![[Country map of Luxembourg]](lu.gif)
Location: Western Europe, between France and Germany
Map references: Europe
Area:
total area: 2,586 sq km
land area: 2,586 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: total 359 km, Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
International disputes: none
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
Natural resources: iron ore (no longer exploited)
Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 20%
forest and woodland: 21%
other: 34%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:
current issues: deforestation; air and water pollution in urban areas
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur
85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified
- Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Desertification, Environmental Modification,
Law of the Sea
Note: landlocked
Population: 404,660 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (female 35,372; male 36,645)
15-64 years: 68% (female 136,960; male 137,792)
65 years and over: 14% (female 35,774; male 22,117) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.57% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 12.61 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 9.42 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.95 years
male: 73.31 years
female: 80.75 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Luxembourger(s)
adjective: Luxembourg
Ethnic divisions: Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, and European (guest and worker residents)
Religions: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant and Jewish 3%
Languages: Luxembourgisch, German, French, English
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100%
Labor force: 177,300 (one-third of labor force is foreign workers, mostly from Portugal,
Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany)
by occupation: services 65%, industry 31.6%, agriculture 3.4% (1988)
Names:
conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
conventional short form: Luxembourg
local long form: Grand-Duche de Luxembourg
local short form: Luxembourg
Digraph: LU
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Luxembourg
Administrative divisions: 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg
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
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 JUNKER (since 1 January 1994); Vice Prime
Minister Jacques F. POOS (since 21 July 1984)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the sovereign
Legislative branch: unicameral
Chamber of Deputies (Chambre des Deputes): elections last held on 12 June 1994 (next to be held by June 1999);
results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total) CSV 21, LSAP 17,
DP 12, Action Committee for Democracy and Pension Rights 5, Greens 5
note: the Council of State (Conseil d'Etat) is an advisory body whose views
are considered by the Chamber of Deputies
Judicial branch: Superior Court of Justice (Cour Superieure de Justice)
Political parties and leaders: Christian Social People's Party (CSV), Erna HENNICOT-SCHOEPGES; Socialist Workers Party (LSAP), Ben FAYOT; Democratic Party (DP), Henri GRETHEN; Action Committee for Democracy and Pension Rights, Roby MEHLEN; other minor parties
Other political or pressure groups: group of steel companies representing iron and steel industry; Centrale Paysanne representing agricultural producers; Christian and Socialist labor unions; Federation of Industrialists; Artisans and Shopkeepers Federation
Member of: ACCT, Australia Group, Benelux, CCC, CE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, FAO, GATT, 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, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alphonse BERNS
chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171
FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270
consulate(s) general: New York and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Clay CONSTANTINOU
embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel-Servais, 2535 Luxembourg City
mailing address: PSC 11, Luxembourg City; APO AE 09132-5380
telephone: [352] 46 01 23
FAX: [352] 46 14 01
Flag: 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
Overview: The stable, prosperous economy features moderate growth, low inflation, and negligible unemployment. Agriculture is based on small but highly productive family-owned farms. The industrial sector, until recently dominated by steel, has become increasingly more diversified, particularly toward high-technology firms. During the past decade, 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 15-member European Union enjoys the advantages of the open European market.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $9.2 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 2.6% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $22,830 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (1992)
Unemployment rate: 2.4% (1994)
Budget:
revenues: $4 billion
expenditures: $4.05 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994 est.)
Exports: $6.4 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities: finished steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass, aluminum,
other industrial products
partners: EC 76%, US 5%
Imports: $8.3 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.)
commodities: minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods
partners: Belgium 37%, Germany 31%, France 12%, US 2%
External debt: $800 million (1994 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate -0.5% (1990); accounts for 25% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 1,238,750 kW
production: 1.374 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 3,395 kWh (1993)
Industries: banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum
Agriculture: accounts for less than 3% of GDP (including forestry); principal products - barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; cattle raising widespread
Economic aid: none
Currency: 1 Luxembourg franc (LuxF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Luxembourg francs (LuxF) per US$1 - 31.549 (January 1995), 33,456 (1994), 34.597 (1993), 32.150 (1992), 34.148 (1991), 33.418 (1990); note - the Luxembourg franc is at par with the Belgian franc, which circulates freely in Luxembourg
Fiscal year: calendar year
Railroads:
total: 271 km
standard gauge: 271 km 1.435-m gauge (243 km electrified; 178 km double track) (1994)
Highways:
total: 5,108 km
paved: 5,062 km (95 km of limited access divided highway)
unpaved: 46 km (1992)
Inland waterways: 37 km; Moselle River
Pipelines: petroleum products 48 km
Ports: Mertert
Merchant marine:
total: 45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,129,466 GRT/1,790,988 DWT
ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 2, chemical tanker 4, combination bulk 6, container 2,
liquefied gas tanker 8, oil tanker 7, passenger 2, refrigerated cargo 6,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 2
Airports:
total: 2
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 1
Telephone system: 230,000 telephones; highly developed, completely automated and efficient
system, mainly buried cables; nationwide mobile phone system
local: NA
intercity: buried cable
international: 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 3 and 1 direct-broadcast satellite link
televisions: NA
Branches: Army, National Gendarmerie
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 103,990; males fit for military service 85,912; males reach military age (19) annually 2,190 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $129 million, 1.2% of GDP (1994)