Presumably, you must have heard of the gecko, which, when in danger, will take the initiative to cut off its tail to the predator, so as to escape. This survival instinct of the biological world is actually used like human society, and when fish and bear paws cannot be combined, they take the initiative to give up and retreat into progress, but they can obtain unexpected results.
Today, I want to tell the story of a country that, in order to become independent, endured the pain of cutting off 90% of its territory, comparable to a hero breaking his wrist and a gecko breaking his tail. Today, although it is the size of a village, it is the richest country in the world.
This country is the second-to-last principality of Monaco in the world, with an area of only 2.02 square kilometers. In our country, it may be the size of a densely populated village in the eastern region. It is located on the coast of France on the Mediterranean Sea, and can be called a "national China" of France.
In fact, the historical Monaco is not only so large, and the loss of its territory is not unrelated to its only neighbor, France. What's going on? And listen to the author one by one.
Although Monaco is not large, it is an ancient country with a long history. Its lands were inhabited successively by the Ligurians, the Monacoeans, the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians. In 1383, a man named François Grimaldi established power here, and the Principality of Monaco was born.
At the beginning of the founding of the country, Monaco was more than 20 square kilometers, although it was not large, but it was ten times the area today. But 187 years after the founding of the country, Spain occupied the land, and after more than 100 years of rule, it was driven away by the French. At this point, Monaco was under the jurisdiction of the French.
And how did Monaco get its own? It has nothing to do with Napoleon, before Waterloo, Napoleon was invincible and invincible in Europe, and almost the whole of Europe was flattened by the iron horse of France. But after the defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon never won a battle again. The First French Empire, which it founded, also gradually faded and its influence declined. Monaco saw that its patron was no longer working, so it declared its independence at this time.
But the skinny camel is bigger than the horse, not to mention that Monaco and France are not at all an order of magnitude. After learning of Monaco's independence, the French government naturally refused and wanted to reoccupy Monaco. Monaco, where France's rivals, had no chance to call for foreign aid, and it was surrounded on 3 sides by French territory, and the only safe side was the sea.
In order to protect itself, in 1861, Monaco had to sign a treaty with France. The two large towns of Monaco, Menton and Roquebrun, were ceded to France, accounting for 90 percent of Monaco's area, while the Principality of Monaco was left with only 1.9 square kilometres.
Interestingly, France agreed. Seeing that Monaco would seek independence even if it ceded so much territory, France no longer did not spare it, and recognized the status of the Principality of Monaco.
In order to gain more territory, Monaco, which has lost so much territory, has taken a different path, turned its attention to the sea, and began to reclaim land, until today, Monaco has expanded its land area to 2.02 square kilometers through reclamation.
Due to its small geographical size and flexible economic structure, Monaco has vigorously developed tourism and gaming. Today, Monaco is rich, with a per capita GDP of $180,000, five times that of its neighbor France. It is also a blessing in disguise, although it cedes the field, but it has gained better prospects for development.
For historical reasons, in the eyes of our people, sovereignty and territorial integrity are the most important, not the economic level. So the Monaco model is impossible in China, and what do you think of it, readers?