Luxembourg (2007) | Saint Pierre and Miquelon (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg | none (territorial collectivity of France); note - there are no first-order administrative divisions approved by the US Government, but there are two communes - Saint Pierre, Miquelon |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 18.8% (male 46,478/female 43,656)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 161,466/female 158,261) 65 years and over: 14.7% (male 28,530/female 41,831) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years:
25.85% (male 917; female 874) 15-64 years: 64.22% (male 2,273; female 2,176) 65 years and over: 9.93% (male 291; female 397) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wine, grapes, barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits; dairy products, livestock products | vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish |
Airports | 2 (2007) | 2 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2007) |
total:
2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
- |
Area | total: 2,586 sq km
land: 2,586 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
242 sq km land: 242 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Rhode Island | 1.5 times 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. | First settled by the French in the early 17th century, the islands represent the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions. |
Birth rate | 11.84 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 15.88 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $18.68 billion
expenditures: $18.65 billion (2006 est.) |
revenues:
$70 million expenditures: $60 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.) |
Capital | name: Luxembourg
geographic coordinates: 49 36 N, 6 07 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 |
Saint-Pierre |
Climate | modified continental with mild winters, cool summers | cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 120 km |
Constitution | 17 October 1868; occasional revisions | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) |
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:
Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon conventional short form: Saint Pierre and Miquelon local long form: Departement de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon local short form: Saint-Pierre et Miquelon |
Currency | - | French franc (FRF); euro (EUR) |
Death rate | 8.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 6.64 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $NA |
Dependency status | - | self-governing territorial collectivity of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Ann WAGNER
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 (territorial collectivity of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph WEYLAND
chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171/72 FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270 consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco |
none (territorial collectivity of France) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - donor | ODA, $235.6 million (2004) | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | approximately $65 million in annual grants from France |
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. | The inhabitants have traditionally earned their livelihood by fishing and by servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, because of disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a steady decline in the number of ships stopping at Saint Pierre. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 sq km to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought. The islands are heavily subsidized by France to the great betterment of living standards. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects. |
Electricity - consumption | 6.315 billion kWh (2005 est.) | 37.2 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 3.131 billion kWh (2005 est.) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 6.392 billion kWh (2005 est.) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 3.156 billion kWh (2005 est.) | 40 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Moselle River 133 m
highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 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-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
- |
Ethnic groups | Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kosovo) and European (guest and resident workers) | Basques and Bretons (French fishermen) |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002) | euros per US dollar - 1.06594 (January 2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.93863 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October 2000); Heir Apparent Prince GUILLAUME (son of the monarch)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 1 January 1995); Deputy Prime Minister Jean ASSELBORN (since 31 July 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following popular elections to the Chamber of Deputies, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the monarch; they are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies note: government coalition - CSV and LSAP |
chief of state:
President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Remi THUAU (since NA) head of government: President of the General Council Bernard LE SOAVEC (since NA 1996) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 7 May 1995 (next to be held NA May 2002); prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the General Council is elected by the members of the council |
Exports | 283 bbl/day (2004) | $12 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
Exports - commodities | machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass | fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts |
Exports - partners | Germany 19.3%, France 15.5%, Italy 9.5%, UK 9.5%, Belgium 8.8%, Spain 5.3%, Netherlands 4.5% (2006) | US 43%, Egypt 14%, Japan 11%, Colombia 8% (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
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 | a yellow sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a dark blue background with a black wave line under the ship; on the hoist side, a vertical band is divided into three parts: the top part is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the corners overlaid by a white cross dividing the square into four sections; the middle part has a white background with an ermine pattern; the third part has a red background with two stylized yellow lions outlined in black, one on top of the other; the flag of France is used for official occasions |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $74 million (1996 est.); supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 13% services: 86% (2005 est.) |
agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $11,000 (1996 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 6.2% (2006 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 49 45 N, 6 10 E | 46 50 N, 56 20 W |
Geography - note | landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world | vegetation scanty |
Heliports | 1 (2007) | - |
Highways | - | total:
114 km paved: 69 km unpaved: 45 km (1994 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% (2000) |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | 61,070 bbl/day (2004) | $55 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
Imports - commodities | minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods | meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials |
Imports - partners | Belgium 26.3%, Germany 20.1%, China 16.7%, France 8.5%, UK 5.5%, Netherlands 4.2% (2006) | France 44%, Canada 40% (1999) |
Independence | 1839 (from the Netherlands) | none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4.3% (2006 est.) | NA% |
Industries | banking and financial services, iron and steel, information technology, telecommunications, cargo transportation, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum, tourism | fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism |
Infant mortality rate | total: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.67 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
8.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.7% (2006 est.) | 2.1% (1991-96 average) |
International organization participation | ACCT, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC | FZ, WFTU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | 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 | Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel |
Labor force | 203,000 of whom 121,600 are foreign cross-border workers commuting primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany (2006 est.) | 3,000 (1997) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 1%
industry: 13% services: 86% (2004 est.) |
fishing 18%, industry (mainly fish-processing) 41%, services 41% (1996 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 359 km
border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 23.94%
permanent crops: 0.39% other: 75.67% (includes Belgium) (2005) |
arable land:
13% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 4% other: 83% (1993 est.) |
Languages | Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language) | French |
Legal system | based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | French law with special adaptations for local conditions, such as housing and taxation |
Legislative branch | unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 13 June 2004 (next to be held by June 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 36.1%, LSAP 23.4%, DP 16.1%, Green Party 11.6%, ADR 10%, other 2.8%; seats by party - CSV 24, LSAP 14, DP 10, Green Party 7, ADR 5 note: there is also a Council of State that serves as an advisory body to the Chamber of Deputies; the Council of State has 21 members appointed by the Grand Duke on the advice of the prime minister |
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats - 15 from Saint Pierre and 4 from Miquelon; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: elections last held NA April 2000 (next to be held NA April 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 seat to the French Senate; elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September 2004); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 seat to the French National Assembly; elections last held 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDF 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 79.03 years
male: 75.76 years female: 82.52 years (2007 est.) |
total population:
77.77 years male: 75.51 years female: 80.13 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1982 est.) |
Location | Western Europe, between France and Germany | Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada) |
Map references | Europe | North America |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 45 ships (1000 GRT or over) 682,955 GRT/858,985 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 7, chemical tanker 14, container 7, liquefied gas 2, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 7 foreign-owned: 44 (Belgium 9, France 14, Germany 10, Netherlands 1, UK 7, US 3) (2007) |
none (2000 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | Army | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.9% (2005 est.) | - |
National holiday | National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June; note - the actual date of birth was 23 January 1896, but the festivities were shifted by five months to allow observance during a more favorable time of year | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | noun: Luxembourger(s)
adjective: Luxembourg |
noun:
Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) adjective: French |
Natural hazards | NA | persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard |
Natural resources | iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land | fish, deepwater ports |
Net migration rate | 8.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | -4.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | gas 155 km (2006) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Action Committee for Democracy and Justice or ADR [Gast GIBERYEN]; Christian Social People's Party or CSV [Francois BILTGEN] (also known as Christian Social Party or PCS); Democratic Party or DP [Claude MEISCH]; Green Party [Francois BAUSCH]; Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Alex BODRY]; dei Lenk/la Gauche (the Left); other minor parties | Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR [leader NA]; Socialist Party or PS [leader NA]; Union pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF [leader NA] |
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); Greenpeace (environment protection); LCGP (center-right trade union); Mouvement Ecologique (protection of ecology); OGBL (center-left trade union) | NA |
Population | 480,222 (July 2007 est.) | 6,928 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.207% (2007 est.) | 0.43% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Saint Pierre |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999) | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 4,000 (1997) |
Railways | total: 275 km
standard gauge: 275 km 1.435-m gauge (243 km electrified) (2006) |
0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic 87%, other (includes Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 13% (2000) | Roman Catholic 99% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.065 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.682 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable international: country code - 352; 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable (Europe to North America) |
general assessment:
adequate domestic: NA international: radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; 1 earth station in French domestic satellite system |
Telephones - main lines in use | 246,700 (2006) | 4,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 713,800 (2006) | 0 (1994) |
Television broadcast stations | 5 (1999) | 0 (there are, however, two repeaters which rebroadcast programs from France, Canada, and the US) (1997) |
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 | mostly barren rock |
Total fertility rate | 1.78 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 2.12 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 4.1% (2006 est.) | 9.8% (1997) |
Waterways | 37 km (on Moselle River) (2007) | none |