Luxembourg
 
Location Luxembourg is located in Europe and is bordered by
Belgium, Germany and France. On a map, it is located at 50
N latitude and 6 E longitude. Luxembourg is very small. It
is only 998 square miles, which is roughly the size of
Orange County, California. All the country is inhabited,
with most people living in the southern part. The Flag
 
The flag of Luxembourg was adopted in 1845. The colors come
from the Coat of Arms of Luxembourg and are red, white and
blue. The flag is simply three horizontal stripes from top
to bottom. The Land and People Luxembourg has two distinct
regions. The Ardennes, or northern region, is mountainous.
The Bon Pays, or southern region, is mostly fertile
farmland. The climate is cool and moist, with snow in the
mountains. There are rich deposits of iron ore creating
many jobs in the steel industry. There is also fertile
farmland to the south, also creating many jobs in farming.
The people of Luxembourg have no native costume. They
borrow much of their culture from Belgium, Germany, and
France. Today, modern Luxembourgers dress like other
Europeans. The people of Luxembourg like to eat smoked pork
and beans, and sometimes saurkraut. Smoked ham is available
all year round, and pastries are a Luxembourg favorite.
Some of these pastries include rolls, muffins, cupcakes,
and a special dry cake translated "Random Thoughts".
Luxembourg makes beer and wine which is sold there and in
other nearby countries. The buildings in Luxembourg vary
from place to place. Some villages have charming old houses
hundreds of years old, though in the cities there are many
modern apartment and office buildings. For recreation, a
Luxembourger might ride a bike, or hike in the countryside.
A favorite sport of the people is volleyball. For
transportaion they have railroads and highways for cars and
buses. There are bike trails and hiking paths as well.
Luxembourg doesn't have a culture all its own, because it
ties in with its neighboring countries, Belgium, Germany,
and France. The natural resources of Luxembourg are: iron
ore, which is processed into steel, farm products such as
wheat, corn and livestock, and grapes which are grown for
winemaking. Technology The main industries of Luxembourg
are steel and winemaking. Farming is also an important
industry, especially with such crops as corn, wheat and
livestock. The steel is exported and crops are exported, as
well as used in Luxembourg. Also the wine made in
Luxembourg is exported and sold there. Culture There is a
lot of culture in Luxembourg. There are many art galleries
featuring work from the expressionist painter, Joseph
Kutter, and also that of Edward Steichen, a well known
photographer. Both of these artists are from Luxembourg.
The cathedrals are examples of some of the beautiful
architecture found in Luxembourg. In the villages, there
are buildings dating back to the 1100's, 1300's, 1700's, as
well as the early 1900's. A trip through the villages is
like taking a trip through time because of these old homes
that are still lived in. As far as music, every village,
suburb and town has at least a band, orchestra or choral
group. Luxembourgers love parades, and have them often.
Every parade has at least half a dozen bands. Their
enjoyment of music is so great, that at the end of every
summer, Luxembourg has a music competition that involves
the whole country. Government The government of Luxembourg
is a constitutional monarchy. The grand duke or duchess
serves as monarch and chief executive. The monarchy is a
hereditary office, and the sixty-four member parliament,
called the Chamber of Deputies, makes the laws. The monarch
appoints the prime minister and all of the ten Cabinet
ministers to carry out government operations. The
twenty-one member advisory body, or the Council of State,
are appointed for life. The local government is carried out
by dividing Luxembourg into districts, which are headed by
the commissioner. The districts are divided into cantons,
and these are divided into communes, which are headed by
elected officials. The monarch presently in charge is Grand
Duke Jean, who has been in power since 1964. Jacques Santer
has been the Premier of Luxembourg since 1984. The
monarch's term is for life or until he or she steps down.
The Premier, appointed by the monarch, stays in leadership
as long as he has the support of a majority of parliament
members. The parliament members are elected by the people
for five-year terms. Religion Ninety-five percent of
Luxembourg is Catholic, although there are some Protestants
and Jews. Although there is no information about missionary
activity in Luxembourg, freedom of religion has always been
a tradition there. Other Interesting Information Even
though Luxembourg is an extremely small country, they have
managed to stay independant. In fact, the National Motto is
translated: "We want to remain what we are". The
Luxembourg-based Bank of Credit and Commerce International,
in 1990, pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering from
drug trafficking.
 
What I Found Most Interesting I discovered that such a
small country as Luxembourg could have so much history and
stay independant for over 1,000 years.
 
GLOSSARY
 
Ardennes: The name for the mountainous region of Luxembourg.
 
Bon Pays: French for "good land", it refers to the fertile
farmland in the southern region of Luxembourg.
 
Expressionist Painter: An artist that paints in a style
made popular after World War I, in which the painting
expresses emotion, instead of just showing a scene.
 
Hereditary: Passed on to the offspring. 
 
Monarchy: A government run by a monarch, such as a king,
queen or other ruler.
 
Bibliography
 
Fodor's Belgium and Luxembourg. Ed. Richard Moore. New
York: Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc., 1989.
 
Hoffman, Mark S., Ed. World Almanac Book of Facts. New
York: Random House, Inc., 1987.
 
Johnson, Otto, et al., eds. Information Please Almanac
Atlas and Yearbook. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1992.
 
Lepthien, Emilie V., Luxembourg. Chicago: Children's Press,
1989.
 
Raachlis, Eugene. The Low Countries. New York: Time Inc.,
1963.
 
World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. Chicago: World Book,
Inc., 1987.