Luxembourg, a small landlocked country in northwestern Europe, is a hilly nation with a largely rural landscape.
Map of Luxembourg
Key geography facts
1. There are two main regions in Luxembourg: the “Oesling” in the north, which is mainly hilly and comprising of schists and sandstones, while the southern two-thirds of the country is called “Gutland” or “Bon Pays” , known for its rolling plains.
2. More than one-third of Luxembourg is covered by forest, while approximately half of its land area is used for farming.
3. Northern Luxembourg is sparsely populated compared to the south, which is home to the capital city, Luxembourg, and several smaller industrial cities.
4. Luxembourg has a mild, rainy climate, with temperatures ranging from around 0 to 5 °C (32 to 41 °F) in winter and 15 to 25 °C (59 to 77 °F) in summer. The north tends to be slightly colder and more humid.
Recommended reading: Fun Facts About Luxembourg
Luxembourg regions
Three main districts Diekrich, Grevenmacher, and Luxembourg were abolished following the regionalisation reform in October 2015.
What remains are 12 cantons that serve as territorial units to define the north, south, center and east electorial constituences of the country.
- Capellen
- Clervaux
- Diekirch
- Echternach
- Esch-sur-Alzette
- Grevenmacher
- Luxembourg
- Mersch
- Redange-sur-Attert
- Remich
- Vianden
- Wiltz
Map of Luxembourg in Europe
Luxembourg is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east and northeast, and France to the south.
Luxembourg major communes
With a population of 672,050 people, the majority of the population reside in the city of Luxembourg (134,700 inhabitants) and the town of Esch-sur-Alzette (37,500 inhabitants).
Luxembourg City – The capital of Luxembourg, known for its fortified medieval old town perched on cliffs, its michelin-star restaurants and impressive museums.
It’s also home to the European Court of Justice, the European Investment Bank and EU administrative offices.
Esch-sur-Alzette – The second-largest city, known for its industrial history and vibrant cultural scene.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.