Introduction

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.

 

Geography

 

Location: Western Europe, between France and Germany

 

Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 6 10 E

 

Map references: Europe

 

Area: total: 2,586 sq km; land: 2,586 sq km; water: 0 sq km

 

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island

 

Land boundaries: total: 359 km; border countries: 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; highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m

 

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

 

Land use: arable land: 23.28%; permanent crops: 0.4%; other: 76.32% (includes Belgium) (2001)

 

Irrigated land: 40 sq km (includes Belgium) (1998 est.)

 

Natural hazards: NA

 

Environment - current issues: air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of farmland

 

Environment - 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; signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

 

Geography - note: landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world

 

People

 

Population: 468,571 (July 2005 est.)

 

Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.9% (male 45,768/female 42,980); 15-64 years: 66.5% (male 157,453/female 153,927); 65 years and over: 14.6% (male 27,573/female 40,870) (2005 est.)

 

Median age: total: 38.51 years; male: 37.56 years; female: 39.48 years (2005 est.)

 

Population growth rate: 1.25% (2005 est.)

 

Birth rate: 12.06 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Death rate: 8.41 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Net migration rate: 8.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female; total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate: total: 4.81 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 4.79 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 4.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.74 years; male: 75.45 years; female: 82.24 years (2005 est.)

 

Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2005 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (2003 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.)

 

Nationality: noun: Luxembourger(s); adjective: Luxembourg

 

Ethnic groups: Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kosovo) and European (guest and resident workers)

 

Religions: 87% Roman Catholic, 13% Protestants, Jews, and Muslims (2000)

 

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

 

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write; total population: 100%; male: 100%; female: 100% (2000 est.)

 

Government

 

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

 

Independence: 1839 (from the Netherlands)

 

National holiday: National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June

 

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, born 11 November 1981); head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 1 January 1995) and Vice Prime Minister Jean ASSELBORN (since 31 July 2004); cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch; elections: none; 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: 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 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%; 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

 

Economy

 

Economy - overview: This stable, high-income economy - in between 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 22% 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 more than 30% of its labor force. Although Luxembourg, like all EU members, has suffered from the global economic slump, the country enjoys an extraordinarily high standard of living.

 

GDP: purchasing power parity - $27.27 billion (2004 est.)

 

GDP - real growth rate: 2.3% (2004 est.)

 

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $58,900 (2004 est.)

 

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.5%; industry: 16.3%; services: 83.1% (2004 est.)

 

Labor force: 293,700 (of whom 105,000 are foreign cross-border workers commuting primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany) (2004 est.)

 

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 1%, industry 13%, services 86% (2004 est.)

 

Unemployment rate: 4.5% (December, 2004 est.)

 

Population below poverty line: NA%

 

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

 

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (2004 est.)

 

Investment (gross fixed): 19.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

 

Budget: revenues: $13.74 billion; expenditures: $14.49 billion, including capital expenditures of $760 million (2004 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, information technology, tourism and banking

 

Industrial production growth rate: 2.9% (2004 est.)

 

Electricity - production: 2.511 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - consumption: 5.735 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - exports: 2.9 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - imports: 6.3 billion kWh (2002)

 

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - consumption: 50,650 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - exports: 634 bbl/day (2001)

 

Oil - imports: 50,700 bbl/day (2001)

 

Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - consumption: 865 million cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - imports: 867 million cu m (2001 est.)

 

Exports: $13.4 billion f.o.b. (2003)

 

Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass

 

Exports - partners: Germany 21.8%, France 20.1%, Belgium 10.5%, UK 9.3%, Italy 7.1%, Spain 5.6%, Netherlands 4.3% (2004)

 

Imports: $16.3 billion c.i.f. (2003)

 

Imports - commodities: minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods

 

Imports - partners: Belgium 30%, Germany 21.8%, France 12.5%, China 11.9%, Netherlands 4.5% (2004)

 

Debt - external: $NA

 

Economic aid - donor: ODA, $147 million (2002)

 

Currency (code): euro (EUR); note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

 

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)

 

Fiscal year: calendar year

 

Communications

 

Telephones - main lines in use: 355,400 (2002)

 

Telephones - mobile cellular: 473,000 (2002)

 

Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables; domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable; international: country code - 352; 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable (Europe to North America)

 

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999)

 

Television broadcast stations: 5 (1999)

 

Internet country code: .lu

 

Internet hosts: 28,214 (2003)

 

Internet users: 165,000 (2002)

 

Transportation

 

Railways: total: 274 km; standard gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (242 km electrified) (2004)

 

Highways: total: 5,210 km; paved: 5,210 km (including 126 km of expressways); unpaved: 0 km (2002)

 

Waterways: 37 km (on Moselle River) (2003)

 

Pipelines: gas 155 km (2004)

 

Ports and harbors: Mertert

 

Merchant marine: total: 40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 652,454 GRT/805,101 DWT; by type: chemical tanker 16, container 6, liquefied gas 2, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 6, vehicle carrier 1; foreign-owned: 40 (Belgium 12, Finland 3, France 8, Germany 10, Netherlands 4, United States 3) (2005)

 

Airports: 2 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with paved runways: total: 1; over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1; under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

 

Heliports: 1 (2004 est.)

 

Transnational Issues

 

Disputes - international: none.