James Baquet

Luxembourg is a western European country squeezed in between Belgium on the west and Germany on the east, with France to the south. With Belgium and the Netherlands it is one of the Benelux countries, a political and economic union the name of which contains one syllable from the initial letters of each country’s name. With Brussels (Belgium) and Strasbourg (France), its capital, Luxembourg City, also serves as one of three official capitals of the European Union.

The official languages of Luxembourg are French, German and Luxembourgish, which some consider to be a dialect of German. One of Europe’s smallest states — though larger than Malta, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Gibraltar and The Vatican — it is also one of Europe’s least populous, though it has one of the highest growth rates. Not surprisingly, considering its location, about half of its population are immigrants.

Luxembourg is a constitutional monarchy ruled by a grand duke, making it the world’s last remaining grand duchy. It has one of the world’s highest per capita GDPs, and has an advanced economy.

Back in 963, Count Siegfried I bought some Roman-era fortifications near Trier (now in Germany). The territory was enlarged by war and fortunate marriages until, in 1308, one of the counts became the Holy Roman Emperor. Three other counts followed in this distinction. The country later became part of the Netherlands under the Habsburgs, then became part of France. Modern Luxembourg resulted from the 1815 Congress of Vienna (meant to settle disputes resulting from the Napoleonic Wars). In 1839, the French-speaking part of the country was ceded to Belgium, and the current borders were fixed.

The economy, once driven by a steel industry, is now knowledge-based. The University of Luxembourg was established in 2003. Tourists find the fortifications in the old quarter of the City of Luxembourg to be charming, and they have been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.

Vocabulary:

Which word above means:

1. a one-beat “piece” of a word

2. country ruled by a king or queen who is under legal limitations

3. yielded, gave up

4. structures for military protection

5. local version of a language

6. pressed into a tight space

7. place ruled by a duke or duchess

8. people who have moved into a country from another

9. having many people

10. first, at the beginning