Monaco, a country known for its glitz and glamor is the second-smallest independent state in the world and the smallest country with a coastline (CIA.gov, 2023). Despite the country’s size, their reputation exceeds larger than what it may seem, the coastline offers beautiful beaches and harbors. The terrain consists of rocky and steep hills as the city-state sits on top of a cliff overseeing the Mediterranean Sea (CountryReports.org, 2023). The majority of the country sits on top of the rock where the roads are narrow and rugged, and land to build on is scarce. Monaco had to build tall buildings and even create more land on the coast, with the construction of an artificial peninsula extending the Monaco territory destined to create an urban area (Crémona et al., 2019). Monaco being constrained as the city-state is only a few kilometers wide, almost the same size as New York’s Central Park, thus it is limited to build around the city.
Monaco being situated within the Western European Megaregion (see figure 1) it shares interrelationships between the borders of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Switzerland, accessing a group of networks that is vital to Monaco’s success. The country shares an open border with these countries as it is part of their agreement with Nationals of the European Economic Area (AmbassadeFrance.org, 2023). This country’s closeness to its neighbors demonstrates strong relationships and deep interconnectedness. Monaco is located at a latitude of approximately 43.7384° and longitude of 7.4246° E (GPS-Coordinates.org, 2023), found between the Mediterranean coastline as well as in the French city of Cannes. Its location near the famous Côte d’Azur shores, which includes Saint Tropez, Cannes, Nice, and Antibes, make it a prime spot for tourists, where the calm waters and excellent weather makes it an ideal destination (Kawamorita & Salamzadeh, 2021). The clear blue water of the Mediterranean Sea coastline extends to 46,000km including rocky shores, cliffs, and a beautiful marina by the coastal region.
