Luxembourg Letzebuerg

The quick travel guide to Luxembourg and Luxembourg city

Luxembourg is a small country at the heart of Europe. The country is tucked neatly in between Belgium to the west, Germany to the east and France to the south. With an area of 2,590 sq km Luxembourg is one of the smallest country in the EU, it measures just 82 km long and 57 km wide. It also has one of the lowest populations at around 500,000 people. However according to the International Monetary fund Luxembourg has the highest per capita income in the EU and the World. 

The capital is also called Luxembourg and has a population of around 76,000; it is situated in the south of the country. Luxembourg is official tri lingual; using French, German, and Luxembourgish. Culture in the country is international in style and the the ethnic mix of the population reflects this; 71% are Luxembourger, 10% Portuguese, 10% Italian, 5% French, 3% Belgium and 2% German.

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. Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Union, NATO, OECD. It uses the Euro as currency and is part of the open borders agreement. 

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. 

The northern third of the country is known as the 'Oesling', and forms part of the Ardennes. It is dominated by hills and low mountains, including the Kneiff which is the highest point, at 560 metres. The region is sparsely populated, with only one town (Wiltz) with a population of more than four thousand people. The southern two-thirds of the country is called the "Gutland", and is more densely populated than the Oesling. It is also more diverse, and can be divided into five geographic sub-regions. The Luxembourg plateau, in south-central Luxembourg, is a large, flat, sandstone formation, and the site of the city of Luxembourg. Little Switzerland, in the east of Luxembourg, has craggy terrain and thick forests. The Moselle valley is the lowest-lying region, running along the south-eastern border. The Red Lands, in the far south and southwest, are Luxembourg's industrial heartland and home to many of Luxembourg's largest towns. The border between Luxembourg and Germany is formed by three rivers: the Moselle, the Sauer, and the Our. The valleys of the mid-Sauer and Attert form the border between the Gutland and the Oesling. 

Luxembourg has a temperate climate, with warm summers and mild winters and marked by high rainfall, particularly in late summer.

Map of Luxembourg

< Lithuania                                                                                                                         Malta >