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The Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg: In the Heart of Europe |
Luxembourg is situated in the heart of Western Europe, between France, Germany and Belgium. (Click here to see a larger version of the map on the right)
Here are some "Facts & Figures" about our nice shoe-shaped country:
Population: 439'500 inhabitants (out of which 37% are non-Luxembourgers)
Capital City: Luxembourg City (76'700 inhabitants)
Other major cities: Esch-Alzette (27'200 inh.), Differdange (18'200 inh.), Dudelange (17'300 inh.), Pétange (13'700 inh.), Sanem (13'000 inh.)
State Form: Grand-Duchy (Constitutional Monarchy)
Head of State: Grand-Duke Henry (since 2000)
Prime Minister: Jean-Claude Junker
Geography:
Luxembourg has an area of 2'586 km2 (998.88 sq.miles) (about 1% of the size of the United Kingdom), with a North-South extension of 82 km (50.96 miles) and a East-West extension of 54 km (33.56 miles).
Luxembourg-city is situated on a latitude of 45° 45' North (about the latitude of Vancouver, Canada) and on a longitude of 6°10' East.
The Highest point of Luxembourg is the "Buurgplaatz" in the North with an altitude of 555 m (1'821 feet), while the lowest point is in Wasserbillig in the East with 138 m (453 feet) above sea level.
Luxembourg is geologically divided in two distinct regions: The "Guddland" (good land) in the south (about two thirds of the country and the "Ösling" in the north of Luxembourg.
Although Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in the world, we have six regions in our country that offer different landscapes an sights:
The first region (1) is Luxembourg City. In 963 AD Count Siegfried acquired the "Bock", a sandstone cliff, and he built a castle on that spot called "Luzilinburugh". This was the birth of Luxembourg. Luxembourg city evolved over time to become one of the strongest forteresses in the world. This is mainly due to the plateau, that is now the town center of Luxembourg city. This plateau is naturally delimited on three sides by a steep valley, up to 60 m deep. Although the forteress was mostly razed after 1867, the fantastic landscape and the few leftovers of the forteress make it still easy to imagine how strong the forteress was in its high time.
Region (2) is the heart of the "Guddland" (good land). It is defined by flat hills and large valleys. The landscape is dominated by many scenic villages, agriculture and kettle.
The most southern region (3) is defined by the steel industry that dominated the region for over a century. It is the most densly populated region of Luxembourg and is at the origin of todays wealth of Luxembourg. Since the end of the 19th century iron ore has been mined in this region and was processed industrially on serveral sites. Although mining has been abandonned and the last blast furnance has been closed in 1997, the region and the people are still strongly defined by the steel industry. Today, most of the steel industry consists of electric furnances and high quality steel products.
Region (4) in the east is one of my preferred regions, as it is defined by the wine growing. Endless wineyards are situated on the banks of the river Moselle. Most of the wines produced are white wines (Rivaner, Elbling, Auxerois, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris) and some sparkling wines (crémants). Lately there are some quite successful trials to grow also rosé wines and even some red-rosé wines. In the season 2001/2002, Luxembourg produced 134'000 hectoliters (about 3 millon gallons) of wine.
The Müllerthal (5) (miller's valley) is also called "Luxembourg's litte Switzerland" because of it's unusual rock formations and the scenic landscape. It is a prime destination for tourists because of the many hiking trails and the many sights in the region, like the town of Echternach and the many medieval castles and castle ruins.
The Ösling (6) is a part of the Ardennes. Its deep valleys, rivers and lakes and the many medieval castle ruins make it a beautiful region for day-trips and tourism. Being sparsely populated, it is the most natural and scenic region of Luxembourg.