Map of Luxembourg | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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) and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area.


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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: 10 km² (including Belgium (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: landlocked


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Population: 429,080 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 0.88% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Luxembourger(s)
Adjective: Luxembourg

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

Languages: Luxembourgian, German, French, English

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 18% (male 39,701; female 37,998)
15-64 years: 67% (male 146,336; female 140,717)
65 years and over: 15% (male 26,201; female 38,127) (1999 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.88% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 10.35 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 9.32 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 7.78 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air and water pollution in urban areas
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 4.99 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.65 years
Male: 74.58 years
Female: 80.83 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.57 children born/woman (1999 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 (from the Netherlands)

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 the monarch, 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 monarch, responsible to the Chamber of Deputies
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and vice prime minister appointed by the monarch 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 13 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 Council of State or Conseil d'Etat, which has 21 members who are appointed for life, 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 monarch; Administrative Court or Tribunale Administratin, judges are appointed for life by the monarch

Political parties and leaders

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Arlette CONZEMIUS
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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Marie MURRAY
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. 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. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. Luxembourg has especially close trade and financial ties to Belgium and the Netherlands, and as a member of the EU, enjoys the advantages of the open European market. It joined with 10 other EU members to launch the euro on 1 January 1999.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.9% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $32,700 (1998 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1%
Industry: 22%
Services: 77% (1998 est.)

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: 226,500 (one-third of labor force is foreign workers, mostly from Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany) (1998 est.)
By occupation services: 83.2%
By occupation industry: 14.3%
By occupation agriculture: 2.5% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate: 3% (1998 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

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.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

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: $7.1 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
Commodities: finished steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass, aluminum, other industrial products
Partners: Germany 28%, France 18%, Belgium 15%, UK 7%, Netherlands 5%

Imports: $9.4 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
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$1_34.77 (January 1999), 36.299 (1998), 35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996), 29.480 (1995), 33.456 (1994); note_the Luxembourg franc is at par with the Belgian franc, which circulates freely in Luxembourg
Note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed rate of 40.3399 francs per euro; the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002


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Electricity
Production: 1.158 billion kWh (1997)
Production by source fossil fuel: 90.12%
Production by source hydro: 9.88%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 5.381 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 800 million kWh (1996)
Imports: 5.8 billion kWh (1996)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: 279,736 (1997)

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

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $124 million (FY97)
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 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)

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: 37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,033,045 GRT/1,480,023 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas tanker 13, oil tanker 6, passenger 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, vehicle carrier 1 (1998 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs