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Monaco The Principality of Monaco (French: Principauté de Monaco; Monegasque: Principatu de Munegu), more commonly known as Monaco, is a city state and one of the European microstates. It is located between the Mediterranean Sea and France along the French Riviera, near the French border with Italy. Monaco is the most densely populated independent country in the world1 and the world's second-smallest independent country. Principauté de Monaco Principatu de Munegu Motto: Deo Juvante (Latin: With God's Help) Anthem: Hymne Monégasque Capital Monaco Location 43°44' N 7°24' E Largest city Monaco Official language French Government Constitutional monarchy Independence - beginning of rule by House of Grimaldi 1419 Area 1.95 km² (192nd) Population 32,409 (188th) . 2005 est. Currency Euro (EUR) Time zone CEST (UTC+2) . Summer (DST) CET (UTC+1) Internet TLD .mc Calling code +377 Monaco is a city-state. History Monaco derives its name from the nearby Greek colony, Monoikos, founded in the 6th century BCE by the Phoceans. According to an ancient myth, Hercules passed through the Monaco area. A temple was constructed there by Phoceans, the temple of Hercules Monoikos (means single house or single temple). Monaco was re-founded in 1215 as a colony of Genoa. Monaco has been ruled by the House of Grimaldi since 1297, when François Grimaldi (aka: Malizia) seized the fortress protecting the famous rock while dressed up as a Franciscan monk (monaco in Italian); the only exception to this was from 1793 to 1814, when Monaco was under French control. The Congress of Vienna designated Monaco as a protectorate of Sardinia from 1815 until 1860 when the Treaty of Turin in 1860 ceded to France the surrounding county of Nice and Savoy. During this time there was unrest in the towns of Menton and Roquebrune 1848 which declared independance, hoping for annexation by Sardinia. The unrest continued until the ruling Prince gave up his claim to the two towns (some 95% of the country) to France in return for 4 million francs. External links
This page was retrieved and condensed from (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monaco) December 2005 All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (see Copyrights for details). About Wikipedia Disclaimers This information was correct in December 2005. E. & O.E. Monte Carlo is the wealthiest district of the country of Monaco, known for its casino, gambling, glamour, and sightings of famous people. The permanent population is 30,000 (1990 estimate). Monte Carlo is home to most of the Circuit de Monaco, on which takes place the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix; it also hosts world championship boxing bouts, the Monte Carlo Masters, fashion shows and other events. Monte Carlo has been visited by royalty as well as commoners and movie stars for decades. Famous for its gambling casino, Monte Carlo is one of Europe's leading tourist resorts. Within the casino complex is the Grand Théâtre de Monte Carlo, an opera and ballet house, and the headquarters of the Ballets de Monte Carlo. In 1861 a 50-year concession to operate the gaming rooms was granted to a private individual. Since 1898 the concession has been operated by the Société des Bains de Mer, a private company, in which the government now holds a majority interest. This corporation also owns the principal hotels and clubs of the community that serve the tourist trade. The citizens of Monaco are exempt from taxes, and they are forbidden to enter the gaming rooms. In 1873 Joseph Jagger gained the casino great publicity by "breaking the bank at Monte Carlo" by discovering and capitalizing on a bias in one of the casino's roulette wheels. Technically, the bank in this sense was the money held on the table by the croupier. According to an article in The Times in the late 19th century, it was thus possible to break the bank several times. The 1892 song The Man that Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo was probably inspired by the exploits of Charles Wells who broke the bank on many occasions on the first two of his three trips. James Bond, fictional British spy and protagonist of the Bond movie series, frequented the city's glamorous, Edwardian casino. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (see Copyrights for details). About Wikipedia Disclaimers This information was correct in December 2005. E. & O.E. Sarolta and I visited Monaco and its famous district Monte Carlo with a bit of a flutter at its celebrated Casino in 1978. We also had a conducted tour of the fabulous Palace. Terrific. Hui Chin and I explored Monaco and it's districs, including Monte Carlo, Casino and the Palace, as I happened to be here before, I acted as a guide for Hui Chin, bad idea, I hardly rememberred or recognised the place, except the Casino, which hasn't seemed to change much. You can click on
these photos for an enlargement.
2004
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