Monaco is such a unique and surreal place, second to Vatican City as the smallest principality, it also boasts the highest densities of millionaires in the world, about a third of its population. A port town that was struggling to survive was suddenly in the world's eye after the fairy-tale wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier. From there the Monte Carlo Casino provided the backdrop for numerous Hollywood and French movies, while the Monaco Grand Prix and the Port Hercule de Monaco have drawn those who want to display their overindulgent luxury cars and yachts.
Monaco is an ideal tax haven for the uber-rich, but to qualify a person has to live in the city limits for a certain amount of time which has literally smashed 38,400 residents and all their expensive toys on top of one another in an area less than a square mile (0.78 sq mi). It's a real engineering feat to construct high-rises apartments seemingly tacked to the sides of cliffs. Equally impressive are the subterranean maze of garages, tunnels, escalators, and elevators that are not initially apparent until you try to navigate the steep terrain on foot. Monaco is testament to what people can achieve when motivate by wealth and power. We just wonder when this drive will be turned outward to make the world we all live in a better place?
