Why it's the capital
Monaco is a city-state, so the country and its capital are one place. The government offices are in Monaco-Ville, the old city on a rocky headland known as the Rock, where the Grimaldi family's rule began.
Monaco
Capital of MonacoMonaco, the second-smallest country in the world after Vatican City, lies on the French Riviera with France on three sides and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Its centre is about 13 km northeast of Nice.
Fun facts
- In 1297 Francesco Grimaldi and his men captured the fortress on the Rock of Monaco while dressed as Franciscan friars.
- The name comes from the Greek Monoikos, 'the solitary one', another name for the hero Heracles, who had a temple here.
- The Monaco Grand Prix, first held in 1929, is raced on a narrow course through the streets of Monaco and even through a tunnel.
Finding it on the globe
Follow the Mediterranean coast of France east from Nice toward Italy. Monaco is the tiny dot about 16 km before the Italian border.
Easy to mix up
Monte Carlo, with its casino, is the best-known part of Monaco, but it is a district of the city-state, not a separate capital.