The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg – a small country landlocked by Belgium, France and Germany – is a prominent financial centre.
Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe, and ranked 175th in size of all the independent countries of the world; the country is about 2,586 square kilometres in size, and measures 82 km long and 57 km wide.
The northern third of the country is known as the “Oesling”, and forms part of the Ardennes. The southern two-thirds of the country is called the “Gutland”, and is more densely populated than the Oesling.
With roots stretching back to the 10th century, Luxembourg’s history is closely intertwined with that of its more powerful neighbours, especially Germany.
Many of its inhabitants are trilingual in French, German and Luxembourgish – a dialect of German.
