Demographics - Luxembourg
| GENERAL: | |||
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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| 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 | ||
| 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: | 23.94% | |
| permanent crops: | 0.39% | ||
| other: | 75.67% | ||
| Irrigated land: | 40 sq km (includes Belgium) | ||
| Environment - current issues: | air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of farmland | ||
| Geography - note: | landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world | ||
| PEOPLE: | |||
| Population: | 474,413 | ||
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: | 18.9% (male 46,118/female 43,356) | |
| 15-64 years: | 66.5% (male 159,498/female 156,075) | ||
| 65 years and over: | 14.6% (male 28,027/female 41,339) | ||
| Median age: | total: | 38.7 years | |
| male: | 37.7 years | ||
| female: | 39.7 years | ||
| Population growth rate: | 1.23% | ||
| Birth rate: | 11.94 births/1,000 population | ||
| Death rate: | 8.41 deaths/1,000 population | ||
| Net migration rate: | 8.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population | ||
| 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 | ||
| Infant mortality rate: | total: | 4.74 deaths/1,000 live births | |
| male: | 4.73 deaths/1,000 live births | ||
| female: | 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births | ||
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: | 78.89 years | |
| male: | 75.6 years | ||
| female: | 82.38 years | ||
| Total fertility rate: | 1.78 children born/woman | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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% | ||
| 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 |
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| 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 | ||
| Political parties and leaders: | Action Committee for Democracy and Justice or ADR [Gast GIBERYEN]; Christian Social People's Party or CSV (also known 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 | ||
| 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: | |||
| 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 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. | ||
| GDP - real growth rate: | 3.50% | ||
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | $55,600 | ||
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: | 1% | |
| industry: | 13% | ||
| services: | 86% | ||
| Labor force: | 316,500 of whom 121,600 are foreign cross-border workers commuting primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany | ||
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 1%, industry 13%, services 86% | ||
| Unemployment rate: | 4.90% | ||
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 3.60% | ||
| 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: | 4.40% | ||
| Exports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass | ||
| Exports - partners: |
Germany 22.2%, France 19.8%, Belgium 10%, UK 8.5%, Italy 7.3%, Spain 6%, Netherlands 4.3% |
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| Imports - commodities: | minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods | ||
| Imports - partners: | Belgium 29.8%, Germany 22.6%, China 12.6%, France 12%, Netherlands 4.2% | ||
| 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 | ||
| Fiscal year: | calendar year | ||
| TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES: | |||
| Disputes - international: | none | ||
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