Luxembourg

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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

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 floodplain in the southeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Moselle River 133 m
highest point: Burgplatz 559 m

Natural resources: iron ore (no longer exploited)

Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 21%
other: 34%

Irrigated land: 10 sq km (including Belgium (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment—current issues: air and water pollution in urban areas

Environment—international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea

Geography—note: landlocked

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Population: 429,080 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 39,701; female 37,998)
15-64 years: 67% (male 146,336; female 140,717)
65 years and over: 15% (male 26,201; female 38,127) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.88% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 10.35 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 9.32 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 7.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.65 years
male: 74.58 years
female: 80.83 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.57 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Luxembourger(s)
adjective: Luxembourg

Ethnic groups: Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, and European (guest and worker residents)

Religions: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant and Jewish 3%

Languages: Luxembourgian, German, French, English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (1980 est.)

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Country name:
conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
conventional short form: Luxembourg
local long form: Grand-Duche de Luxembourg
local short form: Luxembourg

Data code: LU

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Luxembourg

Administrative divisions: 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg

Independence: 1839 (from the Netherlands)

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 the monarch, born 16 April 1955)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 1 January 1995) and Vice Prime Minister Jacques F. POOS (since 21 July 1984)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch, responsible to the Chamber of Deputies
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and vice prime minister appointed by the monarch but are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies

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 12 June 1994 (next to be held by 13 June 1999)
election results: percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—CSV 21, LSAP 17, DP 12, Action Committee for Democracy and Pension Rights 5, Greens 5
note: the Council of State or Conseil d'Etat, which has 21 members who are appointed for life, is an advisory body whose views are considered by the Chamber of Deputies

Judicial branch: Superior Court of Justice or Cour Superieure de Justice, judges are appointed for life by the monarch; Administrative Court or Tribunale Administratin, judges are appointed for life by the monarch

Political parties and leaders: Christian Social People's Party or CSV [Erna HENNICOT-SCHOEPGES]; Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Ben FAYOT]; Democratic Party or DP [Lydie Wurth POLFER]; Action Committee for Democracy and Pension Rights [Roby MEHLEN]; the Green Alternative [Abbes JACOBY]; other minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders: 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

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, ITU, MTCR, 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
FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270
consulate(s) general: New York and San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Marie MURRAY
embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel-Servais, 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
FAX: [352] 46 14 01

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

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Economy—overview: The stable, prosperous economy features moderate growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector, until recently dominated by steel, has become increasingly more diversified. During the past decades, 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. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. Luxembourg has especially close trade and financial ties to 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.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$13.9 billion (1998 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: 2.9% (1998 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$32,700 (1998 est.)

GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 22%
services: 77% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.4% (1998)

Labor force: 226,500 (one-third of labor force is foreign workers, mostly from Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany) (1998 est.)

Labor force—by occupation: services 83.2%, industry 14.3%, agriculture 2.5% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate: 3% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $5.46 billion
expenditures: $5.44 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Industries: banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum

Industrial production growth rate: 3.3% (1995 est.)

Electricity—production: 1.158 billion kWh (1997)

Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 90.12%
hydro: 9.88%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity—consumption: 5.381 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 800 million kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 5.8 billion kWh (1996)

Agriculture—products: barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; livestock products

Exports: $7.1 billion (f.o.b., 1996)

Exports—commodities: finished steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass, aluminum, other industrial products

Exports—partners: Germany 28%, France 18%, Belgium 15%, UK 7%, Netherlands 5%

Imports: $9.4 billion (c.i.f., 1996)

Imports—commodities: minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods

Imports—partners: Belgium 38%, Germany 25%, France 11%, Netherlands 4%

Debt—external: $NA

Economic aid—donor: ODA, $65 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Luxembourg franc (LuxF) = 100 centimes; note—centimes no longer in use

Exchange rates: Luxembourg francs (LuxF) per US$1—34.77 (January 1999), 36.299 (1998), 35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996), 29.480 (1995), 33.456 (1994); note—the Luxembourg franc is at par with the Belgian franc, which circulates freely in Luxembourg
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed rate of 40.3399 francs per euro; the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Fiscal year: calendar year

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Telephones: 279,736 (1997)

Telephone system: 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)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 6, shortwave 0

Radios: 230,000 (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 5 (1997)

Televisions: 100,500 (1993 est.)

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Railways:
total: 275 km
standard gauge: 275 km 1.435-m gauge (262 km electrified; 178 km double track) (1995)

Highways:
total: 5,137 km
paved: 5,086 km (including 123 km of expressways)
unpaved: 51 km (1996 est.)
note: one source lists roads 2,863 km; expressways 115 km

Waterways: 37 km; Moselle

Pipelines: petroleum products 48 km

Ports and harbors: Mertert

Merchant marine:
total: 37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,033,045 GRT/1,480,023 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas tanker 13, oil tanker 6, passenger 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, vehicle carrier 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 2 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)

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Military branches: Army, National Gendarmerie

Military manpower—military age: 19 years of age

Military manpower—availability:
males age 15-49: 108,285 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 88,813 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—reaching military age annually:
males: 2,452 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures—dollar figure: $124 million (FY97)

Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 0.8% (1995)

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Disputes—international: none