| Luxembourg |
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Map:
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| Background: 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 and Environmental |
Capital: name: Luxembourg
geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 6 10 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
| Area Total: 2,586 sq km |
| Area Land: 2,586 sq km |
| Area Water: 0 sq km |
| Area Comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
| Coastline: 0 km (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 |
| Elevation Extremes Highest Point: Buurgplaatz 559 m |
| Natural Resources: iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land |
| Land Use Arable Land: 23.94% |
| Land Use Permanent Crops: 0.39% |
| Land Use Other: 75.67% (includes Belgium) (2005) |
| Irrigated Land: NA |
| Natural Hazards: NA |
| Environment Current Issues: air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of farmland |
| Geography Note: landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world |
| Population |
| Population: 480,222 (July 2007 est.) |
| Age Structure 0 to 14 Years: 18.8% (male 46,478/female 43,656) |
| Age Structure 15 to 64 Years: 66.6% (male 161,466/female 158,261) |
| Age Structure 65 Years And Over: 14.7% (male 28,530/female 41,831) (2007 est.) |
| Median Age Total: 38.9 years |
| Median Age Male: 37.9 years |
| Median Age Female: 39.9 years (2007 est.) |
| Population Growth Rate: 1.207% (2007 est.) |
| Birth Rate: 11.84 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death Rate: 8.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex Ratio At Birth: 1.07 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Under 15 Years: 1.065 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 15 to 64 Years: 1.02 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 65 Years And Over: 0.682 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Total Population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant Mortality Rate Total: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Male: 4.67 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Female: 4.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life Expectancy At BirthTotalPopulation: 79.03 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Male: 75.76 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Female: 82.52 years (2007 est.) |
| Total Fertility Rate: 1.78 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate: 0.2% (2001 est.) |
| HIV AIDS People Living With HIV AIDS: less than 500 (2003 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) |
| Religions: Roman Catholic 87%, other (includes Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 13% (2000) |
| Languages: Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language) |
| Literacy Definition: age 15 and over can read and write |
| Literacy Total Population: 100% |
| Literacy Male: 100% |
| Literacy Female: 100% (2000 est.) |
| Administrative Divisions: 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg |
| Legal System: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| 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 about 60% 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 second in the world. |
| GDP Purchasing Power Parity: $32.6 billion (2006 est.) |
| GDP Real Growth Rate: 5.7% (2006 est.) |
| GDP Composition By Sector Agriculture: 1% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Industry: 13% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Services: 86% (2005 est.) |
| Labor Force: 203,000 of whom 121,600 are foreign cross-border workers commuting primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany (2006 est.) |
Labor Force By Occupation: agriculture: 1%
industry: 13%
services: 86% (2004 est.) |
| Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (2006 est.) |
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation Rate Consumer Prices: 2.6% (2006 est.) |
| 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: 4.3% (2006 est.) |
| Energy |
| Electricity Production: 3.203 billion kWh (2005 est.) |
| Electricity Production By Source Fossil Fuel: 57.3% |
| Electricity Production By Source Hydro: 25.2% |
| Electricity Production By Source Nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Other: 17.5% (2001) |
| Electricity Consumption: 6.14 billion kWh (2005 est.) |
| Electricity Exports: 2.346 billion kWh (2005 est.) |
| Electricity Imports: 5.287 billion kWh (2005 est.) |
| Oil Production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Oil Consumption: 62,420 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Consumption: 1.361 billion cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Imports: 1.361 billion cu m (2004 est.) |
| Exports: $19.55 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
| Exports Commodities: machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass |
| Exports Partners: Germany 20.9%, France 17.3%, Belgium 9.1%, UK 8.2%, Italy 7.4%, Spain 7.3%, Netherlands 4.2% (2005) |
| Imports: $24.22 billion c.i.f. (2006 est.) |
| Imports Commodities: minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods |
| Imports Partners: Belgium 28.4%, Germany 21.7%, China 12.6%, France 9.5%, Netherlands 5.1% (2005) |
| Debt External: $NA |
| Communications |
| Telephones Main Lines In Use: 244,500 (2005) |
| TelephonesMobileCellular: 720,000 (2005) |
| Telephone System General Assessment: highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables |
| Telephone System Domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable |
| Telephone System 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) |
| Radios: 285,000 (1997) |
| Television Broadcast Stations: 5 (1999) |
| Televisions: 285,000 (1998 est.) |
| Internet Service Providers-ISPs: 8 (2000) |
| Internet Users: 315,000 (2005) |
| Transportation |
| Railways Total: 274 km |
| Railways Standard Gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (262 km electrified) (2005) |
| Waterways: 37 km (on Moselle River) (2003) |
| Airports: 2 (2006) |
| Military Expenditures Percent Of GDP: 0.9% (2005 est.) |
| Disputes International: none |