  One of the remarkable features of black holes is that they possess a
thermodynamic description, even though they do not appear to be statistical
systems. We use self-gravitating magnetic monopole solutions as tools for
understanding the emergence of this description as one goes from an ordinary
spacetime to one containing a black hole. We describe how causally distinct
regions emerge as a monopole solution develops a horizon. We define an entropy
that is naturally associated with these regions and that has a clear connection
with the Hawking-Bekenstein entropy in the critical black hole limit.
