Luxembourg
The recorded history of Luxembourg begins with the construction of
Luxembourg Castle in
963. Around this fort, a town gradually developed, which became the centre of a small, but important, state of great strategic value. In
1437, the
House of Luxembourg suffered a succession crisis, precipitated by the lack of a male heir to assume the throne. In the following centuries, Luxembourg's fortress was steadily enlarged and strengthened over the years by its successive occupants, the
Bourbons,
Habsburgs,
Hohenzollerns, and the
French, among others. After the
defeat of
Napoleon in
1815, Luxembourg was disputed between
Prussia and the
Netherlands. The
Congress of Vienna formed Luxembourg as a
Grand Duchy in personal union with the Netherlands. Luxembourg also became a member
German Confederation, with a Confederate fortress manned by Prussian troops.
The
Belgian revolution of
1830â€"
1839 reduced Luxembourg's territory by more than half, as the predominantly
francophone western part of the country was transferred to
Belgium. Luxembourg's independence was reaffirmed by the
1839 First Treaty of London. In the same year, Luxembourg joined the
Zollverein. Luxembourg's independence and neutrality were again affirmed by the
1867 Second Treaty of London, after the
Luxembourg Crisis nearly led to war between Prussia and France. After the latter conflict, the Confederate fortress was dismantled.
The
King of the Netherlands remained
Head of State as
Grand Duke of Luxembourg, maintaining
personal union between the two countries until
1890. At the death of
William III, the Dutch throne passed to his daughter
Wilhelmina, while Luxembourg (at that time restricted to male heirs; see
Salic Law) passed to
Adolph of Nassau-Weilburg.
Luxembourg was
invaded and occupied by Germany during the
First World War, but was allowed to maintain its independence and political mechanisms. It was again subject to
German occupation in the
Second World War, and was formally annexed into the
Third Reich in
1942.
During
World War II, Luxembourg abandoned its policy of
neutrality, when it joined the
Allies in fighting Germany. Its government,
exiled to
London set up a small group of volunteers, who participated in the
Normandy invasion. It became a founding member of the
United Nations in
1946, and of
NATO in
1949. 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. In 2005, a
referendum on the EU treaty establishing a constitution for Europe was held in Luxembourg.
|
Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg. |
Luxembourg has a parliamentary form of government with a
constitutional monarchy inherited by
male-preference primogeniture. Under the constitution of
1868, executive power is exercised by the
Grand Duke or Grand Duchess and the
cabinet, which consists of a
Prime Minister and several other ministers. The Grand Duke has the power to dissolve the
legislature and reinstate a new one. However, since
1919, sovereignty has resided with the
country.
[ | publisher=Service central de législation }}]Legislative power is vested in the
Chamber of Deputies, a
unicameral legislature of 60 members, who are directly elected to 5-year terms from four
constituencies. A second body, the
Council of State (
Conseil d'État), composed of 21 ordinary citizens appointed by the Grand Duke, advises the Chamber of Deputies in the drafting of legislation.
The Grand Duchy has three lower tribunals (
justices de paix; in
Esch-sur-Alzette,
Luxembourg City, and
Diekirch), two district tribunals (Luxembourg City and Diekirch) and a Superior Court of Justice (Luxembourg City), which includes the Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation. There is also an Administrative Tribunal and an Administrative Court, as well as a Constitutional Court, all of which are located in Luxembourg City.
Luxembourg's contribution to its defence and to NATO consists of a small
army. As a landlocked country, it has no
navy, and it has no
air force, except for the fact that the 18 NATO
AWACS airplanes were registered as aircraft of Luxembourg as a matter of political and aviational convenience.
In a joint agreement with
Belgium, both countries have put forth funding for one
A400M military cargo plane, and have it on order. Luxembourg still maintains three
Boeing 707 model TCA for cargo and training purposes based in
NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen.
|
Luxembourg's climate is characterised by mild temperatures and high precipitation. |
Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in
Europe, and ranked
175th in size of all the countries of the world; the country is about 2,586 square kilometres (999
sq. mi) in size, and measures 82 km (51 miles) long and 57 km (35 miles) wide. To the east, Luxembourg borders the German
Bundesländer of
Rhineland-Palatinate and
North Rhine-Westphalia, and, to the south, it borders the French
région of
Lorraine. The Grand Duchy borders the Belgian
provinces of
Luxembourg and
Liège to the west and to the north respectively.
The northern third of the country is known as the '
Oesling', and forms part of the
Ardennes. It is dominated by hills and low mountains, including the
Kneiff, which is the highest point, at 560
metres (1,837
ft). The region is sparsely populated, with only one town (
Wiltz) with a population of more than 2,000 people.
The southern two-thirds of the country is called the '
Gutland', and is more densely populated than the Oesling. It is also more diverse, and can be divided into five geographic sub-regions. The
Luxembourg plateau, in south-central Luxembourg, is a large, flat,
sandstone formation, and the site of Luxembourg City.
Little Switzerland, in the east of Luxembourg, has craggy terrain and thick forests. The
Moselle valley is the lowest-lying region, running along the south-eastern border. The
Red Lands, in the far south and southwest, are Luxembourg's industrial heartland and home to many of Luxembourg's largest towns. The
central valleys form the border between the Gutland and the Oesling.
The border between Luxembourg and Germany is formed by three rivers: the
Moselle, the
Sauer, and the
Our. Other major rivers are the
Alzette, the
Attert, the
Clerve, and the
Wiltz.
Luxembourg has a
mild continental climate, marked by high
precipitation, particularly in
summer.
Luxembourg is divided into 3
districts, which are further divided into 12
cantons, and then into 116
communes.
Twelve of the communes have
city status, of which, Luxembourg City is the largest.
Language
The linguistic situation in Luxembourg is characterised by the practice and the recognition of three official languages:
French,
German, and
Luxembourgish, a
Franconian language of the
Moselle region similar to
German. Apart from being one of the three official languages, Luxembourgish is also considered the
national language of the Grand Duchy.
None of the three languages predominates generally, and each is used as the primary language in certain spheres. Luxembourgish is generally preferred for spoken use, but is superseded by both French and German for written purposes. French is the language in which most government business is carried out. German is the language of most
media and of the
church.
[ | pages=pp. 3-4 |publisher=Service Information et Presse }}]In addition to the three native languages,
English is taught from a young age (mostly 2nd grade, i.e. at the age of 13 to 14 years), and most of the population of Luxembourg is proficient in English.
Portuguese and
Italian, the languages of the two largest
immigrant communities, are also spoken by large parts of the population, but relatively few from outside their respective communities.
Religion
Since
1979, it has been illegal to collect statistics on religious beliefs or practices.
[ | publisher=Service central de législation }}] It is estimated that 87 percent of Luxembourgers are
Roman Catholics, and the other 13 percent are mostly
Protestants,
Orthodox Christians,
Jews, and
Muslims.
Luxembourg is a
secular state, but the state recognises certain religions as officially-mandated religions. This gives the state a hand in religious administration and appointment of clergy, in exchange for which the state pays certain running costs and wages. Currently, religions covered by such arrangements are Judaism, Roman Catholicism,
Greek and
Russian Orthodoxy, and Protestantism.
Luxembourg's stable, high-income
economy features moderate
growth, low
inflation, and low
unemployment. The industrial sector, which was until recently dominated by
steel, has become increasingly more diversified to include chemicals, rubber, and other products. During the past decades, growth in the
financial sector has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Services, especially
banking and other
financial exports, account for the majority of economic output.
Agriculture is based on small, family-owned farms. Luxembourg has especially close trade and financial ties to
Belgium and
the Netherlands (see
Benelux), and as a member of the
EU, enjoys the advantages of the open European
market. Luxembourg possesses the highest
GDP per capita in the world (
US$72,945 as of
2005), the fourth-highest
HDI, and the fourth-highest quality of life.
[ | publisher=Economist Intelligence Unit }}] Unemployment is 4.8% of the labour force as of March 2006.
For the fiscal year of 2005 and current year 2006, Luxembourg has run a budget deficit for the first time in numerous years mostly due to slower growth and the slowdown of the international markets.
Luxembourg has been overshadowed by the culture of its neighbours, although, being long a deeply rural and folkloric country, it retains some folk traditions. There are also several notable museums, located mainly in Luxembourg City; these include the
National Museum of History and Art (MNHA), the
History Museum of the City of Luxembourg, and the new
Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art (Mudam). Luxembourg City itself is on the
UNESCO World Heritage List as a whole.
The country has produced some internationally-known artists, including the painter
Joseph Kutter and the photographer
Edward Steichen.
*
Radio Luxembourg*
Foreign relations of Luxembourg*
Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg*
Communications in Luxembourg*
Military of Luxembourg*
Transportation in Luxembourg*
Luxembourg Boy Scouts Association
*
Governments on the WWW: Luxembourg*
History of Luxembourg: Primary Documents*
Official Governmental Site*
Official Website for Luxembourg*
Luxembourg National Tourist Office*
Luxembourg European Capital of Culture 2007*
World Factbook: Information on Luxembourgnds-nl:Luxemburg (laand)
