Monaco has the world’s shortest coastline among sovereign states, measuring roughly 3.8 kilometres along the Mediterranean Sea.
The principality is situated on the French Riviera, bordered on three sides by France and facing the Mediterranean to the south. Its narrow coastal territory includes the famous districts of Monte Carlo, La Condamine and Monaco-Ville.
Monaco’s coastline has changed through land reclamation, especially with the construction of port facilities and expanded districts. Because measurements can vary slightly with mapping methods and definitions, published figures may differ by a few hundred metres, but Monaco remains the standard answer for the shortest national coastline.
Vatican City has no coastline because it is landlocked. Nauru and Tuvalu are tiny island countries, but their coastlines are much longer relative to Monaco’s compact Mediterranean frontage.