Luxembourg <div style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em"> <table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="border: 1px solid #9866FF; background-color: #f3f3ff" width="200"> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid #C9AFFF; background-color: #ddddff">Flag</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; padding: 2px">Image:lu-flag.png</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid #C9AFFF; border-top: 1px solid #C9AFFF; background-color: #ddddff">Quick Facts</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Capital'''</td><td>Luxembourg</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Government'''</td><td>constitutional monarchy<br/></td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Currency'''</td><td>euro (EUR)</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Area'''</td><td>''total:'' 2,586 sq km <br>''water:'' 0 sq km <br>''land:'' 2,586 sq km</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Population'''</td><td>448,569 (July 2002 est.)</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Language'''</td><td>Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language)</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Religion'''</td><td>the greatest preponderance of the population is Roman Catholic with a very few Protestants, Jews, and Muslims <br>''note:'' 1979 legislation forbids the collection of religious statistics</td></tr> </table> </div>  '''Luxembourg''' is a landlocked country in Western Europe|Western Europe in between Belgium, France and Germany. It is the only Grand Duchy in the world and is the second-smallest of the European Union member states. Image:lu-map.png|frame|Map of Luxembourg ==Regions== ; '''Administrative divisions''' : 3 districts; *Diekirch *Grevenmacher *Luxembourg (district)|Luxembourg ==Cities== *Luxembourg (city)|Luxembourg - Capital ===Ports and harbors=== *Mertert ==Other destinations== ==Understand== ===Climate=== Modified continental with mild winters, cool summers. ===Terrain=== Mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the sout south is spelt wrong. ===History=== 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. ; '''Independence''' : 1839 (from the Netherlands) Full independence was attained in 1867. ; '''Constitution''' : 17 October 1868, occasional revisions Overrun by Germany in both World Wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux|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. ; '''National holiday''' : National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte shifted by 6 months) 23 June ==Get in== ===By plane=== [http://www.luxair.lu/luxair/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=561 Luxembourg International Airport] is located 6 kilometers outside Luxembourg-City. It is served by Luxair, the national airline, which flies to many EU countries (including London Heathrow and City), and Air France (Paris), KLM (Amsterdam) and British Airways (London Gatwick). The airport is currently undergoing expansion and renovation; Short-haul intra-Schengen flights now operate out of Terminal B, and a new Terminal A is being built. ===By train=== Luxembourg train station can be reached from Metz, Brussels, and Trier, and most other cities in Europe via these or similar neighbouring countries' stations. ===By car=== Motorways from Metz (A3), Brussels (A6) and Trier (A1) connect to the ring-road around Luxembourg City, from which most other parts of the country can be reached. ===By bus=== There are no sensible bus connections to Luxembourg from outside the country (although there are random commuter busses to Trier and Bitburg sometimes). The train is a far preferable option for entering the country from nearby. ===By boat=== Luxembourg being a landlocked country, it's extremely hard to get in by boat. Go figure. ==Get around== ===By car=== Luxembourg's road infrastructure is well-developed (if not always very well thought-out). Anywhere that happens to lie along the major motorways is easily accessible via these (including Grevenmacher in the east, Mamer to the west and Bettembourg to the south). Esch-Alzette, the country's second "city" (more like a small town by international standards) has its own motorway link, the A4. In addition, a new motorway is being built towards the north of the country (Mersch, Ettelbrück), but this won't be completed until 2010 at the earliest. However, the current North Road provides easy access to these areas for the moment. Current national speed limits are 50km/h in towns and villages, 90km/h on open country roads, and 130km/h on the motorway (110 in the rain). 70km/h also exists in some places. Speed limits are enforced by random police checks. ===By Bus=== Within the city, the bus service is adequate for the average tourist. Busses numbered 1-25 serve the Ville de Luxembourg, with the most useful being the 16 (Town to the Airport via Kirchberg) and the 18 (Town to Kirchberg and Auchan). Almost all busses include the central bus station Hamilius (centre of town) and the Station (Luxembourg Gare) in their routes at some point. Any bus pointing stationwards from Hamilius will probably take you there (the 3 being a notable exception). Bus tickets are available from the driver. These cost €1.20 for one hour or €4.40 for one day. A €40 month ticket can be purchased at the CFL office under Hamilus, or at the station. The bus service out of town is somewhat more sporadic. Busses numbered 100 upwards will take you out of the city. Useful routes to the north of the country include the 100 (Diekirch via Junglinster, every hour), the 120 (Junglinster, every 30 minutes) and the 290 (Mersch, frequent). However, Mersch and the south are more easily reached by train (see below). Town busses experienced a reduced service on Saturdays (including those used mainly by shoppers), and many routes are barely existent (if at all) on a Sunday. This doesn't matter, though, since most shops and attractions are closed on a Sunday. Almost all national busses run the same on Saturdays (which surreally count as working days in this instance) as during the week, but the Sunday service is usually reduced or non-existent. ===By Train=== The train network is either comprehensive or spartan, depending whether you want to go south or north. While the south is reasonably well covered, the north is limited to one line which runs from Luxembourg City to Mersch, Ettelbrück and up to Wilwerwiltz in the very north. Diekirch has a branch line from Ettelbück. To the south you can reach Bettembourg and Esch-Alzette. The same tickets are valid on trains as busses, and the same rates as above apply. Trains in Luxembourg generally run very much on time. ==Talk== ; '''Languages''' : Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language) One third of Luxembourg's overall population is made up of foreigners, and this figure rises to 50% in the city. Hence, knowing French is your best bet if you want to converse with most people. English is widely (if reluctantly) understood by such personnel as bus drivers, but many shop assistants will only respond if addressed in French. Educated Luxembourgers are fluent in all four of the above languages; it is the "frontaliers" (workers who live across one of the borders) who may not speak English. ==Buy== ==Eat== ==Drink== ==Sleep== ==Learn== ==Work== ==Stay safe== ==Stay healthy== ==Respect== ==Contact== ==External links== fr:Luxembourg ro:Luxemburg {{stub}} First page | Prev | Next | Last page |

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