Year of EU entry: Founding member
Political system: Constitutional monarchy
Head of state: S.A.R. Grand-Duc Henri
Capital city: Luxembourg
Total area: 2 586 km²
Climate: temperate, without extremes
Average annual temperature: 8.8°
Average total annual precipitation: 782.2mm
Population: 0.5 million
Currency: euro
Official languages: Luxembourgish, French, German

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small country surrounded by Belgium, France and Germany, and its history has been inextricably linked with that of its larger neighbours. Its geography is largely made up of rolling hills and forests.

Luxembourg has been under the control of many states and ruling houses in its long history, but it has been a separate, if not always autonomous, political unit since the 10th century. Today, Luxembourg is a hereditary Grand Duchy with a unicameral parliamentary system.

Luxembourg is a representative democracy in the form of a constitutional monarchy. As in many states, the separation of powers is flexible. As in any parliamentary democracy, there are many links between the legislative and executive powers; only the judiciary is wholly independent.

The situation of the Grand Duchy at the centre of Western Europe, its long political neutrality, its total absence on the list of belligerent forces and its destination as a safe asylum, gave it a particularly European orientation. Having been subjected to the presence of garrisons of soldiers fighting for foreign political forces from 1448 to 1867, the people of Luxembourg have always felt the need to work for peace.

In 1952, Luxembourg became one of the EU headquarters. Luxembourg is also home to the following institutions:
- the Secretariat of the European Parliament;
- the Commission of the European Communities;
- the Court of Justice and Court of First Instance;
- the European Investment Bank;
- the Court of Accounts;
- and the Computing Centre and the Translation Service.

Luxembourgish, the national language, is akin to German. German is the first foreign language for most Luxembourgers and is used in the media. French is the administrative language.

The economic structure of Luxembourg is based mainly in banking, insurance, and the steel industry. Agriculture and wine production are also important. Luxembourg shares the Moselle valley with Germany and the local white wines are well known and popular. Like other northern European countries, Luxembourg also produces popular brands of beer.

Many of Luxembourg's speciality dishes are of the type one would expect in a forested country. They include jugged hare and Ardennes ham. Trout and pike, fresh from the country's rivers, also feature regularly on menus here. Luxembourg has more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than any other country in the world.

Regions in Luxembourg and tourist information

1. Luxembourg - The Capital City and Surroundings
Luxembourg City Tourist Office
Place Guillaume II
B.P. 181, L-2011 Luxembourg
Tel. 22 28 09
www.lcto.lu

2. The Ardennes and its Natural Parks
ORT Ardennes
8 avenue Nicolas Kreins
L-9536 Wiltz
Tel. 26 95 05 66
www.ardennes-lux.lu

3. The Mullerthal, Luxembourg's Little Switzerland
ORT Région Mullerthal - Petite Suisse Luxembourgeoise
10 Hoovelecker Buurchmauer
B.P. 152, L-6402 Echternach
Tel. 72 04 57
www.mullerthal.lu

4. The Moselle
Entente Touristique de la Moselle Luxembourgeoise
10 route du Vin
B.P. 33, L-6701 Grevenmacher
Tel. 75 82 75
www.visitmoselle.lu

5. The Land of Red Rocks
Entente Touristique du Sud
Avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux B.P. 6
L-4001 Esch-sur-Alzette
Tel. 26 17 56 65
www.sud.lu

Luxembourg highlights

 Photo credits: Flickr  © UnorthodoxY; Eurapart