Luxembourg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn"  (Luxembourgish)
"We want to remain what we are"
Anthem: Ons Heemecht
"Our Homeland"
Royal anthem: De Wilhelmus ¹

Capital
(and largest city) Luxembourg
6°7′E / 49.6°N 6.117°E / 49.6; 6.117
Official language(s) German, French, Luxembourgish (de jure since 1984)
Demonym Luxembourgers
Government Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional grand duchy
 -  Grand Duke Grand Duke Henri (List)
 -  Prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker (List)
Independence
 -  From French empire (Treaty of Paris) 9 June 1815 
 -  1st Treaty of London 19 April 1839 
 -  2nd Treaty of London 11 May 1867 
 -  End of personal union 23 November 1890 
EU accession 25 March 1957
Area
 -  Total 2,586.4 km² (175th)
998.6 sq mi 
 -  Water (%) negligible
Population
 -  2010 estimate 502,202[1] (170th)
 -  2001 census 439,539 
 -  Density 194.1/km² (59th)
501.3/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate
 -  Total $40.091 billion[2] (97th)
 -  Per capita $82,440[2] (2nd)
GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate
 -  Total $54.973 billion[2] (65th)
 -  Per capita $113,044[2] (1st)
HDI (2007) ▲ 0.960[3] (very high) (6th)
Currency Euro (€)² (EUR)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 -  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Drives on the right
Internet TLD .lu³
Calling code 352
¹ Not the same as the Het Wilhelmus of the Netherlands.
² Before 1999: Luxembourgish franc.
³ The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states.

Luxembourg (pronounced /ˈlʌksəmbɜrɡ/ ( listen) LUKS-əm-berg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg, French: Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, German: Großherzogtum Luxemburg), is a small, landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. Luxembourg has a population of under half a million people in an area of approximately 2,586 square kilometres (999 sq mi).[4]

Luxembourg is a parliamentary representative democracy with a constitutional monarch; it is ruled by a Grand Duke. It is the world's only remaining sovereign Grand Duchy. The country has a highly developed economy, with the highest Gross Domestic Product per capita in the world as per IMF and WB. Its historic and strategic importance dates back to its founding as a Roman era fortress site and Frankish count's castle site in the Early Middle Ages. It was an important bastion along the Spanish Road when Spain was the principal European power influencing the whole western hemisphere and beyond in the 16th–17th centuries.

Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Union, NATO, OECD, the United Nations, Benelux, and the Western European Union, reflecting the political consensus in favour of economic, political, and military integration. The city of Luxembourg, the capital and largest city, is the seat of several institutions and agencies of the European Union.

Luxembourg lies on the cultural divide between Romance Europe and Germanic Europe, borrowing customs from each of the distinct traditions. Luxembourg is a trilingual country; German, French and Luxembourgish are official languages. Although a secular state, Luxembourg is predominantly Roman Catholic.

History

The recorded history of Luxembourg begins with the acquisition of Lucilinburhuc[6] (today Luxembourg Castle) by Siegfried, Count of Ardennes in 963. Around this fort, a town gradually developed, which became the centre of a small state of great strategic value. In the 14th and early 15th centuries three members of the House of Luxembourg reigned as Holy Roman Emperors. In 1437, the House of Luxembourg suffered a succession crisis, precipitated by the lack of a male heir to assume the throne, which led to the territory being sold to Philip the Good of Burgundy.[7]

In the following centuries, Luxembourg's fortress was steadily enlarged and strengthened 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 of the German Confederation, with a Confederate fortress manned by Prussian troops.[8]

The Belgian Revolution of 1830–1839 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.[9] 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.[10] After the latter conflict, the Confederate fortress was dismantled.[11]