamine Fontvieille, Monaco Larvotto Jardin exotique Monaco-Ville Les Moneghetti Ravin de Sainte-Dévote La Rousse

Selected environment article

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...)

List of articles
Land reclamation in Monaco Mont Agel Port Hercules Rock of Monaco

Selected arts article

The Eurovision Song Contest 1965 was the tenth edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Naples, Italy, following the country's victory at the 1964 contest with the song "Non ho l'età" by Gigliola Cinquetti. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI), the contest was held at Sala di Concerto della RAI on 20 March 1965, and was hosted by Italian singer Renata Mauro.

Eighteen countries participated in the contest - setting a new record for the highest number of entrants in the competition until that point. Sweden returned after being absent from the previous edition, while Ireland made its debut. (Full article...)

Selected religion article

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

Monaco competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were rescheduled for 23 July to 8 August 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the nation's official debut in 1920, Monegasque athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games throughout the modern era, except for three occasions; Monaco did not attend the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles at the period of the worldwide Great Depression, failed to register any athletes at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, and also joined the United States-led boycott when Moscow hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics. (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

The Principality of Monaco has currently a single railway station, Monaco - Monte Carlo, part of the Marseille–Ventimiglia railway line. The station was originally opened in 1867, but extensively rebuilt in 1999. The length of railway within the Principality is 1.7 km (1.1 mi), giving Monaco the third-smallest railway system in the world. (Full article...)

Selected biography

Georges Vigarello (born 16 June 1941) is a French historian and sociologist. He is a Research Director at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) of Paris. His main research interests include the sociology of the body, the history of hygiene, representations of the body over the centuries, and the social dimensions of sport. (Full article...)