Luxembourg | Geography | People | Economy, and Tourism

Gaurav Gaire
5 min readAug 15, 2021

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Officially, The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a distinct nation with a lot of mixed cultures and cues. It is a super small country where you can drive across the whole country within 45 minutes.

Let’s learn more about the country which is often called “Little Castle”.

Original Post: Luxembourg | Geography | People | Economy, and Tourism

Geography

Geographically, Luxembourg is a landlocked nation located in the Western European region along the tripoint of France, Germany, and Belgium.

The country is very small and spans about 57 kilometers wide and 82 km long which makes the whole area of 2,586 square kilometers.

The country is made up of 12 subdivisions with the capital Luxembourg City located in the south region.

In fact, Luxembourg City is one of the three capitals of the European Union. Out of the 12 main towns and cities in the country, the largest city after the capital is Esch-Sur-Alzette.

Luxembourg is divided into two main regions when it comes to population and settlement. The Oesling in the north is mostly covered by higher hills and forests which are sparsely populated.

Another region Gutland in the south is more flat where about eighty-five percent of the total population lives.

Demographics

The population of Luxembourg is around 0.63 Million. Ethnically, about 56% of the total population of Luxembourg are native Luxembourger whereas about 17% are of Portuguese origin, whereas 7% are French and the rest belong to other ethnic groups mostly Europeans, Asians, and Africans.

Let’s discuss the languages of Luxembourg. Luxembourg is a trilingual nation. Every citizen learns German, French, and Luxembourgish. These 3 languages are also recognized as the national languages of the Country. French is a mostly spoken language generally in trade, service, and business sectors.

Portuguese is also spoken everywhere in the country because a fifth of their population is Portuguese.

Do you know? People of Luxembourg are called “Luxembourger”.

Culture-wise, Luxembourgers are unique because they have mixed up two worlds: French and German but also they have maintained their own culture and language as well. More than half of the total population of Luxembourg is Immigrants which makes it a really diverse country.

Luxembourg is a secular country but about 87% of Luxembourgers claim to belong to the Roman Catholic Church.

About Lifestyles, they have a really high quality of living because of developed infrastructures, very high salaries, free healthcare, and education. This sounds really good, Luxembourg has the 20th highest life expectancy in the world which is on average 80.23 years in 2021.

Economy

The economy of Luxembourg is highly advanced and renowned. They have a really stable economy that highly depends upon service industries, banking, and trading sectors.

Luxembourg is really a good place for starting a business in Europe because of highly developed infrastructures, tax breaks, peace, and government support.

Many companies like Skype, Amazon, JPMorgan Pepsi, FedEx, and IKEA have their European headquarters in Luxembourg.

Major trading partners of Luxembourg are Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, the US, and France.

Do you know? Luxembourg has the world’s highest minimum wage rate. Every worker must get paid at least 2,201.9 € per month. It’s really high.

High Wages mean High Prices, It is a really expensive country. Especially accommodation prices are really high therefore about 42% of the Workforce of Luxembourg lives in bordering countries and commute regularly to work.

Luxembourg is a tax haven country so many investors are attracted to establish their business in this country. That’s the important factor for the rapid economic growth within a short span.

Tourism

Luxembourg is an incredible country with amazing ancient sites, history, and landmarks. There are more than 100 castles 75 of which were built in the medieval period. That’s why they were labeled the European Capital of Culture.

Places to Must Visit in Luxembourg

  • The Luxembourg Catacombs
  • The old quarter of Luxembourg City
  • The National Museum of History and Art
  • The Bock City Casements
  • Grand Ducal Palace
  • Mullerthal
  • Berdorf rocks
  • Parc Merveilleux
  • Beaufort
  • Hollenfels
  • Bourshield

Luxembourg is not only rich culturally but also they have really beautiful nature to explore. If you are a Citizen of the European Union or you hold a Schengen Visa then you are free to enter here.

Fact: From 1st March 2020, Public Transportation within Luxembourg has been free for Residents and Non-residents.

Nature and Wildlife

Luxembourg is referred to as the Green Heart of Europe. About 33.6% of the country’s land is covered by forest.

The longest river in Luxembourg is the Moselle which is flowing along the border with Germany in the East.

Do you know? You can find Sunshine for about 61 days a year in Luxembourg.

They lie between the Central and Atlantic European climate zone. Beech and oak trees are commonly found in Luxembourg and animals like Eurasian Beavers, Rodents, Red Foxes, Vole, Wild Cats are spotted in the woodlands.

Fact: Luxembourg is the 2nd cleanest country in the world after Denmark.

International Relations

Being a small country between two superpowers of Europe they have pretty much managed good relations with other countries.

France and Germany are really close friends because of the same languages and demographic influence. They have shared their biggest business and trade with Luxembourg.

Some German and French people cross the border to Luxembourg for work because they have really high wages. Sometimes people from bordering areas come to shop in the country every day because alcohol and gas are usually cheaper in Luxembourg as compared to neighboring countries.

Portugal is also close friends because they make up the largest minority group in Luxembourg.

The Netherlands likes to do business and trade with Luxembourg because the trade policy here is so easy.

If you ask Luxembourgers they would say, Belgium is probably their best friend. In fact, Luxembourg and Belgium have established an economic union called the “Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union”.

In Conclusion, Luxembourg is a really beautiful country with the Richest Economy, Crime Free Society, Unique Culture, Amazing Foods, and hundreds of other things. Despite instability due to world wars in the past they have developed this small nation into a prosperous hub of the World.

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Gaurav Gaire

I am a Business student and tech lover. I love spending time with computers, share stories and facts with people.