Legend:
Definition
Field Listing
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Background:
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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.
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Location:
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Western Europe, between France and Germany
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Geographic coordinates:
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49 45 N, 6 10 E
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Map references:
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Europe
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Area:
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total: 2,586 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 2,586 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Rhode Island
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Land boundaries:
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total: 359 km
border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked)
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked)
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Climate:
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modified continental with mild winters, cool summers
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Terrain:
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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
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Moselle River 133 m
highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m
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Natural resources:
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iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land
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Land use:
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arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 75% (includes Belgium) (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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40 sq km (includes Belgium) (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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NA
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Environment - current issues:
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air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of farmland
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
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Geography - note:
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landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world, it is the smallest of the European Union member states
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Population:
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448,569 (July 2002 est.)
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Age structure:
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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.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.25% (2002 est.)
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Birth rate:
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12.06 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Death rate:
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8.83 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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9.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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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.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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4.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 77.48 years
female: 80.97 years (2002 est.)
male: 74.2 years
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Total fertility rate:
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1.7 children born/woman (2002 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.16% (1999 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 100 (1999 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Luxembourger(s)
adjective: Luxembourg
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Ethnic groups:
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Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kososvo) and European (guest and resident workers)
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Religions:
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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
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Languages:
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Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (2000 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
conventional short form: Luxembourg
local short form: Luxembourg
local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg
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Government type:
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constitutional monarchy
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Capital:
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Luxembourg
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Administrative divisions:
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3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg
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Independence:
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1839 (from the Netherlands)
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National holiday:
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National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June
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Constitution:
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17 October 1868, occasional revisions
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Legal system:
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based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal and compulsory
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Executive branch:
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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; prime minister and vice prime minister appointed by the monarch, following popular election to the Chamber of Deputies; they are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies
note: government coalition - CSV and DP
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Legislative branch:
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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)
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
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
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Judicial branch:
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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
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Political parties and leaders:
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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
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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)
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International organization participation:
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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
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Arlette CONZEMIUS-PACCOURD
chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: New York and San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270
telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Gerald LOFTUS
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
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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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 has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Services, especially banking, account for a substantial proportion of the economy. 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 robust growth rate. On 1 January 2002, Luxembourg - together with 11 of its EU partners - began to replace its circulating national currency with the euro.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $19.2 billion (2001 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4% (2001 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $43,400 (2001 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 1%
industry: 30%
services: 69% (2000 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.4% (2001 est.)
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Labor force:
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262,300 (of whom 87,400 are foreign cross-border workers primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany) (2000)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 90.1%, industry 8%, agriculture 1.9% (1999 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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2.4% (2001 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $4.44 billion
expenditures: $4.44 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
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Industries:
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banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum
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Industrial production growth rate:
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1.9% (2001 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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467.7 million kWh (2000)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 57.52%
hydro: 25.66%
other: 16.82% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
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Electricity - consumption:
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6.158 billion kWh (2000)
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Electricity - exports:
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735 million kWh (2000)
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Electricity - imports:
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6.458 billion kWh (2000)
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Agriculture - products:
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barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; livestock products
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Exports:
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$7.85 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass
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Exports - partners:
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EU 85% (Germany 24%, France 21%, Belgium 13%), US 4% (2000)
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Imports:
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$10.25 billion (c.i.f., 2000)
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Imports - commodities:
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minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods
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Imports - partners:
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EU 88% (Belgium 37%, Germany 25%, France 13%), US 4% (2000)
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Debt - external:
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$NA
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Economic aid - donor:
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ODA, $160 million (1999)
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Currency:
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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
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Currency code:
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EUR; LUF
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Exchange rates:
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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)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Railways:
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total: 274 km
standard gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (242 km electrified) (2001)
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Highways:
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total: 5,166 km
paved: 5,166 km (including 118 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999)
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Waterways:
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37 km (on the Moselle)
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Pipelines:
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petroleum products 48 km
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Ports and harbors:
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Mertert
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Merchant marine:
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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.)
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Airports:
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2 (2001)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2001)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2001)
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Heliports:
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1 (2001)
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Disputes - international:
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none
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This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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