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Luxembourg Country Guide

Explore Luxembourg in Europe

Luxembourg with the capital city Luxembourg is located in Europe (Western Europe, between France and Germany). It covers some 2,586 square kilometres (slightly smaller than Rhode Island) with 486,000 citizens.

Interactive map of Luxembourg

The topography includes mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys with uplands to slightly mountainous in the north and steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast. The average density of population is approximately 188 per km². The notable climate conditions in Luxembourg can be described as modified continental with mild winters, cool summers. Possible natural disasters include NA.

To reach someone in Luxembourg dial +352 prior to a number. There are 273,600 installed telephones. And there are 719,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900/1800/3G MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".lu". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 220V - 50Hz.

About the flag and history of Luxembourg

Luxembourg Flag Icon

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; the coloring is derived from the Grand Duke's coat of arms (a red lion on a white and blue striped field).


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. In January 2013, Luxembourg assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-14 term.

National administrative regions of Luxembourg



Geography Quick-Facts

SummaryContinent: Europe
Neighbours: Germany, Belgium, France
Capital: Luxembourg
Size2,586 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 998 square miles (mi² or sqmi)
slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Population486,000
CurrencyName Euro, Currency Code:EUR
Country Top Level Domain (cTLD).lu
Telephone Country Prefix+352
Mobile Phone Connections719,000
Landline Phone Connections273,600

Country Position in World Rankings

Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).

Geography

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Area2,586 (sq km)179

People and Society

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Population514,862 173
Population growth rate1.13 (%)104
Birth rate11.72 (births/1,000 population)166
Death rate8.52 (deaths/1,000 population)79
Net migration rate8.06 (migrant(s)/1,000 population)14
Maternal mortality rate20.00 (deaths/100,000 live births)141
Infant mortality rate4.33 (deaths/1,000 live births)193
Life expectancy at birth79.88 (years)37
Total fertility rate1.77 (children born/woman)161
Health expenditures7.80 (% of GDP)66
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate0.30 (%)82
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS1,000 145
HIV/AIDS - deaths100 140
Obesity - adult prevalence rate26.00 (%)50
Education expenditures3.80 (% of GDP)118
Unemployment, youth ages 15-2416.80 (%)78

Economy

Value nameValueWorld Rank
GDP (purchasing power parity)42,920,000,000 100
GDP - real growth rate0.10 (%)180
GDP - per capita (PPP)81,100 5
Labor force208,200 168
Unemployment rate6.00 (%)56
Distribution of family income - Gini index26.00 130
Investment (gross fixed)21.30 (% of GDP)81
Taxes and other revenues40.60 (% of GDP)42
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)-0.90 (% of GDP)58
Public debt18.40 (% of GDP)130
Inflation rate (consumer prices)2.50 (%)56
Central bank discount rate1.75 (%)128
Stock of narrow money81,550,000,000 40
Stock of broad money229,900,000,000 38
Stock of domestic credit395,100,000,000 30
Market value of publicly traded shares101,100,000,000 42
Industrial production growth rate6.20 (%)49
Current account balance500,000,000 46
Exports15,500,000,000 81
Imports25,080,000,000 67
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold1,014,000,000 136
Debt - external2,643,000,000,000 7

Energy

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Electricity - production2,490,000,000 (kWh)132
Electricity - consumption5,973,000,000 (kWh)106
Electricity - exports3,216,000,000 (kWh)35
Electricity - imports7,280,000,000 (kWh)31
Electricity - installed generating capacity1,702,000 (kW)108
Electricity - from fossil fuels28.40 (% of total installed capacity)182
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants2.00 (% of total installed capacity)135
Electricity - from other renewable sources5.00 (% of total installed capacity)37
Refined petroleum products - consumption61,380 (bbl/day)94
Refined petroleum products - exports686 (bbl/day)116
Refined petroleum products - imports51,930 (bbl/day)67
Natural gas - consumption1,183,000,000 (cu m)87
Natural gas - imports1,183,000,000 (cu m)56
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy10,800,000 (Mt)99

Communications

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Telephones - main lines in use279,100 121
Telephones - mobile cellular765,000 159
Internet hosts250,900 68
Internet users424,500 121

Transportation

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Airports2 202
Railways275 (km)123
Roadways5,227 (km)152
Waterways37 (km)105
Merchant marine49 71

Military

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Military expenditures0.90 (% of GDP)143

Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases

List of current world heritage sites

NameSince
City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications
Because of its strategic position, Luxembourg was, from the 16th century until 1867, when its walls were dismantled, one of Europe's greatest fortified sites. It was repeatedly reinforced as it passed from one great European power to another: the Hol ...
1994