Monaco: The Land of Cars

Written by: Natalie Yao

TMonaco is a tiny country in Europe, one of the smallest countries in the world. It is next to France and sits beside the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. The sea has lovely blue water, and the country enjoys warm, sunny weather for much of the year. Monaco is only about 2 square kilometres in size. That means it is smaller than many towns! Even though it is small, thousands of people live there.

Monaco is a special country because it is also a city-state. This means the whole country is made up of one main city area. It is ruled by a prince. The Prince's Palace is one of the most famous buildings in Monaco. It is where the royal family lives. Visitors love watching the palace guards, who wear special uniforms.

Monaco is famous for its exciting car races. Every year, the country hosts the Monaco Grand Prix. This is a very famous Formula One racing event. Fast racing cars zoom through the narrow streets of Monaco. People from all over the world come to watch the race. The streets become a giant racing track!

People in Monaco enjoy delicious food. Some popular dishes are influenced by French and Italian cooking. One famous local snack is called barbagiuan. It is a tasty little pastry filled with ingredients such as cheese and vegetables. It is often fried until golden and crispy!

There are many wonderful places to explore in Monaco. The Oceanographic Museum is a popular attraction. It has amazing sea creatures and teaches visitors about life under the ocean. Monaco also has beautiful gardens filled with colourful flowers and green trees. People enjoy walking around and looking at the lovely views of the sea. The country is also famous for its large harbour, where many beautiful boats and yachts are parked. Monaco is the second-smallest country in the world, after Vatican City. Its official language is French, and people use the euro as money. Monaco also has a very famous casino called Monte Carlo Casino.

Fun Facts

• Monaco is one of the most expensive and wealthiest countries in the world, and has the most number of billionaires living in it

• The Monaco Grand Prix attracts 100,000 visitors on a single race day

• Monaco is almost two times smaller than Central Park in New York City