Monaco.

OFFICIAL NAME: Principality of Monaco
CAPITAL: Monaco-Ville
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: Constitutional Monarchy
AREA: 1.94 Sq Km (1 Sq Mi)
ESTIMATED 2000 POPULATION: 32,500



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LOCATION & GEOGRAPHY: Monaco is located on the Mediterranean Riviera, close to the Italian border with France and is surrounded by the French department of Alpes-Maritimes. Monaco is the second smallest country in the world and the principality has four distinct divisions. (1.) La Condamine, the business district. (2.) The Casino or Monte Carlo. (3.) Monaco-Ville which is on a rocky promontory and (4.) Fontvieille.



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CLIMATE: Monaco has a Mediterranean climate which is characterized by warm summers and mild winters. Rainfall is light with an average annual precipitation of about 730 mm (29 inches) while sunshine usually lasts 300 days a year without rainfall. Average temperature ranges are from 8 to 12 degrees Celsius (46 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to 22 to 26 degrees Celsius (72 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit) in August.



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PEOPLE: Around 18% of the population are Monegasque of Rhaetian descent. The remainder are foreigners which include the French who account for 58% of the population while 17% are Italian.



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RELIGIONS: Mostly Christians with 95% of the population Roman Catholic while 5% are Protestant.



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LANGUAGES: The official language is French, although Monegasque, a mixture of French and Italian is also spoken. English is also widely spoken.



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MODERN HISTORY - WWII TO 1993: In 1949 Prince Rainier III succeeded his grandfather Prince Louis. In Apr. 1956 he married Grace Kelly, a famous American movie star, who took the title of Princess Grace and they had two daughters as well as a son, Prince Albert the heir apparent. In 1959 Prince Rainier dissolved the National Council and in 1962 under pressure from France, the Prince restored the National Council. In the same year, Prince Rainier III granted Monaco a new constitution that gave women the right to vote and abolished the death penalty. In 1963 again under pressure form France, Monaco signed a convention which placed certain Monaco based companies under French fiscal law. Since the early 1980's Monaco has reclaimed land from the sea for the development of new beaches. In Sept. 1982 Princess Grace died in an automobile accident and in Oct. 1990 Stefano Casiraghi, the husband of Princess Caroline's second marriage was killed in a speedboat accident. On March 19, 1991 the Conseil Communal elected Anne-Marie Campora mayor of Monaco-Ville to replace Jean-Louis Medecin who had held that position since 1971. In Oct. 1991 Monaco was elected to the committee of the Mediterranean Action Plan which consists of 18 nations working together for the protection of the Mediterranean and its coastal regions. In April 1992 the government announced plans to construct a floating pontoon suburb that would cater for some 2,000 people with offices and apartments as well as its plan to move the France-Italy railway underground. In July 1992 the Vatican annulled the Princess Caroline's first marriage to Philippe Junot of France and on April 5, 1993 the Vatican declared Princess Caroline's three children legitimate allowing them the opportunity to accede to the throne in the future. On May 28, 1993 Monaco was admitted to the UN as a full member updating its observer status which it had held since 1955.



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CURRENCY: The official currency is the Euro divided into 100 cents.



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MAIN TRADING PARTNERS: Its main trading partners are France and Italy.

MAIN PRIMARY PRODUCTS: Nil.

MAJOR INDUSTRIES: Banking, Ceramics, Chemicals, Construction, Electronics, Gambling, Metal Works, Perfumes, Plastics, Printing, Precision Instruments, Textiles, Tourism.

MAIN EXPORTS: Ceramics, Metal Works, Textiles, Instruments, Plastics.