Background: 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.

Geographic coordinates: 43 44 N 7 24 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 1.95 km²
Land: 1.95 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: about three times the size of The Mall in Washington DC

Land boundaries
Total: 4.4 km
Border countries: (1) France 4.4 km

Coastline: 4.1 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 12 nm

Climate: Mediterranean with mild wet winters and hot dry summers

Terrain: hilly rugged rocky

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mont Agel 140 m

Natural resources: none

Land use
Arable land: 0%
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 100% (urban area) (2005)

Irrigated land: NA

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: second-smallest independent state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban

Population: 32,796 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 0.375% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Monegasque or Monacan
Adjective: Monegasque or Monacan

Ethnic groups: French 47% Monegasque 16% Italian 16% other 21%

Languages: French (official) English Italian Monegasque

Religions: Roman Catholic 90% other 10%

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.8% (male 2,488/female 2,369)
15-64 years: 62.4% (male 10,110/female 10,353)
65 years and over: 22.8% (male 3,048/female 4,428) (2008 est.)

Median age
Total: 45.5 years
Male: 43.5 years
Female: 47.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.375% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 9.09 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 12.96 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: 7.62 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 est.)

Environment
Current issues: NA
International agreements 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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male/female
Total population: 0.91 male/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 5.18 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 6 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4.33 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.96 years
Male: 76.14 years
Female: 83.97 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.75 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Education expenditures: 4.4% of GDP (2004)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99%
Male: 99%
Female: 99% (2003 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Principality of Monaco
Conventional short form: Monaco
Local long form: Principaute de Monaco
Local short form: Monaco

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital
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

Administrative divisions: 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

Independence: 1419 (beginning of rule by the House of Grimaldi)

National holiday: National Day (Saint Rainier's Day) 19 November (1857)

Constitution: 17 December 1962

Legal system: based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
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: the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 3 February 2008 (next to be held February 2013)
Election results: percent of vote by party - UPM 52.2%, REM 40.5%, Monaco Together 7.3%; seats by party - UPM 21, REM 3

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council)

Political parties and leaders: Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the Future of Monaco or UNAM); Rally and Issues for Monaco or REM; Monaco Together

International organization participation: CE FAO IAEA ICAO ICC ICCt (signatory) ICRM IFRCS IHO IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IPU ITSO ITU OIF OPCW OSCE Schengen Convention UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO Union Latina UNWTO UPU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador to the US and UN Gilles NOGHES
In the us chancery: 2,314 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: (202) 234-1530
In the us fax: (202) 552-5,778
From the us: 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

Flag description: 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

Economy overview: 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Note: Monaco does not publish national income figures; the estimates are extremely rough (2006 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 0.9% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $30,000 (2006 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0%
Industry: 4.9%
Services: 95.1% (2005)

Agriculture products: none

Industries: tourism construction small-scale industrial and consumer products

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force
Note: includes workers from all foreign countries (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate: 0% (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $863 million
Expenditures: $920.6 million (2005 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.9% (2000)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Exports
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)

Imports
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)

Debt external: $18 billion (2000 est.)

Exchange rates: euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007) 0.7964 (2006) 0.8041 (2005) 0.8054 (2004) 0.886 (2003)

Electricity
Consumption: NA kWh
Imports: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France

Telephones
Main lines in use: 34,000 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 17,200 (2005)

Telephone system
General assessment: modern automatic telephone system
Domestic: NA
International: country code - 377; no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into the French communications system

Internet
Country code: .mc
Hosts: 21,058 (2008)
Users: 20,000 (2006)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Roadways
Total: 50 km
Paved: 50 km (2007)

Merchant marine
Registered in other countries: 70 (Bahamas 15, Georgia 4, Isle of Man 3, Liberia 8, Marshall Islands 13, Norway 5, Panama 16, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Vanuatu 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Monaco

Disputes international: none