Monday 12 September 2016

By Violet Wetts


Monaco is a tiny, hilly wedge driven into the French Mediterranean coast; it is 9 mi east of Nice, France. The Phoenicians, and after them the Greeks, had a temple on the Monacan headland honoring Hercules. The principality took its name from Monoikos, the Greek surname for this mythological hero.

Monaco's recorded history began in 1215 when the Ghibellines of Genoa, led by Fulco del Cassello, colonized it after receiving sovereignty over the area from Emperor Henry VI. Attracted by Monaco's strategic location and harbor, the Genoese immediately began to construct a fortress, known as the Rock of Monaco, and a walled city. To attract permanent residents, the Genoese granted land and tax exemptions. As a result, Monaco quickly became an important city and over the next three centuries was frequently contested by rival political factions.

However, in 1881, a newer version of the flag was adopted. The present design of the flag came into existence last April 4, 1881, and this was introduced to the entire population of Monaco through Prince Charles III. The present flag is considered to be a great representation of the Principality of Monaco. Founded by Prince Charles III, it was created based on the colors in MonacoĆ¢€™s coat of arms.

The present flag of Monaco, however, is still created similarly to that of the older version. It still bore the colors red and white, which are divided horizontally. The only difference is that the original flag contained an older version of the coat of arms of Monaco.

The Principality, with an area of 151 hectares, is the second smallest sovereign state in the world with the smallest being the Vatican. The flag of Monaco consists of two equal sized horizontal stripes - the top stripe is red and the bottom one is white.

The national flag for use by private citizens, also flown at the United Nations to represent Monaco, presents the livery colors derived from the coat of arms. It is a simple horizontal bicolor of red over white, a traditional use of heraldic colors. Their use can be dated back at least to 1339, although early Monegasque flags displayed many graphic variations. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of Monaco Flag for the future.




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