237 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
237 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
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LUXEMBOURG
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 2,586 km2; land area: 2,586 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
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Land boundaries: 359 km total; Belgium 148 km, France 73 km,
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Germany 138 km
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Coastline: none--landlocked
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Maritime claims: none--landlocked
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Climate: modified continental with mild winters, cool summers
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Terrain: mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys;
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uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle
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floodplain in the southeast
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Natural resources: iron ore (no longer exploited)
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Land use: arable land 24%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
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20%; forest and woodland 21%; other 34%
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Environment: deforestation
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Note: landlocked
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PEOPLE
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Population: 388,017 (July 1991), growth rate 1.1% (1991)
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Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 8 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 80 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Luxembourger(s); adjective--Luxembourg
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Ethnic divisions: Celtic base, with French and German blend; also
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guest and worker residents from Portugal, Italy, and European countries
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Religion: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant and Jewish 3%
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Language: Luxembourgish, German, French; many also speak English
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Literacy: 100% (male 100%, female 100%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1980 est.)
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Labor force: 169,600; one-third of labor force is foreign workers,
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mostly from Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, and FRG; services 50%,
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industry 23.2%, government 14.4%, construction 9%, agriculture 3.4%
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(1987)
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Organized labor: 100,000 (est.) members of four confederated
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trade unions
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
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Type: constitutional monarchy
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Capital: Luxembourg
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Administrative divisions: 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher,
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Luxembourg
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Independence: 1839
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Constitution: 17 October 1868, occasional revisions
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Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
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jurisdiction
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National holiday: National Day (public celebration of the Grand
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Duke's birthday), 23 June (1921)
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Executive branch: grand duke, prime minister, vice prime minister,
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Council of Ministers (cabinet)
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Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Deputies (Chambre des
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Deputes); note--the Council of State (Conseil d'Etat) is an advisory
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body whose views are considered by the Chamber of Deputies
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Judicial branch: Superior Court of Justice (Cour Superieure de
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Justice)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--Grand Duke JEAN (since 12 November 1964);
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Heir Apparent Prince HENRI (son of Grand Duke Jean, born 16 April 1955);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Jacques SANTER (since 21 July
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1984); Vice Prime Minister Jacques F. POOS (since 21 July 1984)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Christian Social Party (CSV), Jacques SANTER;
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Socialist Workers Party (LSAP), Jacques POOS;
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Liberal (DP), Colette FLESCH;
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Communist (KPL), Andre HOFFMANN;
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Green Alternative (GAP), Jean HUSS
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Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
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Elections:
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Chamber of Deputies--last held on 18 June 1989 (next to be held
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by June 1994);
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results--CSV 31.7%, LSAP 27.2%, DP 16.2%, Greens 8.4%, PAC 7.3%,
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KPL 5.1%, other 4.1%;
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seats--(60 total) CSV 22, LSAP 18, DP 11, Greens 4, PAC 4, KPL 1
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Communists: 500 party members (1982)
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Other political or pressure groups: group of steel industries
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representing iron and steel industry, Centrale Paysanne representing
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agricultural producers; Christian and Socialist labor unions; Federation
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of Industrialists; Artisans and Shopkeepers Federation
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Member of: ACCT, Benelux, CCC, CE, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB,
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EMS, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO,
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IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA, OECD, PCA,
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UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Andre PHILIPPE; Chancery at
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2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
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265-4171; there are Luxembourg Consulates General in New York and San
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Francisco;
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US--Ambassador Edward M. ROWELL; Embassy at 22 Boulevard
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Emmanuel-Servais, 2535 Luxembourg City (mailing address is APO New York
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09132); telephone 352 460123
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Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light
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blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands which uses a darker blue and
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is shorter; design was based on the flag of France
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The stable economy features moderate growth, low
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inflation, and negligible unemployment. Agriculture is based on small but
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highly productive family-owned farms. The industrial sector, until
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recently dominated by steel, has become increasingly more diversified,
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particularly toward high-technology firms. During the past decade, growth
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in the financial sector has more than compensated for the decline in
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steel. Services, especially banking, account for a growing proportion
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of the economy. Luxembourg participates in an economic union with
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Belgium on trade and most financial matters and is also closely connected
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economically to the Netherlands.
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GDP: $6.9 billion, per capita $18,000; real growth rate 2.5%
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(1990)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (1990 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 1.3% (1990 est.)
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Budget: revenues $2.5 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including
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capital expenditures of NA (1988)
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Exports: $5.4 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--finished steel products, chemicals, rubber products,
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glass, aluminum, other industrial products;
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partners--EC 75%, US 5%
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Imports: $6.2 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.);
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commodities--minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods;
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partners--Belgium 37%, FRG 31%, France 12%, US 2%
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External debt: $131.6 million (1989 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate - 1% (1990 est.); accounts for
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25% of GDP
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Electricity: 1,500,000 kW capacity; 1,163 million kWh produced,
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3,170 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals,
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metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum
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Agriculture: accounts for less than 3% of GDP (including forestry);
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principal products--barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes;
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cattle raising widespread
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Economic aid: none
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Currency: Luxembourg franc (plural--francs);
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1 Luxembourg franc (LuxF) = 100 centimes
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Exchange rates: Luxembourg francs (LuxF) per US$1--31.102 (January
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1991), 33.418 (1990), 39.404 (1989), 36.768 (1988), 37.334 (1987), 44.672
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(1986), 59.378 (1985); note--the Luxembourg franc is at par with the
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Belgian franc, which circulates freely in Luxembourg
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: Luxembourg National Railways (CFL) operates 270 km
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1.435-meter standard gauge; 162 km double track; 162 km electrified
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Highways: 5,108 km total; 4,995 km paved, 57 km gravel, 56 km
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earth; about 80 km limited access divided highway
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Inland waterways: 37 km; Moselle River
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Pipelines: refined products, 48 km
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Ports: Mertert (river port)
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Merchant marine: 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker
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(1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,731 GRT/2,460 DWT
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Civil air: 13 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways;
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1 with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways less than 1,220 m
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Telecommunications: adequate and efficient system, mainly buried
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cables; 230,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, 4 FM, 6 TV; 2 communication
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satellite earth stations operating in EUTELSAT and domestic systems
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, National Gendarmerie
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 100,476; 83,724 fit for
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military service; 2,297 reach military age (19) annually
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Defense expenditures: $90 million, 1.2% of GDP (1990)
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