Monaco is a small country in Europe at the Mediterranean and surrounded by France. The distinction between the State and City of Monaco is purely theoretical. The state in fact consists of one municipality (commune) only. Monaco is the world's most densely populated country and second-smallest independent nation; with a population of just 32,410 and an area of 1.96 square kilometres (485 acres), Monaco is the world's smallest French-speaking country.

The State has no income tax for individuals. The lack of personal income tax has led to a considerable number of wealthy "tax refugee" residents from European countries who derive the majority of their income from activity outside Monaco; celebrities such as Formula One drivers attract most of the attention, but the vast majority of them are considerably less well-known business people.

Monaco is not a member of the European Union but is very closely linked to it via a customs union with France, and as such its currency is the same as that of France: the euro.

Inhabitants: 32,671
Area: 1.95 km2
Capital: Monaco
Languages: French
Religion: Roman Catholicism
GDP per capita: $70,447
Government: Constitutional monarchy and Principality
Climate: Mediterranean