Background: The Genoese built a fortress on the site of present day Monaco in 1215. The current ruling GRIMALDI family first seized control in 1297 but was not able to permanently secure its holding until 1419. 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: 2 km²
Land: 2 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 255
Comparative: about three times the size of the National Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries
Total: 6 km
Border countries: (1) France 6 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: 0 m
Note: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea

Natural resources: none

Land use
Agricultural land: 1% (2011 est.)
Forest: 0% (2011 est.)
Other: 99% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: none

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

Population
Distribution: the most densely populated country in the world; its entire population living on 2 square km: note: immigrants make up almost 55% of the total population, according to UN data (2017)
Note: (July 2017 est.) (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 217
Growth rate: 0.3% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 170
Below poverty line note: NA

Nationality
Noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s)
Adjective: Monegasque or Monacan

Ethnic groups:

Languages: French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque

Religions: Roman Catholic 90% (official), other 10%

Age structure
0-14 years: 10.27% (male 1622 /female 1533)
15-24 years: 9.39% (male 1498 /female 1387)
25-54 years: 32.15% (male 4,964 /female 4,916)
55-64 years: 15.04% (male 2,305 /female 2,315)
65 years and over: 33.15% (male 4,530 /female 5,657) (2018 est.)

Median age
Total: 53.8 years
Male: 52.4 years
Female: 55.3 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 1

Population growth rate: 0.3% (2018 est.)
Rank: 170

Birth rate: 6.5 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 226

Death rate: 10.1 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 36

Net migration rate: 5.7 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 20

Population distribution: the most densely populated country in the world; its entire population living on 2 square km

Urbanization
Urban population: 100% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.51% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 39,000 MONACO (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: no serious issues; actively monitors pollution levels in air and water
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: 1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 1.8 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 2.1 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 1.6 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 223

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 89.4 years (2018 est.)
Male: 85.5 years (2018 est.)
Female: 93.4 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 1

Total fertility rate: 1.54 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 191

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Physicians density: 6.65 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 13.8 beds/1000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

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

Education expenditures: 1.4% of GDP (2016)
Rank: 176

Country name
Conventional long form: Principality of Monaco
Conventional short form: Monaco
Local long form: Principaute de Monaco
Local short form: Monaco
Etymology: founded as a Greek colony in the 6th century B.C., the name derives from two Greek words monos (single, alone) and oikos (house) to convey the sense of a people living apart or in a single habitation

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 4 quarters (quartiers, singular - quartier); Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo; note - Moneghetti, a part of La Condamine, is sometimes called the 5th quarter of Monaco

Independence: 1419 (beginning of permanent rule by the House of GRIMALDI)

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

Constitution
History: previous 1911 (suspended 1959); latest adopted 17 December 1962 (2016)
Amendments: proposed by joint agreement of the chief of state (the prince) and the National Council; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of National Council members; amended 2002 (2016)

Legal system: civil law system influenced by French legal tradition

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Monaco; in the case of a child born out of wedlock, the mother must be a citizen and father unknown
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Prince ALBERT II (since 6 April 2005)
Head of government: Minister of State Serge TELLE (since 1 February 2016)
Cabinet: Council of Government under the authority of the monarch
Electionsappointments: 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
Description: unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 8 directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held on 11 February 2018 (next to be held in February 2023)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Priorite Monaco 57.7%, Horizon Monaco 26.1%, Union Monegasque 16.2%; seats by party - Priorite Monaco 21, Horizon Monaco 2, Union Monegasque 1; composition - men 16, women 8, percent of women 33.3%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of 5 permanent members and 2 substitutes)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court members appointed by the monarch upon the proposals of the National Council, State Council, Crown Council, Court of Appeal, and Trial Court
Subordinate courts: Court of Appeal; Civil Court of First Instance

Political parties and leaders: Horizon Monaco [Laurent NOUVION]Priorite Monaco [Stephane VALERI]Renaissance [SBM (public corporation)]Union Monegasque [Jean-Francois ROBILLON]

International organization participation: CD, CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITSO, ITU, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Schengen Convention (de facto member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Maguy MACCARIO-DOYLE (since 3 December 2013)
In the us chancery: 3,400 International Drive NW, Suite 2K-100, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: (202) 234-1530
In the us fax: (202) 244-7,656
In the us consulate: New York
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 diplomatic and consular matters concerning Monaco

Flag description:

National symbols: red and white lozenges (diamond shapes); national colors: red, white

National anthem
Name: A Marcia de Muneghu (The March of Monaco)
Lyricsmusic: Louis NOTARI/Charles ALBRECHT: note: music adopted 1867, lyrics adopted 1931; although French is commonly spoken, only the Monegasque lyrics are official; the French version is known as 'Hymne Monegasque' (Monegasque Anthem); the words are generally only sung on official occasions

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 banking center and has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, nonpolluting industries. 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.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. Monaco, however, is not a tax-free shelter; it charges nearly 20% value-added tax, collects stamp duties, and companies face a 33% tax on profits unless they can show that three-quarters of profits are generated within the principality. Monaco was formally removed from the OECD's 'grey list' of uncooperative tax jurisdictions in late 2009, but continues to face international pressure to abandon its banking secrecy laws and help combat tax evasion. In October 2014, Monaco officially became the 84th jurisdiction participating in the OECD’s Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, an effort to combat offshore tax avoidance and evasion.Monaco's reliance on tourism and banking for its economic growth has left it vulnerable to downturns in France and other European economies which are the principality's main trade partners. In 2009, Monaco's GDP fell by 11.5% as the euro-zone crisis precipitated a sharp drop in tourism and retail activity and home sales. A modest recovery ensued in 2010 and intensified in 2013, with GDP growth of more than 9%, but Monaco's economic prospects remain uncertain.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 165

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 40

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 3

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0% (2013)
Industry: 14% (2013)
Services: 86% (2013)

Agriculture products: none

Industries: banking, insurance, tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer products

Industrial production growth rate: 6.8% (2015)
Rank: 33

Labor force:
Rank: 190
By occupation agriculture: 0%
By occupation industry: 16.1%
By occupation services: 83.9% (2012 est.)

Unemployment rate: 2% (2012)
Rank: 19

Population below poverty line
Note: NA

Budget
Revenues: 896.3 million (2011 est.)
Expenditures: 953.6 million (2011 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -1% (of GDP) (2011 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 80

Taxes and other revenues: 14.9% (of GDP) (2011 est.)
Rank: 196

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.5% (2010)
Rank: 84

Market value of publicly traded shares: NA

Exports:
Rank: 162

Imports:
Rank: 175

Debt external:  NA

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2016)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 47,013 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 153 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 159
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 32,978 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 108 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 206

Telephone system
General assessment: modern automatic telephone system; the countrys sole fixed-line operator offers a full range of services to residential and business customers (2016)
Domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 250 per 100 persons (2016)
International: country code - 377; no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into the French communications system (2016)

Broadcast media: TV Monte-Carlo operates a TV network; cable TV available; Radio Monte-Carlo has extensive radio networks in France and Italy with French-language broadcasts to France beginning in the 1960s and Italian-language broadcasts to Italy beginning in the 1970s; other radio stations include Riviera Radio and Radio Monaco (2012)

Internet
Country code: .mc
Users total: 29,116 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 95.2% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 203

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 19,258 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 63 (2017 est.)
Rank: 152

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 3A (2016)

Heliports: 1 (2012)

Roadways
Total: 77 km (2010)
Paved: 77 km (2010)
Rank: 218

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Monaco

Disputes international: none