Monaco

Monaco is so small that the country has built itself bigger using sand.

When land ran short, Monaco pushed its coastline out into the Mediterranean, creating new ground where there had once been sea.

In its latest major project, enormous concrete caissons were sunk offshore as a barrier. Behind it, the space was filled with sand, compacted into a base stable enough to carry streets and buildings.

Since the late 1800s, Monaco has grown by close to a quarter of its land area this way.