World Facts

conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Capital: Luxembourg
Type of Government: constitutional monarchy-
Administrative Divisions: 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 18.9% (male 45,768/female 42,980)
Agriculture: barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; livestock products
Airports: 2 (2004 est.)-
With Paved Runways: -
With Unpaved Runways:
Area: total: 2,586 sq km. slightly smaller than Rhode Island
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.
Birth rate: 12.06 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget: revenues: $15.13 billion
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)-
Climate: modified continental with mild winters, cool summers
Communications:
Constitution: 17 October 1868; occasional revisions
Currency: euro (EUR)-
Current account balance:
Death rate: 8.41 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external: $NA-
Dependency status: -
Dependent areas:
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ann WAGNER
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Arlette CONZEMIUS-PACCOURD
Disputes - international: none-
Distribution of family income: -
Economic aid - donor: -
Economic aid - recipient:
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 per capita ranks first in the world.-
Electricity - consumption:
Electricity - exports:
Electricity - imports:
Electricity - production:
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Moselle River 133 m
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
Ethnic groups: Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kosovo) and European (guest and resident workers)
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 0.79697 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Executive branch: chief of state: Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October 2000); Heir Apparent Prince GUILLAUME (son of the monarch, born 11 November 1981)
Exports: $13.39 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - partners: Germany 22.2%, France 19.8%, Belgium 10%, UK 8.5%, Italy 7.3%, Spain 6%, Netherlands 4.3% (2004)
Fiscal year: calendar year
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
GDP (official exchange rate): $32.76 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity): $29.37 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.5%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $62,700 (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 6 10 E
Geography - note: landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world-
Government - note:
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (2003 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%-
Illicit drugs:
Imports: $18.74 billion c.i.f. (2005 est.)
Imports - partners: Belgium 29.8%, Germany 22.6%, China 12.6%, France 12%, Netherlands 4.2% (2004)
Independence: 1839 (from the Netherlands)
Industrial production growth rate: 4.4% (2005 est.)
Industries: banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum, information technology, tourism and banking
Infant mortality rate: total: 4.81 deaths/1,000 live births
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.6% (2005 est.)
International organization participation: ACCT, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Internet country code: .lu
Internet hosts: 28,214 (2003)
Internet users: 165,000 (2002)-
Investment (gross fixed):
Irrigated land: 40 sq km (includes Belgium) (1998 est.)
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-
Labor force:
Labor force - by occupation:
Land boundaries: total: 359 km
Land use: arable land: 23.28%
Languages: Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language)
Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch:
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.74 years
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Location: Western Europe, between France and Germany-
Major infectious diseases: -
Manpower available for military service: -
Manpower fit for military service:
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males: 2,775 (2005 est.)
Map references: Europe
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Median age: total: 38.51 years-
Merchant marine: -
Military - note: -
Military branches: -
Military expenditures - dollar figure: -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: -
Military service age and obligation:
National holiday: National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June
Nationality: noun: Luxembourger(s)-
Natural gas - consumption: -
Natural gas - exports: -
Natural gas - imports:
Natural gas - production: -
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Natural hazards: NA
Natural resources: iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land
Net migration rate: 8.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)-
Oil - consumption:
Oil - exports: 634 bbl/day (2001)-
Oil - imports: -
Oil - production: -
Oil - proved reserves: -
People - note:
Political parties and leaders: Action Committee for Democracy and Justice or ADR [Gast GIBERYEN]; Christian Social People's Party or CSV (known also as Christian Social Party or PCS) [Francois BILTGEN]; Democratic Party or DP [Claude MEISCH]; Green Party [Francois BAUSCH]; Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Alex BODRY]; Marxist and Reformed Communist Party dei Lenk/la Gauche (the Left) [no formal leadership]; other minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: ABBL (bankers' association); ALEBA (financial sector trade union); Centrale Paysanne (federation of agricultural producers); CEP (professional sector chamber); CGFP (trade union representing civil service); Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of Commerce); Chambre des Metiers (Chamber of Artisans); FEDIL (federation of industrialists); LCGP (center-right trade union); OGBL (center-left trade union)
Population: 468,571 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA
Population growth rate: 1.25% (2005 est.)
Ports and terminals: Mertert-
Public debt:
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999)
Railways: total: 274 km-
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Religions: 87% Roman Catholic, 13% Protestants, Jews, and Muslims (2000)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $330.8 million (2004 est.)-
Roadways:
Sex ratio:
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables
Telephones - main lines in use: 355,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 473,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations: 5 (1999)
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
Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2005 est.)-
Transportation - note:
Unemployment rate: 3.7% (2005 est.)-
Waterways: