General Information
Luxembourg at a glance
- Official denomination:
- Capital: Luxembourg
- Neighbouring countries : Germany, Belgium, France
- Surface: 2.586 km2
- Total population: 484.000 residents (2008)
- Government form : constitutional monarchy under the regime of the parliamentary democracy
- Head of state: S.A.R. the Grand-Duke Henri
- Head of government: Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister
- National language : Luxembourgish (Lëtzebuergesch)
- Administrative languages : French, German and Luxemburgish
- Currency unit: 1 euro = 100 cents
- Telephone prefix: +352
- Time zone: GMT/UTC +1
- Voltage: 220V, 50 Hz
- Weights and measurements: kilo and meter
- Holidays : New Year’s Day (1st January), Easter Monday, 1st May, Ascension Day, Pentecost Monday, National Holiday (23rd June), Assumption Day (15th August), All Saints’ Day (1st November), Christmas Day (25th December), Boxing Day (26th December)
Geographical situation
With a surface of 2.586 km2, Luxembourg is one of the smallest member states of the European Union.The Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg stands to benefit of a privileged situation in the heart of occidental Europe in between Belgium, Germany and France as well as of its proximity to numerous European capitals: hardly three hours’ travel from Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and less than an hour’s flight from London, Geneva, Copenhagen, Milan and Barcelona.
The city of Luxembourg is the capital city of the Grand-Duchy and the seat of the government.
Climate:
Luxembourg disposes of a well tempered climate, with particularly pleasant temperatures from May to mid-October. July and August are the hottest months whereas May and June frequently see the most sunshine. In September and October, Luxembourg often enjoys its own « Indian Summer ».
Population : Luxembourg, a cosmopolitan country
One of Luxembourg’s particularities is the diversity of its population: of a total population of 483.800 residents, the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg counts more than 40% of foreigners, thus a total of 205.900 residents (source: Statec 2008).
In total, more than 150 different nationalities are represented in Luxembourg.
The most important foreign communities in Luxembourg are the Portuguese, French, Italian, Belgian and German communities as well as smaller Anglo-Saxon and Nordic communities. The successful cohabitation of these different populations, all perfectly integrated into the Luxembourg day-to-day life, is a very important factor of the multi-cultural richness of the country.
More information : www.statec.lu
Languages
Luxembourg is one of very few countries where the residents use several languages in speaking and writing all over the territory and throughout all domains of private, professional, social, cultural and political life.
The linguistic situation in Luxembourg is characterized by the practice and the recognition of three languages: Luxembourgish, French and German.
With Luxembourgish as the national language and both French and German as the legislative and administrative languages, the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg is distinguished by a multilingualism shared by approximately 278.000 Luxembourgish people.
The linguistic co-existence of these three languages is a main factor of Luxembourg’s national identity.