What is the only country that borders Monaco?

France is the only country that borders Monaco.

Monaco is a tiny sovereign principality on the Mediterranean coast of the French Riviera. Its land territory is surrounded by France, specifically by the French department of Alpes-Maritimes. The neighbouring French communes include Cap-d’Ail, La Turbie, Beausoleil, and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.

Monaco’s position makes it an enclave-like state: it has a land boundary with France and a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea, but no land border with Italy, even though the Italian frontier is nearby. The principality’s international maritime boundary is also with France, following an agreement concluded in 1984.

The modern relationship between the two countries was shaped by treaties in the nineteenth century. Monaco became a French protectorate in 1861, while France formally recognized Monaco’s sovereignty in the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861. Today, Monaco remains independent but is closely connected to France economically, administratively, and geographically.

The most common error is choosing Italy because Monaco is near the French-Italian border. Nearness does not create a border: France is the sole country touching Monaco.