1999 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1999 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
total: 2,586 sq km land: 2,586 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative
slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Climate
modified continental with mild winters, cool summers
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Moselle River 133 m highest point: Burgplatz 559 m
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
Geographic coordinates
49 45 N, 6 10 E
Geography--note
landlocked
Irrigated land
10 sq km (including Belgium (1993 est.)
Land boundaries
total: 359 km border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km
Land use
arable land: 24% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 20% forests and woodland: 21% other: 34%
Location
Western Europe, between France and Germany
Map references
Europe
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
NA
Natural resources
iron ore (no longer exploited)
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
People and Society
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.)
Birth rate
10.35 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate
9.32 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, and European (guest and worker residents)
Infant mortality rate
4.99 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Languages
Luxembourgian, German, French, English
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 77.65 years male: 74.58 years female: 80.83 years (1999 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (1980 est.)
Nationality
noun: Luxembourger(s) adjective: Luxembourg
Net migration rate
7.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Population
429,080 (July 1999 est.)
Population growth rate
0.88% (1999 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant and Jewish 3%
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.)
Total fertility rate
1.57 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg
Capital
Luxembourg
Constitution
17 October 1868, occasional revisions
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
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
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
Government type
constitutional monarchy
Independence
1839 (from the Netherlands)
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 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)
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 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
Legal system
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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
National holiday
National Day, 23 June (1921) (public celebration of the Grand Duke's birthday)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Economy
Agriculture--products
barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; livestock products
Budget
revenues: $5.46 billion expenditures: $5.44 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Currency
1 Luxembourg franc (LuxF) = 100 centimes; note--centimes no longer in use
Debt--external
$NA
Economic aid--donor
ODA, $65 million (1995)
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.
Electricity--consumption
5.381 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports
800 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports
5.8 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production
1.158 billion kWh (1997)
Electricity--production by source
fossil fuel: 90.12% hydro: 9.88% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
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
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%
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity--$13.9 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector
agriculture: 1% industry: 22% services: 77% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita
purchasing power parity?$32,700 (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate
2.9% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
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%
Industrial production growth rate
3.3% (1995 est.)
Industries
banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum
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.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
3% (1998 est.)
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 0, FM 6, shortwave 0
Radios
230,000 (1993 est.)
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)
Telephones
279,736 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
5 (1997)
Televisions
100,500 (1993 est.)
Transportation
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.)
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
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.)
Pipelines
petroleum products 48 km Ports and harbors: Mertert
Railways
total: 275 km standard gauge: 275 km 1.435-m gauge (262 km electrified; 178 km double track) (1995)
Waterways
37 km; Moselle
Military and Security
Military branches
Army, National Gendarmerie
Military expenditures--dollar figure
$124 million (FY97)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP
0.8% (1995)
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--military age
19 years of age
Military manpower--reaching military age annually
males: 2,452 (1999 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international
none