page_title: Monaco
section_title: 21st century
hierarchical_section_title: Monaco / History / 21st century
caption_attribution_description: Español: Vista de Mónaco English: View of Monaco
context_page_description: Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state, country, and microstate on the French Riviera in Western Europe. It is bordered by France to the north, east and west, and by the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The principality is home to 38,682 residents and is widely recognised for being one of the most expensive and wealthiest places in the world. The official language is French, although Monégasque, English and Italian are spoken and understood by a sizeable group.
  With an area of 2.1 km², it is one of the smallest sovereign states in Europe and the second-smallest in the world, after the Vatican City. Its 19,009 inhabitants per square kilometre, make it the most densely-populated sovereign state in the world. Monaco has a land border of 5.47 km, the world's shortest coastline of approximately 3.83 km, and a width that varies between 1,700 and 349 m. The highest point in the country is a narrow pathway named Chemin des Révoires on the slopes of Mont Agel, in the Les Révoires Ward, which is 161 metres above sea level. The principality is about 15 km from the state border with Italy.
context_section_description: In 2002, a new treaty between France and Monaco specified that, should there be no heirs to carry on the Grimaldi dynasty, the principality would still remain an independent nation rather than revert to France. Monaco's military defence, however, is still the responsibility of France.
  On 31 March 2005, Rainier III, who was too ill to exercise his duties, relinquished them to his only son and heir, Albert.  He died six days later, after a reign of 56 years, with his son succeeding him as Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco.
  Following a period of official mourning, Prince Albert II formally assumed the princely crown on 12 July 2005, in a celebration that began with a solemn Mass at Saint Nicholas Cathedral, where his father had been buried three months earlier. His accession to the Monégasque throne was a two-step event with a further ceremony, drawing heads of state for an elaborate reception, held on 18 November 2005, at the historic Prince's Palace in Monaco-Ville.
  On 27 August 2015, Albert II apologised for Monaco's role during World War II in facilitating the deportation of a total of 90 Jews and resistance fighters, of whom only nine survived. "We committed the irreparable in handing over to the neighbouring authorities women, men and a child who had taken refuge with us to escape the persecutions they had suffered in France," Albert said at a ceremony in which a monument to the victims was unveiled at the Monaco cemetery. "In distress, they came specifically to take shelter with us, thinking they would find neutrality."
  In 2015, Monaco unanimously approved a modest land reclamation expansion intended primarily for some desperately needed housing and a small green/park area.
  Monaco had previously considered an expansion in 2008, but called it off.  The plan is for about six hectares of apartment buildings, parks, shops and offices for about 1 billion euros for the land.  The development will be adjacent to the Larvotto district and also will include a small marina.  There were four main proposals, and the final mix of use will be finalised as the development progresses. The name for the new district is Anse du Portier.
caption: View of Monaco in 2016
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