| 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 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 |
| 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 Pierre DARTOUT (since 1 September 2020) cabinet: Council of Government under the authority of the monarch elections/appointments: 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) chancery: 888 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 234-1530 FAX: [1] (202) 244-7656 email address and website: info@monacodc.org https://monacodc.org/index.html consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | embassy: 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; +(33)(1) 43-12-22-22, enter zero "0" after the automated greeting; US Embassy Paris, 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75008 Paris, France |
| Flag description | two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; the colors are those of the ruling House of Grimaldi and have been in use since 1339, making the flag one of the world's oldest national banners note: similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of Poland which is white (top) and red |
| National symbol(s) | red and white lozenges (diamond shapes); national colors: red, white |
| National anthem | name: "A Marcia de Muneghu" (The March of Monaco) lyrics/music: 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 |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
