Luxembourg
The official name - the Big Duchy Luxembourg (Grand - Duche de Luxembourg).
The geographical position - the state is located in the Western Europe. Borders on Belgium, Germany and France. No exit to the sea has. Together with Belgium and the Netherlands the Benelux countries enter into association.
The area - 2,586 thousand in sq.km.
The population - 435,7 thousand persons (2000). Люксембуржцы - 76 %, and also Germans, Frenchmen, the Italian, the Portuguese.
Capital - Luxembourg (Luxemburg) - 80,7 thousand persons (2000).
The greatest cities: Esh-sjur-Alzet (24,6 thousand), Діфферданж (16,4 thousand) and Дюделанж (16 thousand).
Administrative-territorial division - 3 округи (arrondіssement) which share on 12 cantons (canton), cantons - on 118 communes (commune).
State language - French, German and the Luxembourg dialect (франсік мозелан) which has received a national language rank according to the law in August, 1982.
The religion - mainly Catholicism (97 % the population), is Protestant and іудаїстські communities.
Monetary unit - since January, 1st, 2002 - Евро=100 євроцентам. Till February, 28th, 2002 - Luxembourg franc.
National holiday - on June, 23rd - Birthday of the Big Duke (1921)
The arms - on the striped is pale-dark blue board, topped with a gold crown, a red lion (the former emblem of dukes Burgundian). From below under a board - the Maltese cross. In turn this board is held by two more gold are left, which look in opposite sides. Over a royal cloak - one more gold crown.
Flag - a rectangular panel which consists of three equal horizontal strips of red, white and blue colour (from top to down).
Membership in the international organisations: the United Nations, NATO, EU, the country are included into the economic union the Benelux countries.
