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Country Name
Luxembourg, or officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
Location
Luxembourg is a landlocked country in Western Europe.
It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south.
Capital
Luxembourg City.
Reason for Naming
In 963 AD, Siegfried I of Ardennes signed a trade arrangement with the Abbey of Saint-Maximin to buy the region surrounding the modern-day city of Luxembourg. After gaining ownership of the land, Siegfried I approved the construction of Lucilinburhuc, currently known as the Luxembourg Castle. The name Lucilinburhuc translates to "Little Fortress" in English. Luxembourg Cities expanded up around the castle, with the celebration of several altars at the Church of the Redemption being the first major addition. The church is still in Luxembourg City today and is known as St. Michael's Church.
Since Lucilinburhuc castle was the region's oldest structure, its name was used to refer to the city. Luxembourg is the anglicized form of Lucilinburhuc, which means that the country and its capital city were named after a 10th-century castle.
Flag
It was first used between 1845 and 1848 and officially adopted in 1993.
The flag of Luxembourg consists of three equal horizontal stripes, red, white, and light blue.
These colors are the national colors and were first adopted during the 19th century. It is believed that these colors were derived from the coat of arms of Luxembourg’s counts, dukes, and grand dukes. The red color represents power, revolution, courage, and domination
of the people of Luxembourg.
The white color represents the peace, harmony, and innocence of the people.
The blue color represents the determination and perseverance of the
people.
The design of the flag is similar to the national flag of the Netherlands. However, the flag of Luxembourg is identified by its lighter shades of red and blue.
*Flag Facts:
- The flag of Luxembourg is similar to the flag of The Netherlands, the flag of Croatia, and the flag of Paraguay. the only distinguishable bit between the flags is that the flag of Paraguay has the coat of arms featured on the flag.
-Although the four flags use similar colors, the flag of Luxembourg has lighter shades of red and blue.
Language
The major languages spoken in Luxembourg include Luxembourgish, French, and German. All three are established as official administrative languages of the country, although Luxembourgish* is the national language.
French and German are used widely by major public institutions, including media and police. While German is an official language in Luxembourg, the country is not a member of the Council for German Orthography and was not involved in the drafting of the Germany Orthography Reform in 1996. French is used as the language of legislation in Luxembourg, given the country’s use of the French Napoleonic civil code.
Foreign Languages: Portuguese and Italian, and English.
Luxembourg is a cosmopolitan country and foreign-born workers, tourists, students, and guests make up 40% of the total population. The most common languages spoken by, foreigners include Portuguese, Italian, and English, and native residents of Luxembourg using these foreign languages when they are in establishments frequented by foreigners such as hotels and restaurants.
*Luxembourgish is part of the Indo-European language family and is defined as a West Central Germanic language and part of the High German languages. Luxembourgish is closely related to the German language, and some linguists even claim Luxembourgish is not a distinct language, but rather a standardized form of German-language due to many similar characteristics, including a similar consonant inventory..
Religion
Luxembourg is a secular nation. Despite being a secular country, certain religions like Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Greek Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, Russian Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Calvinism, Mennonitism, and Islam are officially recognized by the state as officially mandated religions. Since 1980 it has been illegal for the government to collect statistics on religious beliefs or practices, But the majority of the population adheres to Catholicism. The other minority belongs to Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, and those of other or no religion. According to a 2010 Pew Research Center study, 70.4% are Christian, 2.3% are Muslim, 26.8% unaffiliated, and 0.5% of other religions.
Currency
Euro (€) (EUR).
Time Zone
+02:00 GMT. (Summer Time)
+01:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic.
Climate
Luxembourg, has a moderately continental climate, with cold winters and mild summers.
The influence of the Atlantic Ocean is visible, but the altitude, makes it a bit colder than the plains, with more frequent snowfalls in winter. Winter, from December to February, is cold and dull. The average temperature in January and February is around freezing (0 °C or 32 °F) or slightly higher. When Atlantic currents become more intense, there can be mild days, though cloudy and windy. Spring, from March to May, is initially cold, and then becomes gradually cool and later mild the maximum temperatures are around 13 °C (56 °F) in April and around 18 °C (64 °F) in May. However, the weather is unstable. Summer, from June to August, is mild or pleasantly warm, with cool nights and pleasant days: the minimum temperature hovers around 13 °C (56 °F) and the maximum temperature around 23 °C (73 °F). In Autumn, from September to November, the weather is often gray, wet, and rainy, especially in the second part, and windy at times. The best time to visit Luxembourg is from mid-May to mid-September since it is the mildest of the year. During this period, the temperature is generally pleasant and the weather is variable, the sun alternates with cloudy skies, and also with rains and thunderstorms. By the second half of September, the weather starts to be more cool and cloudy, but in this period, forests show the bright colors of autumn.
International Phone Code
+352
Internet Code
.lu