Yes, you can, but you probably shouldn't. Importing an external @blockchain is very resource intensive and forces you to trust the entity providing you with the blockchain. It's usually faster to download it the normal way: running a node and letting it synchronize with the other @nodes in the network. If you really need to import an external blockchain, you can download one in the 'Downloads' page of this website. Follow the guide below if you are using Windows. If you are a linux user, you can use the tool "monero-blockchain-import", which is included in the archive when you download the GUI or CLI wallets. Start syncing the imported blockchain with this command: "monero-blockchain-import --input-file blockchain.raw".
Yes. You don't need to download the @blockchain to transact on the network. You can connect to a @remote-node, which stores the blockchain for you. All the most common @wallets (including GUI and CLI) allow to use remote nodes to transact on the network. There are multiple ways to take advantage of this functionality. For example GUI and CLI offer a 'bootstrap node' feature, which allow people to download their own blockchain while using a remote node to immediately use the network. Ways to improve the usability of the Monero network are constantly being explored.
You can find an overview of the people who directly contribute, or have contributed, to the Monero repositories (along with other useful statistics) on
You can have much more control if you want to. Monero gives the possibility to create multiple accounts, each containing multiple subaddresses, useful if you want to control multiple accounts. For example, you may want to have an @account for receiving donations and another one for your daily use. That will allow you to easily monitor incoming funds to your 'donations' account, without mixing it with your primary account.
You probably didn't. It's very hard to simply 'lose' your coins, since they are technically nowhere. Your coins 'live' on the blockchain and are linked to your account through a system of public and private keys secured by cryptography. That's why if you don't see your funds, it's probably because of a technical issue. Take a look at the 'Resources & Help' section at the top of this page for a list of useful resources that will help you identify and fix your problem.
