Norfolk Island (2005) | Luxembourg (2002) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 20.2%
15-64 years: 63.9% 65 years and over: 15.9% (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 18.9% (male 43,634; female 41,164)
15-64 years: 67% (male 151,364; female 149,156) 65 years and over: 14.1% (male 25,486; female 37,765) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry | barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; livestock products |
Airports | 1 (2004 est.) | 2 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 34.6 sq km
land: 34.6 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 2,586 sq km
land: 2,586 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
Background | Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. | 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. |
Birth rate | NA | 12.06 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $20 million
expenditures: $20 million, including capital expenditures of $2 million (FY99/00) |
revenues: $5.5 billion
expenditures: $5.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $760 million $NA (2002 est.) |
Capital | Kingston | Luxembourg |
Climate | subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation | modified continental with mild winters, cool summers |
Coastline | 32 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | Norfolk Island Act of 1979 | 17 October 1868, occasional revisions |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island
conventional short form: Norfolk Island |
conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
conventional short form: Luxembourg local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg local short form: Luxembourg |
Currency | - | euro (EUR); Luxembourg franc (LUF)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries |
Death rate | NA | 8.83 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | NA | $NA |
Dependency status | territory of Australia; Canberra administers Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island through the Department of Environment, Sport, and Territories | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission: Ambassador Peter TERPELUK, Jr.
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 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission: Ambassador Arlette CONZEMIUS-PACCOURD
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 |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - donor | - | ODA, $160 million (1999) |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | - |
Economy - overview | Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs. | This 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, which now accounts for about 22% 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 trans-border workers for 30% of its labor force. Although Luxembourg, like all EU members, has suffered from the global economic slump, the country has maintained a fairly strong growth rate. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 6.158 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | - | 735 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | - | 6.458 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | 467.7 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 58%
hydro: 26% nuclear: 0% other: 17% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Bates 319 m |
lowest point: Moselle River 133 m
highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of farmland |
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 |
Ethnic groups | descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesians | Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kososvo) and European (guest and resident workers) |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000) | euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Luxembourg francs per US dollar - 34.77 (January 1999), 36.299 (1998), 35.774 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); the UK and Australia are represented by Administrator Grant TAMBLING (since 1 November 2003)
head of government: Assembly President and Chief Minister Geoffrey Robert GARDNER (since 5 December 2001) cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia; chief minister elected by the Legislative Assembly for a term of not more than three years; election last held 20 Ocotber 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: Geoffrey Robert GARDNER elected chief minister; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - 17.2% |
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; 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 DP |
Exports | $1.5 million f.o.b. (FY99/00) | $7.85 billion f.o.b. (2000) |
Exports - commodities | postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados | machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass |
Exports - partners | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe | EU 84.7% (Germany 24.6%, France 19.6%, Belgium 12.3%), US 3.5% (2001) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | calendar year |
Flag description | three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band | 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 |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $20 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 30% services: 69% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - NA | purchasing power parity - $44,000 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA | 2.3% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 29 02 S, 167 57 E | 49 45 N, 6 10 E |
Geography - note | most of the 32-km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated | landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world, it is the smallest of the European Union member states |
Heliports | - | 1 (2002) |
Highways | total: 80 km
paved: 53 km unpaved: 27 km (2001) |
total: 5,166 km
paved: 5,166 km (including 118 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92) | $10.25 billion c.i.f. (2000) |
Imports - commodities | NA | minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods |
Imports - partners | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe | EU 86.7% (Belgium 34.3%, Germany 25.1%, France 12.8%), US 5.8% (2001) |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | 1839 (from the Netherlands) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | 2% (2002 est.) |
Industries | tourism, light industry, ready mixed concrete | banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
4.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA | 1.6% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | UPU | 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, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 8 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | 40 sq km (includes Belgium) (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions | 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 |
Labor force | 1,345 | 262,300 (of whom 87,400 are foreign cross-border workers primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany) (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | tourism 90%, subsistence agriculture 10% | services 90%, industry 8%, agriculture 2% (1999 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 359 km
border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 0% other: 75% (includes Belgium) (1998 est.) |
Languages | English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian | Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language) |
Legal system | based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law | based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (note - no political parties) |
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 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: 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 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: 77.48 years
male: 74.2 years female: 80.97 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.) |
Location | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia | Western Europe, between France and Germany |
Map references | Oceania | Europe |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | - | total: 60 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,487,752 GRT/2,123,579 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, chemical tanker 13, container 8, liquefied gas 19, passenger 4, petroleum tanker 8, roll on/roll off 6 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 21, Finland 3, France 8, Germany 10, Monaco 1, Netherlands 3, Norway 1, United Kingdom 9, United States 3 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia | - |
Military branches | - | Army, Grand Ducal Police |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $147.8 million (FY01/02) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 0.8% (FY01/02) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 113,557 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 93,429 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 19 years of age (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 2,565 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) | National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June |
Nationality | noun: Norfolk Islander(s)
adjective: Norfolk Islander(s) |
noun: Luxembourger(s)
adjective: Luxembourg |
Natural hazards | typhoons (especially May to July) | NA |
Natural resources | fish | iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land |
Net migration rate | NA | 9.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | - | petroleum products 48 km |
Political parties and leaders | none | 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 |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | 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) |
Population | 1,828 (July 2005 est.) | 448,569 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
Population growth rate | -0.01% (2005 est.) | 1.25% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade | Mertert |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) | AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999) |
Radios | - | 285,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | total: 274 km
standard gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (242 km electrified) (2001) |
Religions | Anglican 34.9%, Roman Catholic 11.7%, Uniting Church in Australia 11.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 2.8%, Australian Christian 2.4%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 2.7%, unspecified 15.3%, none 18.1% (2001 census) | 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 |
Sex ratio | NA | at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
Telephone system | general assessment: adequate
domestic: free local calls international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; satellite earth station |
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) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004) | 314,700 (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum) (2002) | 215,741 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (local programming station plus two repeaters that bring in Australian programs by satellite) (2005) | 5 (1999) |
Terrain | volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains | 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 |
Total fertility rate | NA | 1.7 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0% | 4.1% (2002 est.) |
Waterways | - | 37 km (on the Moselle) |