Monaco Meanderings Trivia Quiz

Answer: Highest point in Monaco

The starting place for the Monaco Grand Prix is the St. Devote corner. The summit of Mont Agel is actually on the French side of the border, but the Chemin des Révoires is the highest point in Monaco.

Answer: Heliport

Passengers usually fly by helicopter from the Côte d'Azur in Nice, a hop which takes under 10 minutes, and which provides stunning views of Monaco on the way. Of course, if you own your own helicopter, you can start from wherever you like!

Answer: Fishing

Betel nut and kava are exported in small quantities, and there are insignificant mineral deposits, but fishing is an important industry, with trade with China worth $16 billion in 2012.

Answer: Dianthus

This very old plant has been cultivated for thousands of years, and is the national flower of Spain and Slovenia, as well as Monaco. Special eponymous varieties have been bred in Monaco to celebrate Princess Caroline and Prince Albert.

Answer: Port Hercule

Though this deep-water harbour in its natural state had been used for thousands of years, it was modernised in 1901 at the behest of Prince Albert 1. It was further upgraded in the 1970s when Prince Rainier, with great foresight, facilitated the construction of a semi-floating sea wall,providing protection for marine life as well as buffering the city against strong winds.

Answer: Jacques Cousteau

Famous for his part in the development of SCUBA-diving gear, and for his underwater base camps, the legacy of Jacques Cousteau continues to this day. He campaigned against whaling, and highlighted the folly of over-fishing marine creatures.

John Denver sailed on Cousteau's boat 'Calypso' on numerous occasions and wrote the words of the song that provided the clue seen here.

Answer: Sardinia

The Congress of Vienna designated Monaco a protectorate of Sardinia in 1814, giving rise to a period of unrest and intriguing political jostling. The area around Nice, which of course includes Monaco, was ceded to France by Sardinia in 1860 (and its sovereignty acknowledged in 1861 by the Franco-Monégasque Treaty).

Because of its location and the countries that have imposed their rule on Monaco over many centuries, the language spoken by Monégasques is a mixture of Italian and French, with Italian predominating.

Answer: GoldenEye

"GoldenEye" was the first Bond movie to star Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. Both the inside and outside of the Belle Époque Casino feature in the movie.

Interestingly, the Jamaican home of Ian Fleming (who created the James Bond character) was called Goldeneye. Fleming wrote 14 Bond books, though others have subsequently written more.

Answer: Princess Grace

Grace Patricia Kelly was born in Pennsylvania in 1929 and married Prince Rainier III in 1956, becoming Her Serene Highness, Princess Grace of Monaco. Though it was necessary for Rainier to have an heir, it was not solely for this reason that they married. From all accounts they were happy together, and Rainier was greatly affected by Grace's tragic death in 1982.

He died in 2005 and is buried next to her.

Answer: 1419

The Grimaldis first came to power in Monaco in 1297, but did not maintain a stable hold on power until 1419. Though at times since then the principality has been under the protectorate of other countries, no family other than the Grimaldis has held power in Monaco.

However, it's not as straightforward as it sounds. A constitutional crisis was averted in the early 1900s when the then heir to the throne, Louis, who was unmarried (and had no offspring) was permitted to adopt a daughter, Charlotte. Charlotte married Pierre Grimaldi (he had changed his name to Grimaldi from de Polignac) and his son Rainier became head of the line.