Fun with Maps ISSUE 2025-003

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (January 8, 2025) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps we join the rich & famous for a getaway.

THE ROCK

Monaco gained independence from the Holy Roman Empire on January 8, 1297, when it became a colony of Genoa, ruled by the House of Grimaldi.

The area continued to be disputed in territorial struggles, but in 1419 the Grimaldi family bought Monaco from the Aragon government who owned it at the time.  The princes of Monaco aligned themselves with France although the Grimaldi family was Italian. 

Today the country’s strongest alliance is with France and its military defense is the duty of the French army.

The city-state on the French Riviera is the world’s second smallest sovereign state (after Vatican City) and is the country with the world’s shortest shoreline.  Despite a very high cost of living, the country claims to be the world’s most densely populated.  It is a tax haven and tourist destination for the rich and famous, drawing crowds for its Grand Prix and world-famous casino.

Prince Albert II, a descendant of the original Grimaldi family, is the current monarch.

Monaco is shown on the lower left in this ornate map of the French and Italian border region from 1573.  The cartographer is Ortelius.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.