English Unlimited HAK/HUM 2, Schulbuch mit Audio-CD und CD-ROM

111 People and places 09 LANGUAGE SKILLS EXPLORE LOOK AGAIN EXTRAS Think about how to describe the location of: 1 another city on the map. 2 a town or country you’ve visited or would like to visit. Listen to each other’s descriptions. Can you guess the places? Work in A/B pairs. A, read about Monaco on this page. B, read about Malta on p. 141. Find the answers to these questions. 1 Where is it? How big is it? 2 What languages do people use? 3 How many people live there? 4 Does it get many visitors? 5 How does it make money? 6 What kinds of jobs does it offer? SPEakING 3 a REadING 4 Two small countries 5 6 b Read the descriptions again. Choose two more interesting facts to tell your partner. Tell each other about Monaco and Malta. Monaco borders France and is situated on the Mediterranean coast. It is five times the size of the Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, but still very small, with a mere two square kilometres of land. It is the second-smallest independent state in the world, and it is almost entirely urban. The Genoese built a castle on the site of present- day Monaco in 1215. In 1297, the Grimaldi family took possession ofMonaco and still rule the country, which became an independent principality in 1419. Economic development was speeded up in the late 19th century with a railroad connection to France and the opening of a casino. Monaco enjoys a Mediterranean climate with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The scenery is splendid, yet hilly and rocky and therefore not suited for agriculture. French is the official language, but being an international community, English, Italian and the local Monegasque are also widely in use. Approximately 30,000 people are residents, but only 6,000 are of Monegasque nationality. Prince Albert II, who is the son of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, is the current head of state. There is also a Minister of State and a National Council of 24 seats, with regular elections every five years. Monaco has no regular army. The Palace Guard only performs ceremonial duties. The defence of the country is the responsibility of neighbouring France. Monaco has its own bank, police force, fire brigade, post office, satellite TV channel, radio station and internet domain ‘.mc’. mc is short for ‘Monte Carlo’, which is the district around the famous casino. Every year the ‘Automobile Club de Monaco’ organises a spectacular race on the streets of Monaco, the ‘Formula One Grand Prix of Monaco’. The race, the Monte Carlo Casino and Monaco’s pleasant climate combine to make the country a popular resort which attracts tourists from all over the world. All in all, the hotels offer over 2,200 rooms, most of them in the luxury category. However, the country is also a major banking centre. There are many jobs in the finance and service industry available. The state has no income taxes and only low business taxes. It is a tax haven both for individuals who set up homes and for foreign companies which open offices there. Living standards are high – comparable to those in richer French metropolitan areas. Monaco Monaco Harbour, Monte Carlo Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv