TOEFL Test Centers in Luxembourg

EDU February 16, 2019

Luxembourg Overview

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a parliamentary monarchy with the capital of the same name, Luxembourg. The country is divided into two landscapes: The Ösling in the north is part of the Ardennes-Middle Mountains, the fertile south is part of the Lothringer layer basin land. The climate is continental. With almost half of its residents, Luxembourg has a very high proportion of foreigners within the EU states, most of them come from Europe. Nine out of ten Luxembourgers live in cities, most of them in the capital. The south of the country with traditional industrial locations is more densely populated than the north. 40% of the employees are commuters from Germany, Belgium and France. Around three quarters of Luxembourgers are Christians and a quarter are non-denominational. The traditions of the multilingual population are influenced by German and French, the identity is European. The official languages ​​are French, German and Luxembourgish. The county of Lützelburg, which was founded in the 10th century, came under control from the 15th Century under changing rule of European countries. In 1866 Luxembourg became a sovereign nation. After the world wars, the Grand Duchy became the seat of several international and European institutions and organizations. After the economic crisis in the 1970s, the highly developed industrial and service country reduced its dependence on heavy industry in favor of the service sector. The Luxembourg financial center is one of the most important locations in the world. In 1944, the country concluded with Belgium and the Netherlands BENELUX customs agreement and was an active co-founder of the predecessor organization of the EU. The small state is involved multilaterally within the framework of the United Nations and vigorously supports European integration.

Country facts

• Official name: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
• License plate: L
• ISO-3166: LU, LUX (442)
• Internet domain:.lu
• Currency: 1 euro (€) = 100 cents
• Area: 2590 km²
• Population (2018): 607 720
• Capital: Luxembourg
• Official language (s): Luxembourgish, French, German
• Form of government: Parliamentary monarchy
• Administrative division: 3 districts
• Head of State: Grand Duke Henri
• Head of Government: Xavier Bettel
• Religion (s) (2010): 70% Christians (mainly Catholics; Protestants), 26.8% without a denomination, 2.3% Muslim
• Time zone: Central European Time
• National Day: June 23

Location and infrastructure

• Location (geographical): Western Europe
• Position (coordinates): between 49 ° 27 ‘and 50 ° 11’ north latitude and 5 ° 44 ‘and 6 ° 32’ east longitude
• Climate: temperate maritime-continental climate
• Highest mountain: Kneiff (560 m)
• Road network (2019): 2,875 km
• Railway network (2014): 275 km

Population

• Annual population growth (2018): 1.9%
• Birth rate (2018): 11.6 per 1000 residents.
• Death rate (2018): 7.3 per 1000 residents.
• Average age (2018): 39.3 years
• Average life expectancy (2018): 82.4 years (women 85; men 79.9)
• Age structure (2018): 16.7% younger than 15 years, 15.1% older than 65 years
• Literacy rate (15 year olds and older): k. A.
• Mobile phone contracts (pre-paid and post-paid) (2018): 136 per 100 residents
• Internet users (2018): 98 per 100 residents

Economy

• GDP per capita (2017): US $ 105,863
• Total GDP (2017): US $ 63 billion
• GNI per capita (2018): US $ 77,820
• Education expenditure (2014): 4% of GDP
• Military expenditure (2018): 0.6% of GDP
• Unemployment rate (2017): 5.7%

Culture

Numerous European architectural styles are represented in the architecture of Luxembourg. Vianden Castle (from the 11th century) is an example of medieval architecture, the Notre Dame Cathedral (Church of Our Lady, 1613–15) is an example of Gothic architecture.

A separate literature in Luxembourgish emerged in the 19th century. Michel Rodange (* 1827, † 1876) wrote »Renert« in 1872, a satire on the conditions of his time. The national epic became very popular in Luxembourg. One of the most famous Luxembourg painters is the expressionist Joseph Kutter (* 1894, † 1941). The photographer François Besch (* 1963) developed artistic smartphone photography. Lucien Wercollier (* 1908, † 2002), one of the most important sculptors in the country, created abstract sculptures that can be seen in international museums.

Music is an integral part of life in Luxembourg. Many villages have a brass band, choirs and music clubs. The Conservatory of Music (since 1906) and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra (since 1933) are important for classical music. Radio Luxemburg (from 1931), later RTL-Group SA, made rock and pop music known in Europe early on. Luxembourg won the Eurovision Song Contest five times, but has not participated since 1994 because it sees no chance of success for itself. The Grand Duchy has a diverse scene of smaller pop and rock bands, and music festivals are popular events.

The Luxembourgers have kept their own traditions, such as the “Echternach jumping procession” that has been going on for around 600 years. This is an annual pilgrimage on Whit Tuesday to the grave of St. Willibrord in Echternach, near the border with Germany. Even today, numerous pilgrims from the Eifel, Luxembourg, Belgium, France and the southern provinces of the Netherlands meet on this occasion. The participants dance around the saint’s grave, rhythmically led by musicians, in a clumsy, leap-like step: first to the left, then to the right, then forwards. Many folklore researchers suspect that the “Echternach jumping procession ” was the remainder of a dance processionfrom the Middle Ages. Accordingly, it originally served to ward off the disease chorea (formerly called “St. Vitus Dance”). Chorea was widespread on the Moselle in the 14th century and can cause severe movement disorders.

When it comes to Luxembourg, sports fans think of cycling. Several Luxembourgers have already entered the Tour de France winners list.