Luxembourg (2001) | Saint Helena (2005) | |
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Administrative divisions | 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg | 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha* |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
18.91% (male 43,051; female 40,711) 15-64 years: 67.03% (male 149,781; female 147,165) 65 years and over: 14.06% (male 24,921; female 37,343) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 18.8% (male 715/female 691)
15-64 years: 71.3% (male 2,745/female 2,575) 65 years and over: 9.8% (male 330/female 404) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; livestock products | corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan da Cunha) |
Airports | 2 (2000 est.) | 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
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Area | total:
2,586 sq km land: 2,586 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 410 sq km
land: 410 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Saint Helena Island, Ascension, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha, which consists of Tristan da Cunha Island, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, and the three Nightingale Islands |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Rhode Island | slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC |
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. | Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Ascension Island is the site of a US Air Force auxiliary airfield; Gough Island has a meteorological station. |
Birth rate | 12.25 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 12.33 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$5.6 billion expenditures: $5.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $11.2 million
expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY92/93) |
Capital | Luxembourg | Jamestown |
Climate | modified continental with mild winters, cool summers | Saint Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds; Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena) |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 60 km |
Constitution | 17 October 1868, occasional revisions | 1 January 1989 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg conventional short form: Luxembourg local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg local short form: Luxembourg |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Helena |
Currency | Luxembourg franc (LUF); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Luxembourg at a fixed rate of 40.3399 Luxembourg francs per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002 |
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Death rate | 8.88 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 6.43 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | NA (1996) |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador James C. HORMEL embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel-Servais, L-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) telephone: [352] 46 01 23 FAX: [352] 46 14 01 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Arlette CONZEMIUS chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171 FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270 consulate(s) general: New York and San Francisco |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - donor | ODA, $160 million (1999) | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997) |
Economy - overview | 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. | The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, raising livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK. |
Electricity - consumption | 6.149 billion kWh (1999) | 4.65 million kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | 655 million kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | 6.201 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | 648 million kWh (1999) | 5 million kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
36.88% hydro: 53.09% nuclear: 0% other: 10.03% (1999) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Moselle River 133 m highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m |
Environment - current issues | air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of farmland | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification |
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Ethnic groups | Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kososvo) and European (guest and resident workers) | African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25% |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Luxembourg francs per US dollar - 34.77 (January 1999), 36.299 (1998), 35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996); note - the Luxembourg franc is at par with the Belgian franc, which circulates freely in Luxembourg | Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)
note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound |
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 |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Michael CLANCY (since 15 October 2004) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, two ex officio officers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch |
Exports | $7.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | NA |
Exports - commodities | machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass | fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts |
Exports - partners | EU 75% (Germany 25%, France 21%, Belgium 13%, UK 8%, Italy 6%, Netherlands 5%), US 4% (1999) | Tanzania 30.3%, US 23.8%, Japan 10.4%, UK 7.1%, Spain 6.3% (2004) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
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 | blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $15.9 billion (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
1% industry: 30% services: 69% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $36,400 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 5.7% (2000 est.) | NA |
Geographic coordinates | 49 45 N, 6 10 E | 15 56 S, 5 42 W |
Geography - note | landlocked | harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns |
Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
5,166 km paved: 5,166 km (including 118 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km)
paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Imports | $10 billion (c.i.f., 2000) | NA |
Imports - commodities | minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods | food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts |
Imports - partners | EU 81% (Belgium 35%, Germany 26%, France 12%, Netherlands 4%), US 9% (1999) | UK 35.7%, US 17.6%, South Africa 17.5%, Tanzania 10.4%, Australia 5.5%, Spain 4.1% (2004) |
Independence | 1839 (from the Netherlands) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 7.8% (2000 est.) | NA |
Industries | banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum | construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing |
Infant mortality rate | 4.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 19 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 7.8% (2000 est.) | 3.2% (1997 est.) |
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, ISO, ITU, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC | ICFTU, UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 8 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 10 sq km (including Belgium) (1993 est.) | NA sq km |
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 | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court; Small Debts Court; Juvenile Court |
Labor force | 248,000 (of whom 70,200 are foreign cross-border workers primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany) (2000) | 3,500
note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | services 83.2%, industry 14.3%, agriculture 2.5% (1998 est.) | agriculture and fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%, services 46% (1987 est.) |
Land boundaries | total:
356 km border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 135 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land:
24% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 20% forests and woodland: 35% other: 20% |
arable land: 12.9%
permanent crops: 0% other: 87.1% (2001) |
Languages | Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language) | English |
Legal system | based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | NA |
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 |
unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 June 2001 (next to be held June 2005) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
77.3 years male: 74.02 years female: 80.8 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 77.76 years
male: 74.86 years female: 80.81 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.) |
definition: age 20 and over can read and write
total population: 97% male: 97% female: 98% (1987 est.) |
Location | Western Europe, between France and Germany | islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa |
Map references | Europe | Africa |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total:
50 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 988,450 GRT/1,313,498 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, chemical tanker 11, container 2, liquefied gas 18, passenger 4, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 7 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 4 (2000 est.) |
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Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Army; note - the government abolished the Gendarmerie | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $131 million (FY98/99) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1% (FY98/99) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
112,714 (2001 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
92,817 (2001 est.) |
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Military manpower - military age | 19 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
2,565 (2001 est.) |
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National holiday | National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June | Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) |
Nationality | noun:
Luxembourger(s) adjective: Luxembourg |
noun: Saint Helenian(s)
adjective: Saint Helenian |
Natural hazards | NA | active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha |
Natural resources | iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land | fish |
Net migration rate | 9.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Pipelines | petroleum products 48 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | 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 | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | ABBL (bankers' association); ALEBA (financial sector trade union); Centrale Paysanne (federation of agricultural producers); CEP (professional sector chamber); CGFP (trade union representing civil service); Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of Commerce); Chambre des Metiers (Chamber of Artisans); FEDIL (federation of industrialists); LCGP (center-right trade union); OGBL (center-left trade union) | none |
Population | 442,972 (July 2001 est.) | 7,460 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA |
Population growth rate | 1.26% (2001 est.) | 0.59% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Mertert | Georgetown (on Ascension), Jamestown |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999) | AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 285,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
274 km standard gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (242 km electrified; 178 km double track) (1998) |
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Religions | the greatest preponderance of the population is Roman Catholic with a very few Protestants, Jews, and Muslims
note: 1979 legislation forbids the collection of religious statistics |
Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory | NA years of age |
Telephone system | general assessment:
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) |
general assessment: can communicate worldwide
domestic: automatic network international: country code - 290; HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascension Island, which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 314,700 (1999) | 2,200 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 215,741 (2000) | 0 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 5 (1999) | 0
note: television programs are received in Saint Helena via satellite and distributed by cable (2002) |
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 | Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains
note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin |
Total fertility rate | 1.7 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.54 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 2.7% (2000 est.) | 14% (1998 est.) |
Waterways | 37 km (on the Moselle) | - |