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Location Information:
Monaco, officially the Principality
of Monaco, is a small sovereign
city-state located in South Western
Europe on the northern central coast
of the Mediterranean Sea. It is
surrounded on three sides by its
neighbour, France, and its centre is
about 16 km (9.9 mi) from Italy. Its
area is 2.02 km2 (0.78 sq mi) with
an estimated population of almost
33,000.
Monaco
is the name of the country and its
capital (and only) city. It is
famous as a tax haven, and wealthy
foreigners make up the majority of
the population at approximately 84%.
Monaco is a constitutional monarchy
and principality, with Prince Albert
II as head of state. The House of
Grimaldi has ruled Monaco since
1297, and the state's sovereignty
was officially recognized by the
Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861.
Despite Monaco being independent,
its defence is the responsibility of
France.
Since
1929, the Monaco Grand Prix has been
held annually in the streets of
Monaco. It is widely considered to
be one of the most prestigious
automobile races in the world. The
erection of the Circuit de Monaco
takes six weeks to complete, and the
removal after the race another three
weeks. The circuit has many
elevation changes and tight corners,
along with a tunnel. This together
with being incredibly narrow and
tight makes it perhaps the most
demanding Formula One track. Only
two drivers have ever crashed into
the harbour, the most famous being
Alberto Ascari in the 1955 Monaco
Grand Prix, just four days before
losing his life at Monza. The other
was Paul Hawkins, during the 1965
Monaco Grand Prix.
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