Luxembourg (country), officially Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, country in western Europe, bounded by Belgium on the north and west, Germany on the east, and France on the south. With Belgium and The Netherlands, Luxembourg forms the Low, or Benelux, Countries. The country has an area of 2,586 sq km (998 sq mi).
3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg
Luxembourg are mostly of German and French background but have a distinct national consciousness. The population of Luxembourg (2001 estimate) is 442,972, giving the country an overall population density of 171 persons per sq km (444 per sq mi). The principal cities are centers of industrial production. The capital and largest city is Luxembourg City, also known as Luxembourg-Ville, with a population (1998) of 79,500. Other important cities are Esch-sur-Alzette (population, 1998 estimate, 24,600), Differdange (16,800), and Dudelange (16,400).
In 1060 the country came under the rule of Count Conrad, founder of the house of Luxemburg, which provided the Holy Roman Empire with four emperors in the 14th and early 15th centuries before being superseded in 1437 by the Habsburg dynasty. For the next four centuries, Spain and Austria alternately dominated the country. At the close of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, Luxembourg was established as a grand duchy by the Congress of Vienna and placed under the rule of William I, king of the Netherlands. In 1830 the Belgian provinces of the Netherlands revolted, and the grand duchy joined them. By the end of that year, Belgium had become an autonomous kingdom, and Luxembourg remained a part of the new country until 1839, when its western portion was ceded to Belgium and the remainder was recognized as a sovereign and independent state. The Dutch king retained nominal authority as grand duke.
In 1842 Luxembourg became a member of the Prussian-led German customs union called the Zollverein, and for the next quarter-century the grand duchy was under Prussian domination. Napoleon III, emperor of France, opened negotiations in 1866 with William III, king of the Netherlands, for the purchase of Luxembourg, but the proposal provoked a dangerous crisis in Franco-Prussian relations. War was averted by an international conference held in London in May 1867, which adopted a treaty guaranteeing the independence of the grand duchy and providing for its perpetual neutrality. With the death of William III in 1890 the grand ducal crown passed to Adolf of the German house of Nassau.
During World War II (1939-1945) Luxembourg was invaded by Germany on May 10, 1940. The reigning grand duchess, Charlotte, subsequently established a government-in-exile in London. In August 1942 the Germans proclaimed the grand duchy a part of the Third Reich.
Allied military forces liberated Luxembourg in September 1944, and the country was restored to civilian control. On June 26, 1945, it became an original member of the United Nations. An agreement establishing the Benelux Customs Union (now the Benelux Economic Union) among Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg, took effect on January 1, 1948. Under the terms of a constitutional amendment adopted later in 1948, Luxembourg abrogated its traditional neutrality.
Over a 400-year period, Luxembourg Castle (Château de Luxembourg) was repeatedly attacked and rebuilt by the Spaniards, Austrians, French, and Dutch, successively, to become the strongest fortress in Europe after Gibraltar. One such reinforcement was undertaken by the French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, who redesigned the city's defensive fortifications after having orchestrated its siege in 1684 in the service of Louis XIV.
The Grand Ducal Palace (Palais Grand-Ducal) is home to the royal family, heirs of William I (1772–1843), king of The Netherlands and grand duke of Luxembourg (1815–40). The palace dates from 1572, and later additions were made in 1895. After renovations were completed in the 1990s, portions of the palace were opened to the public.
The heart of the old town is the Fish Market (Marché-aux-Poissons), around which stand several 17th- and 18th-century buildings, including the mansion housing the Luxembourg National Museum (National Museum of History and Art). Um Bock, a 13th-century building and the city's oldest, is also located at the Fish Market. Among the city's other cultural institutions are the Jean-Pierre Pescatore Museum (1966) of fine arts and the History Museum of the City of Luxembourg (1996). At the town of Hamm 4 miles (6 km) to the east is a World War II military cemetery with the graves of more than 5,000 U.S. soldiers, including those of Brigadier General Edward Betts and General George S. Patton, Jr.
Luxembourg consists mainly of the upper basins of the Sauer (Sûre) and Alzette rivers. The highest point is Buurgplaatz (559 m/1,834 ft), in the Ardennes Plateau in the north. The southern two-thirds of the country is a rolling plateau, the Bon Pays. Rich deposits of iron ore are found in the south. Luxembourg has a moderate climate with a mean annual temperature of 10°C (50°F) and a yearly rainfall of about 815 mm.
Luxembourg is one of the world's most industrialized countries and has a high standard of living. In 1999 the gross national product was $19.3 billion, or $44,740 per person. The national budget in 1997 included revenue of $7.5 billion and expenditure totaling $6.7 billion.
Banking, manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism are the most important economic sectors. Major manufactures include iron and steel, processed food, rubber and plastic products, metal and machinery products, paper and printing products, food products, and chemicals. In the early 1990s the annual production of pig iron totaled about 2.3 million metric tons and crude steel 3.1 million tons; dwindling iron resources and reduced demand for Luxembourg's steel exports have weakened the metal industry since the mid-1970s. However, the growth of Luxembourg's financial sector has compensated for the steel industry's diminishing importance. Agriculture plays a minimal role in the country's economy. Principal crops include barley, wheat, potatoes, oats, rye, and wine grapes. Substantial numbers of cattle, hogs, and poultry are also raised.
The stable, high-income economy 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 has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Services, especially banking, account for a substantial proportion of the economy. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. The economy depends on foreign and trans-border workers for 30% of its labor force. Luxembourg has a custom union with 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.
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)
Action Committee for Democracy and Justice or ADR [Robert MEHLEN]; Christian Social People's Party or CSV (known also as Christian Social Party or PCS) [Erna HENNICOT-SCHOEPGES]; Democratic Party or DP [Lydie POLFER]; Green Party [Abbes JACOBY and Felix BRAS]; Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Jean ASSELBORN]; Marxist and Reformed Communist Party DEI LENK (the Left) [no formal leadership]; other minor parties
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a constitutional hereditary monarchy. The constitution, proclaimed in 1868 and later amended (especially in 1919), provides for a democratic government, with legislative power vested in a unicameral chamber of deputies composed of 60 members elected at least every five years by universal suffrage of persons aged 18 and older. The sovereign (the grand duke or grand duchess) has the constitutional right to organize the government, which consists of a prime minister, who is head of the government, and at least three other ministers. A council of state, appointed for life by the sovereign, acts in an advisory capacity. The three major political parties are the Christian Social Party, the Socialist Worker Party, and the Democratic Party. The country is divided into 12 cantons, each of which is subdivided into communes. A member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Luxembourg maintains a small volunteer army consisting of about 899 members.
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 Lydie POLFER (since 7 August 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and vice prime minister appointed by the monarch, following popular election to the Chamber of Deputies; they are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies
note: government coalition - CSV and DP
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 1999 (next to be held by NA June 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 29.79%, DP 21.58%, LSAP 23.75%, ADR 10.36%, Green Party 9.09%, the Left 3.77%; seats by party - CSV 19, DP 15, LSAP 13, ADR 6, Green Party 5, the Left 2
note: the Council of State or Conseil d'Etat, which has 21 members who are appointed and dismissed by the Grand Duke based on proposals from the government, the Chamber of Deputies, or the Council of State, is an advisory body whose views are considered by the Chamber of Deputies
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
International organization Member
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, ISO, ITU, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Military branches: Army; note - the government abolished the Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 112,714 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 92,817 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 2,565 (2001 est.)
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