Spratly Islands (2008) | Monaco (2008) | |
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 |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 15% (male 2,514/female 2,394)
15-64 years: 62.3% (male 10,047/female 10,312) 65 years and over: 22.7% (male 3,019/female 4,385) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | none |
Airports | 3 (2007) | - |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
- |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007) |
- |
Area | total: less than 5 sq km
land: less than 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea |
total: 1.95 sq km
land: 1.95 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | NA | about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef but has not made any formal claim. | The Genoese built a fortress on the site of present-day Monaco in 1215. The current ruling Grimaldi family secured control in the late 13th century, and a principality was established in 1338. 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. |
Birth rate | - | 9.12 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $863 million
expenditures: $920.6 million (2005 est.) |
Capital | - | name: Monaco
geographic coordinates: 43 44 N, 7 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Climate | tropical | Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers |
Coastline | 926 km | 4.1 km |
Constitution | - | 17 December 1962 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Spratly Islands |
conventional long form: Principality of Monaco
conventional short form: Monaco local long form: Principaute de Monaco local short form: Monaco |
Death rate | - | 12.92 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $18 billion (2000 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | - | the US does not have an embassy in Monaco; the US Ambassador to France is accredited to Monaco; the US Consul General in Marseille (France), under the authority of the US ambassador to France, handles routine diplomatic and consular matters concerning Monaco |
Diplomatic representation in the US | - | chief of mission: Ambassador to the US and UN Gilles NOGHES
chancery: 565 Fifth Avenue, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10017 telephone: (212) 286-0500 FAX: (212) 286-1574 |
Disputes - international | all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct"; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA |
Economy - overview | Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored. There are no reliable estimates of potential reserves. Commercial exploitation has yet to be developed. | Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant climate. The principality also is a major banking center and 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. |
Electricity - consumption | - | NA kWh |
Electricity - imports | - | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m |
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Agel 140 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | - | French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21% |
Exchange rates | - | euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003) |
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 |
Exports | - | $716.3 million
note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France (2005) |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
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 |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 0%
industry: 4.9% services: 95.1% (2005) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 0.9% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 8 38 N, 111 55 E | 43 44 N, 7 24 E |
Geography - note | strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs | second-smallest independent state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban |
Heliports | 3 (2007) | 1 (2007) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | - | $916.1 million
note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France (2005) |
Independence | - | 1419 (beginning of rule by the House of Grimaldi) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | - | tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer products |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 5.27 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 1.9% (2000) |
International organization participation | - | ACCT, CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITSO, ITU, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km | NA |
Judicial branch | - | Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council) |
Labor force | - | 44,000
note: includes workers from all foreign countries (2005 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 4.4 km
border countries: France 4.4 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2005) |
Languages | - | French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque |
Legal system | - | based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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 3 February 2008 (next to be held February 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - UPM 52.2%, REM 40.5%, Monaco Together 7.3%; seats by party - UPM 21, REM 3 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 79.82 years
male: 75.99 years female: 83.85 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines | Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Europe |
Maritime claims | NA | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 12 nm |
Merchant marine | - | registered in other countries: 64 (Bahamas 11, Barbados 1, Georgia 10, Isle of Man 3, Liberia 8, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 7, Norway 5, Panama 11, St Kitts and Nevis 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 6, unknown 1) (2007) |
Military - note | Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam | defense is the responsibility of France; the Palace Guard performs ceremonial duties (2003) |
National holiday | - | National Day (Saint Rainier's Day), 19 November (1857) |
Nationality | - | noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s)
adjective: Monegasque or Monacan |
Natural hazards | typhoons; numerous reefs and shoals pose a serious maritime hazard | NA |
Natural resources | fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential | none |
Net migration rate | - | 7.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | - | Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the Future of Monaco or UNAM); Rally and Issues for Monaco or REM; Monaco Together |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states |
32,671 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 0.386% (2007 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | - | AM 1, FM NA, shortwave 8 (1998) |
Religions | - | Roman Catholic 90%, other 10% |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.974 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.688 male(s)/female total population: 0.912 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 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 |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 34,000 (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 17,200 (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | - | 5 (1998) |
Terrain | flat | hilly, rugged, rocky |
Total fertility rate | - | 1.75 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 0% (2005) |