The world's most densely populated country — Grand Prix hairpins, casino glamour and a cliff-top palace
Monaco is the world's most densely populated sovereign state and second-smallest country — 2km² of Mediterranean coastline squeezed between France and the sea, a vertical city of gleaming towers rising directly from the harbour. The Principality has been ruled by the Grimaldi family since 1297; the Prince's palace on the cliff top, the casino in Monte Carlo, and the Formula 1 street circuit that threads through the city's streets make it the most recognisable microstate on earth. The yachts in Port Hercules are visible from the palace esplanade — at peak season the harbour holds more wealth p…
François Grimaldi seized the fortress of Monaco in 1297 by disguising himself as a Franciscan monk — a story commemorated in the Grimaldi coat of arms of two monks holding swords. The Principality was twice occupied by France during the Revolution and Napoleonic era and only recovered full independence through the 1861 French-Monegasque Treaty, which ceded Nice and Menton to France in exchange for a permanent French guarantee of Monaco's sovereignty. Monaco abolished income tax in 1869, which is why it became the preferred residence of wealthy Europeans from Gustave Eiffel to Grace Kelly — an…