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.

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 flood plain in the southeast

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

Natural resources: iron ore (no longer exploited) arable land

Land use
Arable land: 27.42%
Permanent crops: 0.69%
Other: 71.89% (includes Belgium) (2005)

Irrigated land: NA

Total renewable water resources: 1.6 km³ (2005)

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world

Population: 486,006 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 1.188% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Luxembourger
Adjective: Luxembourg

Ethnic groups: Luxembourger 63.1% Portuguese 13.3% French 4.5% Italian 4.3% German 2.3% other EU 7.3% other 5.2% (2000 census)

Languages: Luxembourgish (national language) German (administrative language) French (administrative language)

Religions: Roman Catholic 87% other (includes Protestant Jewish and Muslim) 13% (2000)

Age structure
0-14 years: 18.6% (male 46,729/female 43,889)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 163,356/female 160,425)
65 years and over: 14.7% (male 29,206/female 42,401) (2008 est.)

Median age
Total: 39 years
Male: 38 years
Female: 40 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.188% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 11.77 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 8.43 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: 8.54 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.62 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 4.62 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4.62 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.18 years
Male: 75.91 years
Female: 82.67 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.78 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: fewer than 500 (2003 est.)
Deaths: fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Education expenditures: 3.4% of GDP (1999)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 100%
Male: 100%
Female: 100% (2000 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 14 years (2006)

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
Name: Luxembourg
Geographic coordinates: 49 36 N, 6 07 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 3 districts; Diekirch Grevenmacher Luxembourg

Independence: 1839 (from the Netherlands)

National holiday: National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June; note - the actual date of birth was 23 January 1896 but the festivities were shifted by five months to allow observance during a more favorable time of year

Constitution: 17 October 1868; occasional revisions

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October 2000); Heir Apparent Prince GUILLAUME (son of the monarch)
Head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 20 January 1995); Deputy Prime Minister Jean ASSELBORN (since 31 July 2004)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch
Elections: the monarch is hereditary; following popular elections to the Chamber of Deputies, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the monarch; they are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies
Note: government coalition - CSV and LSAP

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 13 June 2004 (next to be held by June 2009)
Election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 36.1%, LSAP 23.4%, DP 16.1%, Green Party 11.6%, ADR 10%, other 2.8%; seats by party - CSV 24, LSAP 14, DP 10, Green Party 7, ADR 5
Note: there is also a Council of State that serves as an advisory body to the Chamber of Deputies; the Council of State has 21 members appointed by the Grand Duke on the advice of the prime minister

Judicial branch: judicial courts and tribunals (3 Justices of the Peace 2 district courts and 1 Supreme Court of Appeals); administrative courts and tribunals (State Prosecutor's Office administrative courts and tribunals and the Constitutional Court); judges for all courts are appointed for life by the monarch

Political parties and leaders: Alternative Democratic Reform Party or ADR [Robert MENLEN]; Christian Social People's Party or CSV [Francois BILTGEN] (also known as Christian Social Party or PCS); Democratic Party or DP [Claude MEISCH]; Green Party [Francois BAUSCH]; Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Alex BODRY]; dei Lenk/la Gauche (the Left); other minor parties

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional members) Australia Group Benelux CE EAPC EBRD EIB EMU ESA EU FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OIF OPCW OSCE PCA Schengen Convention UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL UNRWA UPU WCL WCO WEU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jean-Paul SENNINGER
In the us chancery: 2,200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 265-4,171/72
In the us fax: [1] (202) 328-8,270
In the us consulates general: New York, San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ann WAGNER
From the us embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel Servais, L-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

Economy overview: This stable high-income economy - benefiting from its proximity to France Belgium and Germany - features solid growth low inflation and low unemployment. The industrial sector initially dominated by steel has become increasingly diversified to include chemicals rubber and other products. Growth in the financial sector which now accounts for about 28% of GDP has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Most banks are foreign owned and have extensive foreign dealings. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. The economy depends on foreign and cross-border workers for about 60% of its labor force. Although Luxembourg like all EU members suffered from the global economic slump in the early part of this decade the country continues to enjoy an extraordinarily high standard of living - GDP per capita ranks second in the world after Qatar. After two years of strong economic growth in 2006-07 turmoil in the world financial markets will slow Luxembourg's economy in 2008 but growth will remain above the European average.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $38.14 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 4.5% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $79,400 (2007 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1%
Industry: 13%
Services: 86% (2005 est.)

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

Industries: banking and financial services iron and steel information technology telecommunications cargo transportation food processing chemicals metal products engineering tires glass aluminum tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 1.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 205,000 of whom 121,600 are foreign cross-border workers commuting primarily from France Belgium and Germany (2007 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 1%
By occupation industry: 13%
By occupation services: 86% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate: 4.4% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.5%
Highest 10: 23.8% (2000)

Distribution of family income gini index: 26 (2005)

Budget
Revenues: $19.78 billion
Expenditures: $18.9 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 6.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.3% (2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit: $357.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $79.4 billion (2006)

Current account balance: $4.921 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $18.42 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment steel products chemicals rubber products glass
Partners: Germany 21.1% France 16.3% Belgium 10.1% Italy 7.4% UK 7.1% Netherlands 5.4% Spain 5% (2007)

Imports: $23.13 billion c.i.f. (2007 est.)
Commodities: minerals metals foodstuffs quality consumer goods
Partners: Belgium 27.4% Germany 23.8% China 17.1% France 9.2% Netherlands 5% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $205.5 million (2006 est.)

Debt external: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $NA

Exchange rates: euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007) 0.7964 (2006) 0.8041 (2005) 0.8054 (2004) 0.886 (2003)

Electricity
Production: 3.01 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption: 6.748 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 2.887 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 6.847 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 1.329 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 1.329 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 248,200 (2007)
Mobile cellular: 604,200 (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables
Domestic: fixed line teledensity over 50 per 100 persons; nationwide cellular telephone system with market for mobile-cellular phones virtually saturated
International: country code - 352 (2007)

Internet
Country code: .lu
Hosts: 180,756 (2008)
Users: 345,000 (2007)

Military expenditures: 0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation: 17-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; soldiers under 18 are not deployed into combat or with peacekeeping missions; no conscription; Luxembourg citizen or EU citizen with 3-year residence in Luxembourg (2008)

Airports: 2 (2007)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Pipelines: gas 155 km (2007)

Railways
Total: 275 km
Standard gauge: 275 km 1.435-m gauge (243 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways
Total: 5,227 km
Paved: 5,227 km (includes 147 km of expressways) (2004)

Waterways: 37 km (on Moselle River) (2007)

Merchant marine
Total: 45
By type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 3, chemical tanker 15, container 4, liquefied gas 1, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 9
Foreign owned: 44 (Belgium 7, Denmark 1, France 17, Germany 5, Netherlands 2, UK 8, US 4)
Registered in other countries: 1 (Ukraine 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Mertert

Disputes international: none