Luxembourg Essay, Research Paper
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.
31b