Geography

The Principality of Monaco has a strategic geographical setting in the heart of Mediterranean Europe. If you have a brief look to the map of Monaco you would see that it is situated between the Alps and the Mediterranean, with the Italian Riviera to the east and the French Riviera to the west.

It is the second smallest country in the world (after Vatican City), covering less than two square kilometers. 20% of its territory was reclaimed from the sea.

Relief

• Mainly mountainous, terraced down to the sea.
• The territory extends along the shore, the coast line measuring 4,100 meters. The width of the borders range from 1,050 meters to 350 meters.
• Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea — 0m
• Highest point: Mont Angel — 140m

Climate

Mediterranean — mild, wet winters (over 10°C) and mild summers (around 26°C).
Average annual temperature: around 16°C, with almost 300 sunny days/ a year.
Sea temperatures between 12°C in the winter and over 25°C in mid-summer.

Monaco's districts

Monaco-Ville

situated on the Rock (with the Prince's Palace, the Cathedral, the Oceanogaphic Museum)

La Condamine

the area around the harbor.

Monte-Carlo

was founded in 1866 by Prince Charles III after whom it was named (here is the Casino, luxurious hotels).

Fontvieille

22 hectares reclaimed from the sea (commercial, tourist and sports facilities built around a harbor and a location for hi-tech industry)

Moneghetti

at the France border (Révoires and Exotic Garden).

Easy access

Known as Europe's crossroad in transportation and communication, Monaco is easily reachable by road, by train, by air and by sea. If you wish to travel to Monaco you can get there:

By air

22.05 km from Côte d'Azur International Airport. There are permanent links by helicopters, buses, car services, taxis.

By train

Many international trains stop at the Monaco-Monte Carlo (SNCF) railway station.

By road

There are several easy-access roads to the A8 highway which connects with the European highway system. Local travel: there are three major roads — the Low, the Middle and the Great Corniches.

By sea

two harbors — the Condamine (Port Hercule harbor) and Fontvieille, equipped to handle yachts of all weights and sizes.

Demographics

Monaco is the most densely populated country in the world. Macau used to occupy the first place in the world before it became part of China.

It has a resident population of about 33,000 persons, of which 16,100 are residents of Monte Carlo.

The unusual thing about Monaco is that the natives are a minority: there are only around 6,000 Monegasque nationals. Other residents are mostly French (47%) and Italian (16%) and a variety of 125 nations.

The official language is French but Italian and English are widely spoken. The Monegasque language is spoken by the older population. It is also taught to the youth in school.

The official religion is Roman-Catholic (90%). Religious freedom is guaranteed by the constitution.

Some statistic estimations for 2004:

• Median age: 45.1 years
• Population growth rate: 0.44%
• Life expectancy at birth: 79.42 years
• Net migration rate: 7.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population