The little European country that's one of the world's tiniest trying to grow into the sea

One of the is in the process of making itself slightly bigger, by expanding out into the . The European principality is synonymous with glamour and exclusivity, home to some of the world's richest individuals and one of the most iconic sporting tracks on the planet.

However, the world's second-smallest sovereign state, after Vatican City, is quickly running out of room to house all of these A-listers. In its current state, is home to 37,000 people, crammed into a space less than half the size of Universal Orlando. However, this is all set to change, as a new $2 billion (£1.2 billion) megaproject is underway to expand its territory and reclaim around six hectares (14.8 acres) from the sea using state-of-the-art technology.

164 years ago, Monaco was a much bigger country. However, it gave up 95% of its land in exchange for four million francs and recognition from of its sovereign state status. Today, it is roughly two miles long and only a mile wide, renowned for the Monte Carlo Casino and the , which races through its tight and twisting hairpin bends each year.

Yet, the country has slowly been growing again, to the extent that more than 20% of land has been reclaimed from the sea since 1880. Between 1966 and 1973, the Fontvieille project saw the reclamation of 50 hectares, 25% of the state's total surface area.

This puts Monaco amongst the states considered to be champions of land and "artificialisation" of the sea, alongside Singapore and the . The latest addition to the country's footprint is the Mareterra project, or Portier Cove.

Not all are as on board with the project as others, however, particularly with . The expansion of land mass comes hand in hand with issues including habitat destruction, pollution from sediment run-off and long-term stability.

This is coupled with the fact that Monaco and the Mediterranean are home to nearly 6,000 different species, and the expansion zone lies directly between two marine reserves. The seagrass found here is known as Posidonia oceanica, whose meadows play a vital ecological role for sea life, protect coasts from erosion and storms and capture and store carbon dioxide. However, these meadows are in a worrying state of decline.

As such, marine biologists and divers have relocated around 500 square metres of seagrass. The , which translates to "sea and land", was also designed with a curved footprint to respect the natural flow of the sea currents. This was achieved using a belt of caissons - a large water-tight box used for bridges, piers and seawalls which acts as a wall and stops the fill material from floating away. Each of the 18 caissons weighs about 10,000 tonnes, was built in Marseille and was towed the 800-metre distance by boat over the period of three to five days.

The space was then filled with over 1.5 million tonnes of rock and marine sand. The new site will create 130 apartments, four townhouses, and 10 villas, which will likely cost tens of millions each. Over 1,300ft has also been reserved for retail space.

"It's gonna be the greenest part of Monaco," said Guy-Thomas Levy-Soussan, the General Manager of Mareterra. "The project includes a seafront promenade, a park, a marina, retail, restaurants and some cultural space contributing to the economic and social vibrancy of the principality. Altogether it brings a new area and new dimension to Monaco."