Monaco (2005) | Palau (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four quarters (quartiers, singular - quartier); Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo | 18 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatobohei, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Palau Island, Peleliu, Sonsoral, Tobi |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 15.5% (male 2,563/female 2,445)
15-64 years: 62.1% (male 9,909/female 10,217) 65 years and over: 22.4% (male 2,972/female 4,303) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years:
26.88% (male 2,641; female 2,491) 15-64 years: 68.46% (male 7,128; female 5,943) 65 years and over: 4.66% (male 420; female 469) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | none | coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes |
Airports | none; linked to the airport at Nice, France by helicopter service (2004 est.) | 3 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total:
2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 1.95 sq km
land: 1.95 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
458 sq km land: 458 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with a railroad linkup to France and the opening of a casino. Since then, the principality's mild climate, splendid scenery, and gambling facilities have made Monaco world famous as a tourist and recreation center. | After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independent status in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year when the islands gained their independence. |
Birth rate | 9.26 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 19.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $518 million
expenditures: $531 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1995) |
revenues:
$57.7 million expenditures: $80.8 million, including capital expenditures of $17.1 million (FY98/99 est.) |
Capital | Monaco | Koror; note - a new capital is being built about 20 km northeast of Koror |
Climate | Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers | wet season May to November; hot and humid |
Coastline | 4.1 km | 1,519 km |
Constitution | 17 December 1962 | 1 January 1981 |
Country name | conventional long form: Principality of Monaco
conventional short form: Monaco local long form: Principaute de Monaco local short form: Monaco |
conventional long form:
Republic of Palau conventional short form: Palau local long form: Beluu er a Belau local short form: Belau former: Palau District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) |
Currency | - | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | 12.71 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 7.23 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $18 billion (2000 est.) | $0 (FY99/00) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Monaco; the US Consul General in Marseille (France) is accredited to Monaco | chief of mission:
the Ambassador to the Philippines is accredited to Palau; Charge d'Affaires Allen E. NUGENT embassy: address NA, Koror mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940 telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990 FAX: [680] 488-2911 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | Monaco does not have an embassy in the US
consulate(s) general: New York |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Hersey KYOTA chancery: 1150 18th Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814 FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281 |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | $155.8 million (1995); note - the Compact of Free Association with the US, entered into after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, will provide Palau with up to $700 million in US aid over 15 years in return for furnishing military facilities |
Economy - overview | Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant climate. In 2001, a major construction project extended the pier used by cruise ships in the main harbor. The principality has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, nonpolluting industries. The state has no income tax and low business taxes and thrives as a tax haven both for individuals who have established residence and for foreign companies that have set up businesses and offices. The state retains monopolies in a number of sectors, including tobacco, the telephone network, and the postal service. Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas. Monaco does not publish national income figures; the estimates below are extremely rough. | The economy consists primarily of subsistence agriculture and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. The population enjoys a per capita income of twice that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific and the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | - |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by France |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Agel 140 m |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Ngerchelchauus 242 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21% | Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 70%, Asian (mainly Filipinos, followed by Chinese, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese) 28%, white 2% (2000 est.) |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) | the US dollar is used |
Executive branch | chief of state: Prince ALBERT II (since 6 April 2005)
head of government: Minister of State Jean-Paul PROUST (since 1 June 2005) cabinet: Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government |
chief of state:
President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Sandra PIERANTOZZI (since 19 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Sandra PIERANTOZZI (since 19 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004) election results: Tommy Esang REMENGESAU Jr. elected president; percent of vote - Tommy Esang REMENGESAU Jr. 53%, Peter SUGIYAMA 46%; Sandra PIERANTOZZI elected vice president; percent of vote - Sandra PIERANTOZZI 52%, Alan SEID 45% |
Exports | $NA; full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France | $14.3 million (f.o.b., 1996) |
Exports - commodities | - | trochus (type of shellfish), tuna, copra, handicrafts |
Exports - partners | - | US, Japan |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 October - 30 September |
Flag description | two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of Poland which is white (top) and red | light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $129 million (1998 est.)
note: GDP numbers reflect US spending |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 17%
industry: NA% services: NA% (2001 est.) |
agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $27,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $7,100 (1998 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 0.9% (2000 est.) | -1.4% (1998 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 43 44 N, 7 24 E | 7 30 N, 134 30 E |
Geography - note | second-smallest independent state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban | includes World War II battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands; archipelago of six island groups totaling over 200 islands in the Caroline chain |
Heliports | 1 (shuttle service between the international airport at Nice, France, and Monaco's heliport at Fontvieille) (2004 est.) | - |
Highways | total: 50 km
paved: 50 km unpaved: 0 km (1999 est.) |
total:
61 km paved: 36 km unpaved: 25 km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $NA; full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France | $126 million (f.o.b., FY99/00) |
Imports - commodities | - | machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | - | US |
Independence | 1419 (beginning of the rule by the House of Grimaldi) | 1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer products | tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making |
Infant mortality rate | total: 5.43 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
16.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.9% (2000) | NA% |
International organization participation | ACCT, CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO | ACP, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | NA |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council) | Supreme Court; National Court; Court of Common Pleas |
Labor force | 30,540 (January 1994) | 8,300 (1999) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
Land boundaries | total: 4.4 km
border countries: France 4.4 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2001) |
arable land:
NA% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: NA% other: NA% |
Languages | French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque | English and Palauan official in all states except Sonsoral (Sonsorolese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official) |
Legal system | based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16 members elected by list majority system, 8 by proportional representation; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 February 2003 (next to be held February 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UNAM 21, UND 3 |
bicameral Parliament or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of the Senate (16 seats; members elected by popular vote on a population basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004); House of Delegates - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; House of Delegates - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 79.57 years
male: 75.7 years female: 83.63 years (2005 est.) |
total population:
68.89 years male: 65.77 years female: 72.19 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: 99% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92% male: 93% female: 90% (1980 est.) |
Location | Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy | Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines |
Map references | Europe | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm | continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM extended fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
Merchant marine | registered in other countries: 54 (2005) | none (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France; the Palace Guard performs ceremonial duties (2003) | defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years |
Military branches | - | NA |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA% |
National holiday | National Day (Prince of Monaco Holiday), 19 November | Constitution Day, 9 July (1979) |
Nationality | noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s)
adjective: Monegasque or Monacan |
noun:
Palauan(s) adjective: Palauan |
Natural hazards | NA | typhoons (June to December) |
Natural resources | none | forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals |
Net migration rate | 7.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 4.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | National and Democratic Union or UND [Jean-Louis CAMPORA]; Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the Future of Monaco or UNAM) [leader NA] | Palau Nationalist Party [Johnson TORIBIONG]; Ta Belau Party [Kuniwo NAKAMURA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 32,409 (July 2005 est.) | 19,092 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.43% (2005 est.) | 1.69% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Monaco | Koror |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM NA, shortwave 8 (1998) | AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Radios | - | 12,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic 90% | Christian (Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Assembly of God, the Liebenzell Mission, and Latter-Day Saints), Modekngei religion (one-third of the population observes this religion which is indigenous to Palau) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.2 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.14 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 21 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: modern automatic telephone system
domestic: NA international: country code - 377; no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into the French communications system |
general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 33,700 (2002) | 1,500 (1988) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 19,300 (2002) | 0 (1988) |
Television broadcast stations | 5 (1998) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | hilly, rugged, rocky | varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs |
Total fertility rate | 1.76 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 2.47 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 22% (1999) | 2.3% (2000 est.) |
Waterways | - | none |