Geography of Monaco

Satellite map of Monaco.

The whole territory of the Principality of Monaco

With a total area of 2.05 square kilometres (0.79 sq mi) a land border of 4.4 kilometres (2.7 mi) and a coast measuring 4.1 kilometres (2.5 mi) the Principality of Monaco is the second-smallest independent state in the world, after the Vatican City. It lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, 18 kilometres (11 mi) east of Nice, France, and is surrounded on three sides by France and on the fourth by the sea into which its maritime claims extend to 22.2 kilometres (13.8 mi). Its highest point is 163 metres (535 ft) above sea level, on the southern slopes of Mont Agel whose 1,109 m (3,638 ft) peak is in France. The country has no natural resources.

Suburbs and features

Monaco has historically been divided into four sections, or quartiers: Monaco-Ville, the old city on a rocky promontory extending into the Mediterranean; La Condamine, the section along the port; Monte Carlo, the principal residential and resort area; and Fontvieille, a newly constructed area reclaimed from the sea. However, the suburb of Moneghetti, the high-level part of the quartier of La Condamine, is generally seen today as an effective fifth area of the principality, and the official tourist board website of Monaco now defines the country as having five quartiers.^[1] Moneghetti certainly has a very distinct atmosphere and topography when compared with low-level La Condamine at the harbour-side. In terms of administration and electoral division the principality is officially divided into ten Wards, with an eleventh planned after further land reclamation work.

The principality, which is entirely an urban area, is noted for its beautiful, hilly, rugged, and rocky natural scenery and its sunny climate.

Climate

See also: Monaco#Climate Monaco has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa), which is influenced by the oceanic climate and the humid subtropical climate.

As a result, it has warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Cool and rainy interludes can interrupt the dry summer season, the average length of which is also shorter. Summer afternoons are infrequently hot (indeed, temperatures > 30 °C /86 °F are rare) as the atmosphere is temperate by constant sea breezes. On the other hand, the nights are very mild, this being due to the fairly high temperature of the sea in summer. Generally, temperatures do not drop below 20 °C in this season. In winter, frosts and snowfalls are extremely rare, generally occurring once or twice every ten years.

Climate data for Monaco
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	12.3 (54.1)	12.5 (54.5)	14.0 (57.2)	16.1 (61.0)	19.4 (66.9)	23.0 (73.4)	25.8 (78.4)	25.9 (78.6)	23.8 (74.8)	19.9 (67.8)	16.1 (61.0)	13.4 (56.1)	18.5
Daily mean °C (°F)	10.2 (50.4)	10.4 (50.7)	11.8 (53.2)	13.9 (57.0)	17.1 (62.8)	20.8 (69.4)	23.5 (74.3)	23.7 (74.7)	21.6 (70.9)	17.8 (64.0)	14.0 (57.2)	11.4 (52.5)	16.4
Average low °C (°F)	8.1 (46.6)	8.2 (46.8)	9.6 (49.3)	11.6 (52.9)	14.8 (58.6)	18.5 (65.3)	21.2 (70.2)	21.5 (70.7)	19.3 (66.7)	15.6 (60.1)	11.9 (53.4)	9.3 (48.7)	14.1
Precipitation mm (inches)	82.7 (3.256)	76.4 (3.008)	70.5 (2.776)	62.2 (2.449)	48.6 (1.913)	36.9 (1.453)	15.6 (0.614)	31.3 (1.232)	54.4 (2.142)	108.2 (4.26)	104.2 (4.102)	77.5 (3.051)	768.5 (30.256)
Avg. precipitation days	6.8	6.4	6.1	6.3	5.2	4.1	1.9	3.1	4.0	5.8	7.0	6.0	62.7
Sunshine hours	148.8	152.6	201.5	228.0	269.7	297.0	341.0	306.9	240.0	204.6	156.0	142.6	2,668.7
Source: Monaco website[2]

Location

43°44′N 7°24′E / 43.733°N 7.4°E / 43.733; 7.4

Extreme points

The following points are the extreme points on land, and do not include locations in Monaco's coastal waters.

• North: 1, avenue Varavilla (43°45′07″N 07°26′13″E / 43.75194°N 7.43694°E / 43.75194; 7.43694 (1, avenue Varavilla (North)))
• South: at the southern (coastal) end of the Fontvielle park (43°43′29″N 07°25′05″E / 43.72472°N 7.41806°E / 43.72472; 7.41806 (southern end of the Fontvielle park (South)))
• West: near the southern end of the Boulevard du Jardin Exotique (43°43′48″N 07°24′33″E / 43.73°N 7.40917°E / 43.73; 7.40917 (southern end of the Boulevard du Jardin Exotique (West)))
• East: near the Monte-Carlo Sporting Club d'Été (43°44′50″N 07°26′23″E / 43.74722°N 7.43972°E / 43.74722; 7.43972 (near Monte-Carlo Sporting Club d'Été (East)))

Altitude

• Highest point: at the upper end of the chemin des Révoires, 161 m
• Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea, 0 m

References

1. ^ Tourist Board official website.
2. ^ "Climatological information for Monaco" - Monaco website