There are hundreds of countries on the earth, large and small, each with its own characteristics, and for a country, a good geographical location is very important, just like Australia, there is no threat around, so it can develop smoothly.
A bad geographical location will bring a series of problems to the country, just like the countries in the Middle East, the war has not stopped.
And what is going on when there is a country surrounded by another powerful country, which has not only not been annexed, but has become the richest country in the world?
This country is Monaco.
Located in southwestern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea in the south and surrounded by France in all directions, Monaco covers an area of 2.08 square kilometers and has a population of 38,000.
Monaco is the second smallest country in the world, only a little larger than the Vatican. Many neighborhoods on the mainland are larger than it.
But surprisingly, Monaco has many highlights:
Monaco is the richest country in the world, with a GDP of $186,000 per capita and a millionaire in every 3 people.
Monaco is the country with the highest housing prices in the world, with a peak house price of 500,000 RMB/square meter, and the supply is still in short supply.
Monaco has no army, but the number of police per capita is the highest in the world, with a population of less than 40,000, and there are 554 policemen.
Monaco has the highest proportion of land reclamation, with 20,800 square kilometers of land in the country, of which 0.5 million square kilometers are reclaimed from land reclamation, accounting for a full 1/4.
Monaco has the shortest coastline in the world, about 4 km, but it is indeed a country with an outlet to the sea.
Monaco is also the country that sells the most land, it once sold 90% of its own land, this proportion is really unprecedented.
……
How did Monaco avoid being annexed by France and how did it become the richest country?
It all starts with the history of Monaco.
Monaco Castle was first established by the Phoenicians, and after hundreds of years of contention and war, the castle changed hands several times and was ruled by different forces, until 1338, when Monaco officially became an independent principality and gained legal status.
However, Monaco was weak and unremarkable among the principalities, and with the continuous wars, it eventually became a Spanish protectorate in 1525, under foreign domination and lost most of its power.
Since this day, the Monegasques have always wanted to get rid of the control of the Spaniards, plus the Spaniards are not friendly to them, and the feeling of wanting to break away is more urgent, but Spain was the global hegemon at that time, not to mention a small Monaco, Britain, France and Germany combined.
It was not until Britain began to rise and Spain's status took a sharp turn for the worse, and the Monacos saw hope and actively contacted Britain and France, and finally drove out the Spaniards with the help of the French in 1641.
But Monaco's wishful thinking failed, thinking that by driving out the Spaniards, it would be free, but it did not know the principle of "power out of the barrel of the gun", and France directly annexed Monaco. This is really "only out of the wolf's den, and then into the tiger pit."
Monaco has no words to say, but in the face of the powerful France, there is no way to do anything, no matter how much resistance can not set off a little storm.
Monaco can only wait for an opportunity, but did not expect that France is getting stronger and stronger, directly into the period of strength, at this time Monaco has no idea of resistance, can only keep to themselves, honestly obey the arrangement, as a loyal French subordinate
It was not until 1813 that the anti-French coalition invaded Paris and France was defeated. Taking advantage of the fact that the French had no time to take care of it, Monaco took the opportunity to declare independence, and also took the opportunity to encroach on new land, and the land area reached its peak, up to 20 square kilometers!
After the Battle of Waterloo, France's territory shrank significantly, all countries came to share a piece of the pie, france and Morocco did not border at this time, and the territory between the two belonged to the Kingdom of Sardinia, which is why Monaco dared to be so tough.
In 1860, however, France regained that part of the territory belonging to the Kingdom of Sardinia, and Monaco regained its border with France, and was surrounded by France on three sides.
The tension was extreme, and everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before Monaco was annexed by France, so the Monegasques racked their brains and made a major decision - to take the initiative to cut the land.
In 1861, Monaco "sold" 90% of its territory to France for a "friendship price" of 4 million francs, and established a customs union with France, which was officially recognized by France. This also makes it the country with the largest proportion of land sales in the world.
In this way, Monaco gained legitimacy.
But the price is great!
In addition to the right to cede land and the right to send tariffs.
Monaco also disbanded its army at the request of France, and Monaco's sovereignty, independence and territory were protected by France.
The Prince of Monaco could exercise his sovereignty to the detriment of France's interests.
After the death of the Monaco royal family, if there are no male descendants, Monaco will be incorporated into France. (This treaty was revised again in 2002 to have no male descendants and not to be incorporated into France.)
But this exchange was worth it for Monaco, which, having lost some of its rights, remained an independent state and was able to develop itself with the help of French power and resources.
Although agriculture and industry could not develop, with the help of France, tourism, gaming, real estate, stamps, and banks flourished and became a rich country famous in the world.
epilogue
Now Monaco, has been a famous tourist attraction in Europe, every year hundreds of thousands of tourists come here, further driving the development of other industries, people have to lament Monaco's wise decision at that time, if there was no decisive hero to break the wrist, there is no Monaco today.
What do you think about that?
Like the content of this issue can be a little bit of attention, the next issue is more exciting.