| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
conventional short form: Luxembourg
local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg
local short form: Luxembourg |
| Capital: |
Luxembourg |
| Location: |
Western Europe, between France and Germany |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
49 45 N, 6 10 E |
| 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 |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Moselle River 133 m
highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
constitutional monarchy |
| Administratives
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 |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
Action Committee for Democracy and Justice or ADR [Gast GIBERYOEN]; 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 (the Left) [no formal leadership]; other minor parties |
| 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.) |
| 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) |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| 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) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 274 km
standard gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (242 km electrified) (2003) |
| 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.) |
