]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy ^# 43 44 N, 7 24 E ^$ Europe ^% `! 1.95 sq km `" 1.95 sq km `# 0 sq km ^& about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC ^' `! 4.4 km `Y France 4.4 km ^( 4.1 km ^) `$ 12 nm ^* Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers ^+ hilly, rugged, rocky ^, `% Mediterranean Sea 0 m `& Mont Agel 140 m ^- none ^. `' 0% `( 0% `) 100% (urban area) (2005) ^/ NA ^0 NA ^1 NA _P `P 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 `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 second-smallest independent state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban 
]# ^3 32,671 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 15% (male 2,514/female 2,394) `, 62.3% (male 10,047/female 10,312) `- 22.7% (male 3,019/female 4,385) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 45.5 years `. 43.4 years `/ 47.4 years (2007 est.) ^6 0.386% (2007 est.) ^7 9.12 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 12.92 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 7.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.06 male(s)/female `1 1.05 male(s)/female `, 0.974 male(s)/female `- 0.688 male(s)/female `2 0.912 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 5.27 deaths/1,000 live births `. 6.09 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 79.82 years `. 75.99 years `/ 83.85 years (2007 est.) ^= 1.75 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> NA ^? NA ^@ NA ^A `3 Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s) `4 Monegasque or Monacan ^B French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21% ^C Roman Catholic 90%, other 10% ^D French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 99% `. 99% `/ 99% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Principality of Monaco `7 Monaco `Z Principaute de Monaco `[ Monaco ^H constitutional monarchy ^I `8 Monaco `9 43 44 N, 7 25 E `: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) `p +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October ^J 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 ^K 1419 (beginning of rule by the House of Grimaldi) ^L National Day (Saint Rainier's Day), 19 November (1857) ^M 17 December 1962 ^N based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; Prince ALBERT II (since 6 April 2005) `< Minister of State Jean-Paul PROUST (since 1 June 2005) `= Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch `> none; the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government ^Q unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16 members elected by list majority system, 8 by proportional representation; to serve five-year terms) `> last held 9 February 2003 (next to be held February 2008) `? percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UNAM 21, UND 3 ^R Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council) ^S National and Democratic Union or UND [Guy MAGNAN]; Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the Future of Monaco or UNAM) ^T NA ^U ACCT, CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO ^V `R Ambassador to the US and UN Gilles NOGHES `S 565 Fifth Avenue, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10017 `T (212) 286-0500 `U (212) 286-1574 ^W 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 ^X 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 
]% ^Y Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant climate. In 2001, a major construction project extended the pier used by cruise ships in the main harbor. The principality 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. ^Z $976.3 million `* Monaco does not publish national income figures; the estimates are extremely rough (2006 est.) ^[ NA ^\ 0.9% (2000 est.) ^] $30,000 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 0% `A 4.9% `B 95.1% (2005) ^_ 44,000 `* includes workers from all foreign countries (2005 est.) ^a 0% (2005) _! NA% _" `C NA% `D NA% _# 1.9% (2000) _$ `E $863 million `F $920.6 million; including capital expenditures of $305 million (2005 est.) _& none _' tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer products _( NA% _* NA kWh _, NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France _3 $716.3 million `* full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France (2005) _6 $916.1 million `* full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France (2005) _9 $18 billion (2000 est.) _: $NA _; euro (EUR) _< euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 33,700 (2002) _? 19,300 (2002) _@ `G modern automatic telephone system `H NA `I country code - 377; no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into the French communications system _A AM 1, FM NA, shortwave 8 (1998) _B 5 (1998) _C .mc _D 12,720 (2006) _E 16,000 (2002) 
]' _] 1 (2006) _H `! 50 km `K 50 km (1999) _S `d 77 (Bahamas 17, Barbados 1, Bermuda 2, France 1, Georgia 13, Isle of Man 3, Liberia 10, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 8, Norway 4, Panama 9, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Switzerland 2, unknown 1) (2006) _I Monaco 
]( _K males age 18-49: 6,256 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 4,971 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 148 (2005 est.) _M defense is the responsibility of France; the Palace Guard performs ceremonial duties (2003) 
]) _N none 