:Luxembourg Geography

Total area:
    2,586 km
Land area:
    2,586 km
Comparative area:
    slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries:
    359 km; Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km
Coastline:
    none - landlocked
Maritime claims:
    none - landlocked
Disputes:
    none
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
Natural resources:
    iron ore (no longer exploited)
Land use:
    arable land 24%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 20%; forest and
    woodland 21%; other 34%
Environment:
    deforestation
Note:
    landlocked

:Luxembourg People

Population:
    392,405 (July 1992), growth rate 1.0% (1992)
Birth rate:
    12 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
    10 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
    7 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
    8 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
    73 years male, 80 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
    1.6 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
    noun - Luxembourger(s); adjective - Luxembourg
Ethnic divisions:
    Celtic base, with French and German blend; also guest and worker residents
    from Portugal, Italy, and European countries
Religions:
    Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant and Jewish 3%
Languages:
    Luxembourgisch, German, French; many also speak English
Literacy:
    100% (male 100%, female 100%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
Labor force:
    177,300; one-third of labor force is foreign workers, mostly from Portugal,
    Italy, France, Belgium, and FRG; services 65%, industry 31.6%, agriculture
    3.4% (1988)
Organized labor:
    100,000 (est.) members of four confederated trade unions

:Luxembourg Government

Long-form name:
    Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Type:
    constitutional monarchy
Capital:
    Luxembourg
Administrative divisions:
    3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg
Independence:
    1839
Constitution:
    17 October 1868, occasional revisions
Legal system:
    based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
    National Day (public celebration of the Grand Duke's birthday), 23 June
    (1921)
Executive branch:
    grand duke, prime minister, vice prime minister, Council of Ministers
    (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
    unicameral Chamber of Deputies (Chambre des Deputes); note - the Council of
    State (Conseil d'Etat) is an advisory body whose views are considered by the
    Chamber of Deputies
Judicial branch:
    Superior Court of Justice (Cour Superieure de Justice)
Leaders:
  Chief of State:
    Grand Duke JEAN (since 12 November 1964); Heir Apparent Prince HENRI (son of
    Grand Duke Jean, born 16 April 1955)
  Head of Government:
    Prime Minister Jacques SANTER (since 21 July 1984); Vice Prime Minister
    Jacques F. POOS (since 21 July 1984)
Political parties and leaders:
    Christian Social Party (CSV), Jacques SANTER; Socialist Workers Party
    (LSAP), Jacques POOS; Liberal (DP), Colette FLESCH; Communist (KPL), Andre
    HOFFMANN; Green Alternative (GAP), Jean HUSS
Suffrage:
    universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections:
  Chamber of Deputies:
    last held on 18 June 1989 (next to be held by June 1994); results - CSV
    31.7%, LSAP 27.2%, DP 16.2%, Greens 8.4%, PAC 7.3%, KPL 5.1%, other 4.1%;
    seats - (60 total) CSV 22, LSAP 18, DP 11, Greens 4, PAC 4, KPL 1
Other political or pressure groups:
    group of steel industries representing iron and steel industry, Centrale
    Paysanne representing agricultural producers; Christian and Socialist labor
    unions; Federation of Industrialists; Artisans and Shopkeepers Federation
Member of:
    ACCT, Australia Group, Benelux, CCC, CE, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB,
    EMS, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
    IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG,
    OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation:
    Ambassador Alphonse BERNS; Chancery at 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
    Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-4171; there are Luxembourg
    Consulates General in New York and San Francisco

:Luxembourg Government

  US:
    Ambassador Edward M. ROWELL; Embassy at 22 Boulevard Emmanuel-Servais, 2535
    Luxembourg City; PSC 11 (mailing address is APO AE 09132-5380); telephone
    [352] 460123; FAX [352] 461401
Flag:
    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

:Luxembourg Economy

Overview:
    The stable economy features moderate growth, low inflation, and negligible
    unemployment. Agriculture is based on small but highly productive
    family-owned farms. The industrial sector, until recently dominated by
    steel, has become increasingly more diversified, particularly toward
    high-technology firms. During the past decade, 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.
    Luxembourg participates in an economic union with Belgium on trade and most
    financial matters and is also closely connected economically to the
    Netherlands.
GDP:
    purchasing power equivalent - $7.83 billion, per capita $20,200; real growth
    rate 2.5% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
    3.7% (1990)
Unemployment rate:
    1.3% (1990)
Budget:
    revenues $2.5 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including capital
    expenditures of NA (1988)
Exports:
    $6.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
  commodities:
    finished steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass, aluminum, other
    industrial products
  partners:
    EC 75%, US 5%
Imports:
    $7.5 billion (c.i.f., 1990)
  commodities:
    minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods
  partners:
    Belgium 37%, FRG 31%, France 12%, US 2%
External debt:
    $131.6 million (1989 est.)
Industrial production:
    growth rate - 0.5% (1990); accounts for 25% of GDP
Electricity:
    1,500,000 kW capacity; 1,163 million kWh produced, 3,170 kWh per capita
    (1991)
Industries:
    banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products,
    engineering, tires, glass, aluminum
Agriculture:
    accounts for less than 3% of GDP (including forestry); principal products -
    barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; cattle raising
    widespread
Economic aid:
    none
Currency:
    Luxembourg franc (plural - francs); 1 Luxembourg franc (LuxF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
    Luxembourg francs (LuxF) per US$1 - 32.462 (January 1992), 34.148 (1991),
    33.418 (1990), 39.404 (1989), 36.768 (1988), 37.334 (1987); note - the
    Luxembourg franc is at par with the Belgian franc, which circulates freely
    in Luxembourg
Fiscal year:
    calendar year

:Luxembourg Communications

Railroads:
    Luxembourg National Railways (CFL) operates 270 km 1.435-meter standard
    gauge; 162 km double track; 162 km electrified
Highways:
    5,108 km total; 4,995 km paved, 57 km gravel, 56 km earth; about 80 km
    limited access divided highway
Inland waterways:
    37 km; Moselle River
Pipelines:
    petroleum products 48 km
Ports:
    Mertert (river port)
Merchant marine:
    49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,592,985 GRT/2,642,249 DWT; includes
    3 cargo, 5 container, 5 roll-on/roll-off, 6 petroleum tanker, 4 chemical
    tanker, 3 combination ore/oil, 8 liquefied gas, 1 passenger, 8 bulk, 6
    combination bulk
Civil air:
    13 major transport aircraft
Airports:
    2 total, 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over
    3,659 m; 1 with runways less than 1,220 m
Telecommunications:
    highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried
    cables; 230,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM, 3 FM, 3 TV; 3
    channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable; 1 direct-broadcast
    satellite earth station; nationwide mobile phone system

:Luxembourg Defense Forces

Branches:
    Army, National Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
    males 15-49, 100,994; 83,957 fit for military service; 2,320 reach military
    age (19) annually
Defense expenditures:
    exchange rate conversion - $100 million, 1.4% of GDP (1991)

