Luxembourg
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg conventional short form: Luxembourg local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg local short form: Luxembourg
constitutional monarchyIndependence 1839 (from the Netherlands)
Luxembourg as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 117 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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
Western Europe, between France and Germany
18 fieldsTerrain
- 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
Land use
arable land: 24% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 20% forests and woodland: 35% other: 20%
Environment - international agreements
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2001 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 18.91% (male 43,051; female 40,711) 15-64 years: 67.03% (male 149,781; female 147,165) 65 years and over: 14.06% (male 24,921; female 37,343) (2001 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: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 77.3 years male: 74.02 years female: 80.8 years (2001 est.)
Ethnic groups
Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kososvo) and European (guest and resident workers)
Religions
the greatest preponderance of the population is Roman Catholic with a very few Protestants, Jews, and Muslims note: 1979 legislation forbids the collection of religious statistics
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
Constitutional monarchy; Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October 2000)
20 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Country name
conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg conventional short form: Luxembourg local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg local short form: Luxembourg
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 Lydie POLFER (since 7 August 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch elections: none;
- the monarch is hereditary;
- prime minister and vice prime minister appointed by the monarch, following popular election to the Chamber of Deputies;
- they are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies note: government coalition - CSV and DP
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 1999 (next to be held by NA June 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 29.79%, DP 21.58%, LSAP 23.75%, ADR 10.36%, Green Party 9.09%, the Left 3.77%;
- seats by party - CSV 19, DP 15, LSAP 13, ADR 6, Green Party 5, the Left 2 note: the Council of State or Conseil d'Etat, which has 21 members who are appointed and dismissed by the Grand Duke based on proposals from the government, the Chamber of Deputies, or the Council of State, is an advisory body whose views are considered by the Chamber of Deputies
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
- Action Committee for Democracy and Justice or ADR [Robert MEHLEN];
- Christian Social People's Party or CSV (known also as Christian Social Party or PCS) [Erna HENNICOT-SCHOEPGES];
- Democratic Party or DP [Lydie POLFER];
- Green Party [Abbes JACOBY and Felix BRAS];
- Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Jean ASSELBORN];
- Marxist and Reformed Communist Party DEI LENK (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)
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, ISO, ITU, 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 chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador James C. HORMEL embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel-Servais, L-2535 Luxembourg City mailing address: American Embassy Luxembourg, Unit 1410, APO AE 09126-1410 (official mail);
- American Embassy Luxembourg, PSC 9, Box 9500, APO AE 09123 (personal mail) telephone: [352] 46 01 23
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
The stable, high-income economy features solid growth, low inflation, and low unemployment.
32 fieldsElectricity
Economy - overview
The stable, high-income economy 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 has more than compensated for the decline in steel.
Services, especially banking, account for a substantial proportion of the economy. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. The economy depends on foreign and trans-border workers for 30% of its labor force. Luxembourg has a custom union with 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.
Budget
revenues: $5.6 billion expenditures: $5.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries
banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 36.88% hydro: 53.09% nuclear: 0% other: 10.03% (1999)
Exports - partners
EU 75% (Germany 25%, France 21%, Belgium 13%, UK 8%, Italy 6%, Netherlands 5%), US 4% (1999)
Currency
Luxembourg franc (LUF); euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Luxembourg at a fixed rate of 40.3399 Luxembourg francs per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002
Exchange rates
- euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999);
- Luxembourg francs per US dollar - 34.77 (January 1999), 36.299 (1998), 35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996);
- note - the Luxembourg franc is at par with the Belgian franc, which circulates freely in Luxembourg
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- 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)
Transportation
10 fieldsRailways
total: 274 km standard gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (242 km electrified; 178 km double track) (1998)
Merchant marine
total: 50 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 988,450 GRT/1,313,498 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, chemical tanker 11, container 2, liquefied gas 18, passenger 4, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 7 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 4 (2000 est.)
Military
Army; note - the government abolished the Gendarmerie
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Luxembourg.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/luxembourg/2001.