Geography of Monaco
Encyclopedia
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
of Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
is the second-smallest independent state in the world, after the Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
. It lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, 18 kilometres (11 mi) east of Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and is surrounded on three sides by France and on the fourth by the sea into which its maritime claims extend to 22.2 kilometres (13.8 mi). Its highest point is 163 metres (535 ft) above sea level, on the southern slopes of Mont Agel
Mont Agel
Mont Agel is a mountain located on the border between France and Monaco. The culminant point of this mount, at above sea level, is situated on the French side, but the highest point of Monaco, a pathway named Chemin des Révoires, is situated on its slopes, at an altitude of 161 metres...
whose 1109 m (3,638 ft) peak is in France. The country has no natural resources.
Suburbs and features
Monaco has historically been divided into four sections, or quartiers: Monaco-VilleMonaco-Ville
Monaco-Ville is one of Monaco's administrative divisions located on a rocky headland that extends into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the four traditional quarters of Monaco, the others being La Condamine, Monte Carlo, and Fontvieille. However, in modern administrative terms it is one of ten...
, the old city on a rocky promontory extending into the Mediterranean; La Condamine
La Condamine
La Condamine is the second oldest district in Monaco, after Monaco-Ville. It is known for its distinctive wide harbor and moored expensive yachts.- Location in Monaco :By broad definition, it is one of the four traditional quartiers...
, the section along the port; Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
, the principal residential and resort area; and Fontvieille
Fontvieille, Monaco
Fontvieille is the newest of the four traditional quarters in the principality of Monaco, and one of ten Wards for modern administrative purposes. It is located in the western part of Monaco...
, a newly constructed area reclaimed from the sea. However, the suburb of Moneghetti
Moneghetti
Moneghetti is one of 5 of the principality of Monaco, and is one of 10 administrative Ward in the traditional quartier of La Condamine. It is considered to be more of a quit residential neighborhood rather than La Condamine, but it .-Demographics:...
, the high-level part of the quartier of La Condamine, is generally seen today as an effective fifth area of the principality, and the official tourist board website of Monaco now defines the country as having five quartiers. Moneghetti certainly has a very distinct atmosphere and topography when compared with low-level La Condamine at the harbour-side. In terms of administration and electoral division the principality is officially divided into ten Wards, with an eleventh planned after further land reclamation work.
The principality, which is entirely an urban area, is noted for its beautiful, hilly, rugged, and rocky natural scenery and its sunny climate.
Climate
See also: Monaco#ClimateMonaco has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
: Csa), which is influenced by the oceanic climate
Oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
and the humid subtropical climate
Humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
.
As a result, it has warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Cool and rainy interludes can interrupt the dry summer season, the average length of which is also shorter.
Summer afternoons are infrequently hot (indeed, temperatures > 30 °C /86 °F are rare) as the atmosphere is temperate by constant sea breezes. On the other hand, the nights are very mild, this being due to the fairly high temperature of the sea in summer. Generally, temperatures do not drop below 20 °C in this season. In winter, frosts and snowfalls are extremely rare, generally occurring once or twice every ten years.
Extreme points
The following points are the extreme points on land, and do not include locations in Monaco's coastal waters.- North: 1, avenue Varavilla (43°45′07"N 07°26′13"E)
- South: at the southern (coastal) end of the Fontvielle park (43°43′29"N 07°25′05"E)
- West: near the southern end of the Boulevard du Jardin Exotique (43°43′48"N 07°24′33"E)
- East: near the Monte-Carlo Sporting Club d'Été (43°44′50"N 07°26′23"E)
Altitude
- Highest point: at the upper end of the chemin des RévoiresChemin des RévoiresThe Chemin des Révoires is a pathway within Les Révoires district of the Principality of Monaco.-Features:The highest point in Monaco, at 161 metres above sea level, is situated on this pathway, on the slopes of Mont Agel, a mountain whose the culminant point is situated on the French side...
, 161 m - Lowest point: Mediterranean SeaMediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, 0 m