Map of Luxembourg | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: Founded in 963 Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839 but gained a larger measure of autonomy. Full independence was attained in 1867. Overrun by Germany in both World Wars it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO the following year. In 1957 Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union).


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Location: Western Europe, between France and Germany

Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 6 10 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 2,586 km²
Land: 2,586 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries
Total: 359 km
Border countries: (3) Belgium 148 km; , France 73 km; , Germany 138 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: modified continental with mild winters, cool summers

Terrain: mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle floodplain in the southeast

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Moselle River 133 m
Extremes highest point: Burgplatz 559 m

Natural resources: iron ore (no longer exploited)

Land use
Arable land: 24%
Permanent crops: 1%
Permanent pastures: 20%
Forests and woodland: 21%
Other: 34%

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: landlocked


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Population: 420,416 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 1.16% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Luxembourger(s)
Adjective: Luxembourg

Ethnic groups: Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, and European (guest and worker residents)

Languages: Luxembourgish, German, French, English

Religions: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant and Jewish 3%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 18% (male 39,219; female 37,459)
15-64 years: 67% (male 143,754; female 138,493)
65 years and over: 15% (male 24,653; female 36,838) (July 1997 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.16% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 11.92 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 9.29 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 8.92 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air and water pollution in urban areas

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 5.1 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.33 years
Male: 74.24 years
Female: 80.52 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 100%
Male: 100%
Female: 100% (1980 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Conventional short form: Luxembourg
Local long form: Grand-Duche de Luxembourg
Local short form: Luxembourg

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Luxembourg

Administrative divisions: 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg

Dependent areas

Independence: 1839

National holiday: National Day, 23 June (1921) (public celebration of the Grand Duke's birthday)

Constitution: 17 October 1868, occasional revisions

Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: Grand Duke JEAN (since 12 November 1964); Heir Apparent Prince HENRI (son of Grand Duke JEAN, born 16 April 1955)
Head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 1 January 1995) and Vice Prime Minister Jacques F. POOS (since 21 July 1984)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the sovereign, responsible to the Chamber of Deputies
Elections: none; the grand duke is a hereditary monarch; prime minister and vice prime minister appointed by the sovereign but are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies

Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held 12 June 1994 (next to be held by June 1999)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CSV 21, LSAP 17, DP 12, Action Committee for Democracy and Pension Rights 5, Greens 5
Note: the Conseil d'Etat or Council of State is an advisory body whose views are considered by the Chamber of Deputies

Judicial branch: Superior Court of Justice or Cour Superieure de Justice, judges are appointed for life by the Grand Duke; Administrative Court or Tribunale Administratin

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, Australia Group, Benelux, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Alphonse BERNS
In the us chancery: 2,200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 265-4,171
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 328-8,270
In the us consulates general: New York and San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Clay CONSTANTINOU
From the us embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel-Servais, 2,535 Luxembourg City
From the us mailing address: American Embassy Luxembourg, Unit 1410, APO AE 9,126-1410 (official mail); American Embassy Luxembourg, PSC 9, Box 9,500, APO AE 9,123 (personal mail)
From the us telephone: [352] 46 01 23
From the us FAX: [352] 46 14 01

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands, which uses a darker blue and is shorter; design was based on the flag of France

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The stable, prosperous economy features moderate growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. The industrial sector, until recently dominated by steel, has become increasingly more diversified. During the past decades, growth in the financial sector has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Services, especially banking, account for a growing proportion of the economy. Luxembourg participates in an economic union with Belgium on trade and most financial matters, is also closely connected economically to the Netherlands, and, as a member of the EU, enjoys the advantages of the open European market.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.7% (1995 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5%
Industry: 21%
Services: 74% (1995)

Agriculture products: barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; livestock products

Industries: banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum

Industrial production growth rate: 3.3% (1995 est.)

Labor force
Total: 213,100 (one-third of labor force is foreign workers, mostly from Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany)
By occupation trade restaurants hotels: 20%
By occupation quarrying manufacturing: 16%
By occupation othermarketservices: 18%
By occupation community social personalservices: 14%
By occupation construction: 11%
By occupation finance insurance realestate businessservices: 9%
By occupation transport storage communications: 8%
By occupation agriculture hunting forestry fishing: 1%
By occupation electricity gas water: 1% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate: 3% (1995)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $5.46 billion
Expenditures: $5.44 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1997 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports
Total value: $7.3 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
Commodities: finished steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass, aluminum, other industrial products
Partners: Germany 28%, France 18%, Belgium 15%, UK 7%, Netherlands 5%

Imports
Total value: $9.1 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
Commodities: minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods
Partners: Belgium 38%, Germany 25%, France 11%, Netherlands 4%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Luxembourg francs (LuxF) per US$1 - 30.067 (January 1997), 30.962 (1996), 29.480 (1995), 33.456 (1994), 34.597 (1993), 32.150 (1992; note - the Luxembourg franc is at par with the Belgian franc, which circulates freely in Luxembourg


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 1.2 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity consumption
Per capita: 13,443 kWh (1995 est.)

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system: highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables
Domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable
International: 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable (Europe to North America)

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $142 million (1995)
Percent of gdp: 0.8% (1995)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 2 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Airports with paved runways
Total: 2
Over 3047 m: 1
Under 914 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: petroleum products 48 km

Railways
Total: 275 km
Standard gauge: 275 km 1.435-m gauge (262 km electrified; 178 km double track) (1995)

Roadways

Waterways: 37 km; Moselle

Merchant marine
Total: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 858,861 GRT/1,188,457 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, chemical tanker 5, container 2, liquefied gas tanker 12, oil tanker 4, passenger 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6 (1996 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs