Map of Luxembourg
Luxembourg is a country in Europe with its capital at Luxembourg, home to about 686,970 people across 2,593 km². The interactive map below plots 3 cities and towns and 1 mountain summits recorded for Luxembourg in YearMaps.
- Population
- 686,970
- Area
- 2,593 km²
- Capital
- Luxembourg
- Continent
- Europe
Interactive Map of Luxembourg
Centred on Luxembourg at 49.6117° N, 6.1300° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of 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 and west. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembourg City, is one of the four institutional seats of the European Union and hosts several EU institutions, notably the Court of Justice of the European Union, the highest judicial authority in the EU.
As part of the Low Countries, Luxembourg has close historic, political, and cultural ties to Belgium and the Netherlands. Luxembourg's culture, people, and languages are greatly influenced by France and Germany: Luxembourgish, a Germanic language, is the only recognized national language of the Luxembourgish people and of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; French is the sole language for legislation; and both languages along with German are used for administrative matters.
With an area of 2,586 square kilometres (998 sq mi), Luxembourg is Europe's seventh-smallest country. In 2026, it had a population of 696,268, which makes it one of the least-populated countries in Europe, albeit with the highest population growth rate; foreign nationals account for almost half the population. Luxembourg is a representative democracy headed by a constitutional monarch, Grand Duke Guillaume V, making it the world's only remaining sovereign grand duchy.
The County of Luxembourg was established in the 11th century as a state within the Holy Roman Empire. Its ascension culminated in its monarch, Henry VII, becoming the Holy Roman Emperor in the 14th century. Luxembourg came under Habsburg rule in the 15th century, and was annexed by France in the 18th century. Luxembourg was partitioned three times, reducing its size. Having been restored in 1815 after the defeat of Napoleon, it regained independence in 1867 after the Luxembourg Crisis.
Luxembourg is a developed country with an advanced economy and one of the world's highest PPP-adjusted GDPs per capita, per the IMF and World Bank. It also ranks highly in terms of life expectancy, human development, and human rights. The historic city of Luxembourg was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 due to the exceptional preservation of its vast fortifications and historic quarters. Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Union, OECD, the United Nations, NATO, and the Benelux. It served on the United Nations Security Council for the first time in 2013 and 2014.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Luxembourg (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Luxembourg
Founded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and a constituent part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands after the Congress of Vienna. When Belgium declared independence from the Netherlands in 1839, Luxembourg lost more than half of its territory to Belgium but gained a larger measure of autonomy within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Luxembourg gained full independence in 1867 by promising to remain permanently neutral. Overrun by Germany in both world wars, its neutrality ended in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and joined NATO the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the EEC (later the EU), and in 1999 it joined the euro currency zone.
- Location
- Western Europe, between France and Germany.
- Climate
- Modified continental with mild winters, cool summers.
- Terrain
- Mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast.
- Highest point
- Buurgplaatz 559 m.
- Lowest point
- Moselle River 133 m.
- Coastline
- 0 km (landlocked)
- Land borders
- Total: 327 km; border countries: Belgium 130 km; France 69 km; Germany 128 km.
- Natural resources
- Iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 51.7% (2023 est.); arable land: 23.8% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 0.6% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 27.1% (2023 est.); forest: 34.5% (2023 est.); other: 13.9% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Occasional flooding.
- Geographic note
- Landlocked.
- Languages
- Luxembourgish (official administrative, judicial, and national language) 48.9%, Portuguese 15.4%, French (official administrative, judicial, and legislative language) 14.9%, Italian 3.6%, English 3.6%, German (official administrative and judicial language) 2.9%, other 10.8% (2021 est.)
- Religions
- Christian (predominantly Roman Catholic) 70.6%, Muslim 2.3%, other (includes Buddhist, folk religions, Hindu, Jewish) 0.4%, unaffiliated 26.7% (2020 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Luxembourger 52.9%, Portuguese 14.5%, French 7.6%, Italian 3.7%, Belgian 3%, German 2%, Spanish 1.3%, Romania 1%, other 14% (2022 est.)
- Economy
- High-income EU and eurozone economy; global, highly capitalized banking sector; one of highest GDP-per-capita countries; strengthened domestic demand and lower interest rates contributing to economic growth; challenges include pension-system sustainability, labor-market dynamics, and energy price volatility.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Luxembourg in Numbers
- Population
- 686,970
- GDP
- US$101.2 billion
- GDP per person
- US$147,252
- Life expectancy
- 83.2 years
- Population growth
- 1.46% a year
- Population density
- 263 per km²
- Urban population
- 94.9%
- Surface area
- 2,590 km²
- Forest cover
- 34.5%
- Arable land
- 23.8%
- Access to electricity
- 100.0%
- Internet users
- 99.1%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Luxembourg in Depth
History
The first traces of settlement in what is now Luxembourg are dated back to the Palaeolithic Age, about 35,000 years ago. From the 6th century BC, Celtic tribes settled in the region between the rivers Rhine and Meuse.
Six centuries later, the Romans named the Celtic tribes inhabiting these exact regions collectively as the Treveri. Many examples of archaeological evidence proving their existence in Luxembourg have been discovered, the most famous being the Oppidum of Titelberg.
In around 58 to 51 BC, the Romans invaded the country when Julius Caesar conquered Gaul and part of Germania up to the Rhine border, thus the area of what is now Luxembourg became part of the Roman Empire for the next 450 years, living in relative peace under the Pax Romana.
Geography
Luxembourg is one of Europe's smallest countries, ranking 168th in size of the 194 independent countries of the world; it is about 2,586 square kilometres (998 sq mi) in size, measuring 82 km (51 mi) long and 57 km (35 mi) wide. It lies between latitudes 49° and 51° N, and longitudes 5° and 7° E.
To the east, Luxembourg borders the German Bundesländer of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, and to the south, it borders the French région of Grand Est (Lorraine). The Grand Duchy borders Belgium's Wallonia, in particular the Belgian provinces of Luxembourg and Liège, part of which comprises the German-speaking Community of Belgium, to the west and to the north, respectively.
The northern third of the country is known as the Éislek or Oesling, and forms part of the Ardennes.
Economy
Luxembourg's stable and high-income market economy features moderate growth, low inflation, and a high level of innovation. Unemployment is traditionally low, though it reached 6.1% by May 2012 after the Great Recession. In 2011, according to the IMF, Luxembourg was the world's second-richest country, with a per capita GDP on a purchasing-power parity (PPP) basis of $80,119; by 2023 it was ranked first. Its GDP per capita in purchasing power standards was 261% of the EU average (100%) in 2019. Luxembourg ranks 13th in The Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom, 26th in the United Nations' Human Development Index, and fourth in the Economist Intelligence Unit's quality of life index. It ranked 23rd in the Global Innovation Index in 2025.
Demographics
The people of Luxembourg are called Luxembourgers. The immigrant population increased in the 20th century due to the arrival of immigrants from Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, and Portugal; the last comprised the largest group. In 2013 about 88,000 Luxembourg inhabitants possessed Portuguese nationality.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Luxembourg (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Luxembourg: Key Facts
| Official languages | Luxembourgish, French, German |
|---|---|
| Head of state | Guillaume V, Grand Duke of Luxembourg |
| Head of government | Luc Frieden |
| Form of government | constitutional monarchy |
| Calling code | +352 |
| Internet domain | .lu |
| Highest point | Kneiff |
| Lowest point | Moselle |
| Established | 1815 |
Facts from Wikidata Q32 (CC0).
History of Luxembourg: Empires and States
The atlas records 32 polities whose mapped territory included part of Luxembourg, from Roman Republic in 50 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| Roman Republic | 50–32 BCE | Nearly all |
| The Roman Empire | 31 BCE – 461 CE | Nearly all |
| Gallic Empire | 261–282 CE | Nearly all |
| Western Roman Empire | 395–461 CE | Nearly all |
| Merovingian Empire | 462–717 CE | Nearly all |
| Kingdom of the Franks | 462–849 CE | Nearly all |
| Carolingian Empire | 718–925 CE | Nearly all |
| Middle Franks | 850–899 CE | Nearly all |
| Lower Burgundy | 860–869 CE | Nearly all |
| East Franks | 870–910 CE | Nearly all |
| West Franks | 870–925 CE | Nearly all |
| Kingdom of Germany | 926–961 CE | Nearly all |
| The Holy Roman Empire | 926–1449 CE | Nearly all |
| Vassalage of Kingdom of Bohemia to Holy Roman Empire | 1202–1449 CE | Nearly all |
| House of Luxembourg | 1260–1414 CE | Nearly all |
| Holy Roman Empire Minor States | 1294–1428 CE | Nearly all |
| County of Brabant | 1415–1421 CE | Nearly all |
| Duchy of Bavaria | 1422–1428 CE | Nearly all |
| Vassalage of Electorate of Brandenburg to Holy Roman Empire | 1422–1449 CE | Nearly all |
| Duchy of Luxembourg | 1429–1449 CE | Nearly all |
| Duchy of Burgundy | 1450–1481 CE | Nearly all |
| Kingdom of France | 1450–1699 CE | Nearly all |
| House of Habsburg | 1482–1515 CE | Nearly all |
| Habsburg Monarchy | 1482–1793 CE | Nearly all |
| Kingdom of Spain | 1516–1705 CE | Nearly all |
| The Spanish Empire | 1516–1705 CE | Nearly all |
| Iberian Union | 1582–1639 CE | Nearly all |
| The French Colonial Empire | 1687–1813 CE | Nearly all |
| First French Empire | 1805–1813 CE | Nearly all |
| Netherlands | 1815–1916 CE | Nearly all |
| Kingdom of Belgium | 1834–1839 CE | Nearly all |
| Luxembourg | 1890–2024 CE | Nearly all |
Historical Maps of Luxembourg
Luxembourg on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Luxembourg
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg, French: Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, German: Großherzogtum Luxemburg), is a landlocked Benelux country at the crossroads of Germanic and Latin cultures.
With successful steel, finance and high technology industries, a strategic location at the heart of Western Europe, more natural beauty than you might expect given its size, and as one of the top three richest countries in the world, Luxembourg enjoys a very high standard of living and has prices to match!
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Luxembourg (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Luxembourg
3 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luxembourg | 107,260 | Luxembourg | National capital |
| 2 | Diekirch | 6,242 | Diekirch | Admin-1 capital |
| 3 | Grevenmacher | 3,958 | Grevenmacher | Admin-1 capital |
Highest Mountains in Luxembourg
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buurgplaatz | 559 m | 1,834 ft | Europe |
Buurgplaatz
Mountain · 559 m
Buurgplaatz is a mountain rising to 559 metres (1,834 ft) in Luxembourg, in the Europe region. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..
Buurgplaatz (alternate names: Buergplaatz, Burrigplatz, Burgplatz, Buergplaz zu Huldang) is a hill in the commune of Troisvierges, in northern Luxembourg. The 559-metre-high (1,834 ft) summit lies within the Éislek region at 50.1615°N 6.0281°E / 50.1615; 6.0281.
In 1952 the Institut national de l'information géographique et forestière declared Buurgplaatz the highest point in Luxembourg. Previously Napoléonsgaard hill at 547 m (1,795 ft), located in the Canton of Redange, was considered the highest point.
In 1997 Buurgplaatz lost its status as highest point after GPS survey determined Kneiff at 560 m (1,840 ft) was 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) higher.
The declaration plaque on the summit remains and Buurgplaatz may still be erroneously considered the highest point in Luxembourg.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Buurgplaatz (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Elevation
- 559 m (1,834 ft)
- Global rank
- #605 of 641 indexed
- Region
- Europe (#72)
- Country
- Luxembourg
- Coordinates
- 50.1600°, 6.0201°
Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Buurgplaatz ranks #605 by elevation, below Black Mt (568 m) and above White Hill (535 m).
- Neighbouring summits:
- Signal de Botrange (694 m), Vaalserberg (321 m), Hohe Acht (747 m)
- Settlements below:
- Arlon (55 km), Liège (61 km), Luxembourg (61 km)
More about Buurgplaatz
Buurgplaatz: Key Facts
| Mountain range | Oesling |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q993417 (CC0).
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Luxembourg
1 World Heritage Site recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications | 1994 | Cultural | (iv) |
Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Luxembourg
1 landform recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.
| # | Name | Area | Type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ardennes | 11,497 km² | Range/mtn | Europe |
Ardennes
Range/mtn · 11,497 km²
Ardennes is a range/mtn in Europe, covering an estimated 11,497 km². It extends across Belgium, France and Luxembourg.
The Ardennes, also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France.
Geologically, the range is a western extension of the Eifel; both were raised during the Givetian age of the Devonian (382.7 to 387.7 million years ago), as were several other named ranges of the same greater range.
The Ardennes proper stretches well into Germany and France (lending its name to the Ardennes department and the former Champagne-Ardenne region) and geologically into the Eifel (the eastern extension of the Ardennes Forest into Bitburg-Prüm, Germany); most of it is in the southeast of Wallonia, the southern and more rural part of Belgium (away from the coastal plain but encompassing more than half of the country's total area). The eastern part of the Ardennes forms the northernmost third of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, also called "Éislek" (German: Oesling). On the southeast the Eifel region continues into the German state of the Rhineland-Palatinate.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Ardennes (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Feature class
- Range/mtn
- Mapped extent
- 11,497 km²
- Size rank
- #147 of 216 mountain ranges
- Region
- Europe
- Countries
- Belgium, France, Luxembourg
- Coordinates
- 49.9430°, 4.9037°
- Summits:
- Buurgplaatz (559 m)
- Settlements:
- Luxembourg (42 km)
More about Ardennes
Geography
Much of the Ardennes is covered in dense forests, with the hills averaging around 350–400 m (1,150–1,310 ft) in height but rising to over 694 m (2,277 ft) in the boggy moors of the High Fens region of south-eastern Belgium. The region is typified by steep-sided valleys carved by swift-flowing rivers, the most prominent of which is the Meuse. Its most populous cities are Verviers in Belgium and Charleville-Mézières in France, both exceeding 50,000 inhabitants. The Ardennes is otherwise relatively sparsely populated, with few of the towns exceeding 10,000 inhabitants. (Exceptions include Belgium's Eupen and Bastogne.)
The Eifel range in Germany adjoins the Ardennes and is part of the same geological formation, although they are conventionally regarded as being two distinct areas.
Geology
The Ardennes are the remnants of a mountain range formed during the Hercynian orogeny; in France similar formations are the Armorican Massif, the Massif Central, and the Vosges. The low interior of such former mountains often contains coal, plus iron, zinc and other metals in the sub-soil. This geologic fact explains the greatest part of the geography of Wallonia and its history. In the North and West of the Ardennes lie the valleys of the Sambre and Meuse rivers, forming an arc (Sillon industriel) going across the most industrial provinces of Wallonia, for example Hainaut Province, along the river Haine (the etymology of Hainaut); the Borinage, the Centre and Charleroi along the river Sambre; Liège Province along the river Meuse.
History
The modern Ardennes region covers a greatly diminished area from the forest recorded in Roman times.
A song about Charlemagne, the Old French 12th-century chanson de geste Quatre Fils Aymon, mentions many of Wallonia's rivers, villages and other places. In Dinant the rock named Bayard takes its name from Bayard, the magic bay horse which, according to legend, jumped from the top of the rock to the other bank of the Meuse.
On their pillaging raids in the years 881 and 882, the Vikings used the old Roman roads in the Ardennes, attacking the abbeys of Malmedy and Stavelot and destroying Prüm Abbey in the Eifel.
The strategic position of the Ardennes has made it a battleground for European powers for many centuries.
Economy
The Ardennes includes the greatest part of Belgium's Luxembourg Province (not to be confused with the neighbouring Grand Duchy of Luxembourg), the south of Namur Province, and Liège Province, plus a very small part of Hainaut Province, as well as the northernmost third of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, called "Éislek" (German: Ösling) and the main part of the French Ardennes department.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Ardennes (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Ardennes: Key Facts
| Length | 160 km |
|---|---|
| Highest point | Signal de Botrange |
| Part of | Rhenish Massif |
Facts from Wikidata Q151985 (CC0).
Countries Bordering Luxembourg
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Europe
Luxembourg: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Luxembourg?
- The capital of Luxembourg is Luxembourg.
- What is the population of Luxembourg?
- Luxembourg has a population of about 686,970, the #167 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Luxembourg?
- Luxembourg covers 2,593 km², ranking #180 by area, with about 265 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Luxembourg in?
- Luxembourg is in Europe.
- Which countries border Luxembourg?
- Luxembourg shares a land or maritime border with Belgium, France, Germany.
- What is the largest city in Luxembourg?
- Luxembourg is the largest city in Luxembourg, with a metropolitan population of about 107,260.
- What is the highest mountain in Luxembourg?
- The highest summit recorded for Luxembourg in YearMaps is Buurgplaatz at 559 m (1,834 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.