The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg sits historically, politically, and linguistically at the intersection of the Romance and Germanic language and cultural communities, bordering the countries of France, Germany, and Belgium. Luxembourg is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government, although the Grand Duke retains somewhat more influence than do many other constitutional monarchs. In 1951 Luxembourg became a founding member of what eventually became the European Union (EU). In 2004 Luxembourg City was one of the three capitals of the EU and home to many of its institutions, including the European Court of Justice.

Luxembourg is landlocked and is 2,586 square kilometers (1,034 square miles) in area. Its estimated population in 2001 was 441,300. Traditionally, Luxembourgers have been a homogeneous people. In modern times, however, because citizens of the EU can live and work in any of its member nations, almost one-third of the labor force is made up of foreign workers...