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Luxembourg

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Countries

                   Grand-Duché de Luxembourg
   Großherzogtum Luxemburg
   Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg
   Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

   Flag of Luxembourg Coat of arms of Luxembourg
   Flag               Coat of arms
   Motto: Luxembourgish: Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn
   (English: "We wish to remain what we are")
   Anthem: Ons Hémécht
   ("Our Homeland")
   Royal anthem: De Wilhelmus ^1
   Location of Luxembourg
        Capital       Luxembourg
                      49°36′N 6°7′E
      Largest city    Luxembourg
   Official languages French, German, Luxembourgish
                      ( de jure since 1984)
   Government         Grand duchy
    - Grand Duke      Grand Duke Henri ( List)
    - Prime minister  Jean-Claude Juncker ( List)
      Independence
    - Declared        1815
    - Confirmed       1839, 1867
    Accession to EU   March 25, 1957
                              Area
    - Total           2,586 km² ( 176th)
                      999 sq mi
    - Water (%)       negligible
                           Population
    - 2005 estimate   465,000 ( 168th)
    - 2001 census     439,539
    - Density         171/km² ( 59th)
                      469/sq mi
       GDP ( PPP)     2005 estimate
    - Total           $29.37 billion ( 92nd)
    - Per capita      $69,800 (2005) ( 1st)
     GDP (nominal)    2005 estimate
    - Total           $34.18 billion ( 64th)
    - Per capita      $80,288 ( 1st)
      HDI  (2004)     0.945 (high) ( 12th)
        Currency      Euro ( €)^2 ( EUR)
       Time zone      CET ( UTC+1)
    - Summer ( DST)   CEST ( UTC+2)
      Internet TLD    .lu^3
      Calling code    +352
   ^1 This is not the same as Het Wilhelmus of the Netherlands.
   ^2 Prior to 1999: Luxembourgish franc.
   ^3 The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European
   Union member states.

   The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg ( Luxembourgish: Groussherzogtum
   Lëtzebuerg, French: Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, German: Großherzogtum
   Luxemburg) is a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by
   Belgium, France, and Germany. Luxembourg has a population of under half
   a million people in an area of about 2,600 square kilometres (1,000
   sq mi).

   Luxembourg is a parliamentary representative democracy with a
   constitutional monarchy, ruled by a Grand Duke. It is the world's only
   sovereign Grand Duchy. Luxembourg is a founding member of the European
   Union, NATO, the United Nations, Benelux, and the Western European
   Union, reflecting the political consensus in favour of economic,
   political, and military integration. Luxembourg City, the capital and
   largest city, is the seat of several institutions and agencies of the
   European Union.

   Luxembourg lies on the cultural divide between Romance Europe and
   Germanic Europe, borrowing customs from each of the distinct
   traditions. While French and Luxembourgish are the predominant
   languages in daily life and on the streets, Luxembourg remains a
   trilingual country; French, German, and Luxembourgish are official
   languages. Although a secular state, Luxembourg is a predominantly
   Roman Catholic country.

History

   The recorded history of Luxembourg begins with the construction of
   Luxembourg Castle in 963. Around this fort, a town gradually developed,
   which became the centre of a small, but important, state of great
   strategic value. In 1437, the House of Luxembourg suffered a succession
   crisis, precipitated by the lack of a male heir to assume the throne.
   In the following centuries, Luxembourg's fortress was steadily enlarged
   and strengthened over the years by its successive occupants, the
   Bourbons, Habsburgs, Hohenzollerns, and the French, among others. After
   the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Luxembourg was disputed between Prussia
   and the Netherlands. The Congress of Vienna formed Luxembourg as a
   Grand Duchy in personal union with the Netherlands. Luxembourg also
   became a member of the German Confederation, with a Confederate
   fortress manned by Prussian troops.
   The three Partitions of Luxembourg have greatly reduced Luxembourg's
   territory.
   Enlarge
   The three Partitions of Luxembourg have greatly reduced Luxembourg's
   territory.

   The Belgian revolution of 1830– 1839 reduced Luxembourg's territory by
   more than half, as the predominantly francophone western part of the
   country was transferred to Belgium. Luxembourg's independence was
   reaffirmed by the 1839 First Treaty of London. In the same year,
   Luxembourg joined the Zollverein. Luxembourg's independence and
   neutrality were again affirmed by the 1867 Second Treaty of London,
   after the Luxembourg Crisis nearly led to war between Prussia and
   France. After the latter conflict, the Confederate fortress was
   dismantled.

   The King of the Netherlands remained Head of State as Grand Duke of
   Luxembourg, maintaining personal union between the two countries until
   1890. At the death of William III, the Dutch throne passed to his
   daughter Wilhelmina, while Luxembourg (at that time restricted to male
   heirs; see Salic Law) passed to Adolph of Nassau-Weilburg.

   Luxembourg was invaded and occupied by Germany during the First World
   War, but was allowed to maintain its independence and political
   mechanisms. It was again subject to German occupation in the Second
   World War, and was formally annexed into the Third Reich in 1942.

   During World War II, Luxembourg abandoned its policy of neutrality,
   when it joined the Allies in fighting Germany. Its government, exiled
   to London set up a small group of volunteers, who participated in the
   Normandy invasion. It became a founding member of the United Nations in
   1946, and of NATO in 1949. 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. In
   2005, a referendum on the EU treaty establishing a constitution for
   Europe was held in Luxembourg.

Government and politics

   Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg.
   Enlarge
   Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg.

   Luxembourg has a parliamentary form of government with a constitutional
   monarchy inherited by male-preference primogeniture. Under the
   constitution of 1868, executive power is exercised by the Grand Duke or
   Grand Duchess and the cabinet, which consists of a Prime Minister and
   several other ministers. The Grand Duke has the power to dissolve the
   legislature and reinstate a new one. However, since 1919, sovereignty
   has resided with the country.

   Legislative power is vested in the Chamber of Deputies, a unicameral
   legislature of 60 members, who are directly elected to 5-year terms
   from four constituencies. A second body, the Council of State (Conseil
   d'État), composed of 21 ordinary citizens appointed by the Grand Duke,
   advises the Chamber of Deputies in the drafting of legislation.

   The Grand Duchy has three lower tribunals (justices de paix; in
   Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg City, and Diekirch), two district
   tribunals (Luxembourg City and Diekirch) and a Superior Court of
   Justice (Luxembourg City), which includes the Court of Appeal and the
   Court of Cassation. There is also an Administrative Tribunal and an
   Administrative Court, as well as a Constitutional Court, all of which
   are located in Luxembourg City.

   Luxembourg's contribution to its defence and to NATO consists of a
   small army. As a landlocked country, it has no navy, and it has no air
   force, except for the fact that the 18 NATO AWACS airplanes were
   registered as aircraft of Luxembourg as a matter of political and
   aviational convenience. In a joint agreement with Belgium, both
   countries have put forth funding for one A400M military cargo plane,
   and have it on order. Luxembourg still maintains three Boeing 707 model
   TCAs for cargo and training purposes based in NATO Air Base
   Geilenkirchen.

Geography and climate

   The largest towns are Luxembourg City, Esch-sur-Alzette, Dudelange, and
   Differdange.
   Enlarge
   The largest towns are Luxembourg City, Esch-sur-Alzette, Dudelange, and
   Differdange.
   Luxembourg's climate is characterised by mild temperatures and high
   precipitation.
   Enlarge
   Luxembourg's climate is characterised by mild temperatures and high
   precipitation.

   Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe, and ranked 175th
   in size of all the countries of the world; the country is about 2,586
   square kilometres (999  sq. mi) in size, and measures 82 km (51 miles)
   long and 57 km (35 miles) wide. To the east, Luxembourg borders the
   German Bundesländer of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, and, to the
   south, it borders the French région of Lorraine. The Grand Duchy
   borders the Belgian Walloon Region, in particular the latter's
   provinces of Luxembourg and Liège to the west and to the north
   respectively.

   The northern third of the country is known as the ' Oesling', and forms
   part of the Ardennes. It is dominated by hills and low mountains,
   including the Kneiff, which is the highest point, at 560 metres (1,837
   ft). The region is sparsely populated, with only one town ( Wiltz) with
   a population of more than 2,000 people.

   The southern two-thirds of the country is called the ' Gutland', and is
   more densely populated than the Oesling. It is also more diverse, and
   can be divided into five geographic sub-regions. The Luxembourg
   plateau, in south-central Luxembourg, is a large, flat, sandstone
   formation, and the site of Luxembourg City. Little Switzerland, in the
   east of Luxembourg, has craggy terrain and thick forests. The Moselle
   valley is the lowest-lying region, running along the south-eastern
   border. The Red Lands, in the far south and southwest, are Luxembourg's
   industrial heartland and home to many of Luxembourg's largest towns.

   The border between Luxembourg and Germany is formed by three rivers:
   the Moselle, the Sauer, and the Our. Other major rivers are the
   Alzette, the Attert, the Clerve, and the Wiltz. The valleys of the
   mid-Sauer and Attert form the border between the Gutland and the
   Oesling.

   Luxembourg is divided into 3 districts, which are further divided into
   12 cantons, and then into 116 communes.

   Twelve of the communes have city status, of which Luxembourg City is
   the largest.

   Luxembourg has a mild continental climate, marked by high
   precipitation, particularly in late summer.

Demographics

   As of 2000, there were 162,000 immigrants in Luxembourg, accounting for
   37 percent of the total population. The native population is ethnically
   a French and Germanic blend. The indigenous population was augmented by
   immigrants from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Portugal
   throughout the twentieth century. Since the beginning of the Yugoslav
   wars, Luxembourg has seen many immigrants from war-torn and politically
   unstable Balkan states, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and
   Serbia. Annually, over 10,000 new immigrants arrive in Luxembourg,
   mostly from EU states, as well as Eastern Europe. There are an
   estimated 5,000 illegal immigrants in Luxembourg.

Language

   The linguistic situation in Luxembourg is characterised by the practice
   and the recognition of three official languages: French, German, and
   Luxembourgish, a Franconian language of the Moselle region similar to
   German. Apart from being one of the three official languages,
   Luxembourgish is also considered the national language of the Grand
   Duchy.

   None of the three languages predominates generally, and each is used as
   the primary language in certain spheres. Luxembourgish is generally
   preferred for spoken use, but is superseded by both French and German
   for written purposes. French is the language in which most government
   business is carried out. German is the language of most media and of
   the church.

   In addition to the three native languages, English is taught from a
   young age (mostly 2nd grade, i.e. at the age of 13 to 14 years), and
   most of the population of Luxembourg is proficient in English.
   Portuguese and Italian, the languages of the two largest immigrant
   communities, are also spoken by large parts of the population, but by
   relatively few from outside their respective communities.

Religion

   Since 1979, it has been illegal to collect statistics on religious
   beliefs or practices. It is estimated that 87 percent of Luxembourgers
   are Roman Catholics, and the other 13 percent are mostly Protestants,
   Orthodox Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Luxembourg is a secular state,
   but the state recognises certain religions as officially-mandated
   religions. This gives the state a hand in religious administration and
   appointment of clergy, in exchange for which the state pays certain
   running costs and wages. Currently, religions covered by such
   arrangements are Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Greek and Russian
   Orthodoxy, and Protestantism.

Economy

   Luxembourg's stable, high-income economy features moderate growth, low
   inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector, which was until
   recently dominated by steel, has become increasingly more diversified
   to include chemicals, rubber, and other products. During the past
   decades, growth in the financial sector has more than compensated for
   the decline in steel. Services, especially banking and other financial
   exports, account for the majority of economic output. Agriculture is
   based on small, family-owned farms. Luxembourg has especially close
   trade and financial ties to Belgium and the Netherlands (see Benelux),
   and as a member of the EU, enjoys the advantages of the open European
   market. Luxembourg possesses the highest GDP per capita in the world (
   US$72,945 as of 2005), the fourth-highest HDI, and the fourth-highest
   quality of life. Unemployment is 4.8% of the labour force as of March
   2006. For the fiscal year of 2005 and current year 2006, Luxembourg has
   run a budget deficit for the first time in many years mostly because of
   slower growth and the slowdown of the international markets.

Neighboring Countries

   Flag of Belgium  Belgium Flag of Germany  Germany
   North
   West    Flag of Luxembourg  Luxembourg     East
   South
   Flag of France  France

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxembourg"
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