Luxembourg (Belgium)

Province of Luxembourg
Luxemburg (Dutch, German)
Coat of arms of Province of Luxembourg
Location of Province of Luxembourg
Coordinates: 49°55′N 5°25′E / 49.92°N 5.42°E / 49.92; 5.42
Country Belgium
Region Wallonia
Capital
(and largest city)
Arlon
Government
 • GovernorOlivier Schmitz
Area
 • Total
4,459 km2 (1,722 sq mi)
Population
 (1 January 2024)[2]
 • Total
295,146
 • Density66/km2 (170/sq mi)
GDP
 • Total€7.887 billion (2021)
ISO 3166 codeBE-WLX
HDI (2021)0.904[4]
very high · 10th of 11
Websitewww.province.luxembourg.be

Luxembourg (French: Luxembourg [lyksɑ̃buʁ] ; Dutch: Luxemburg [ˈlyksəmˌbʏr(ə)x] ; German: Luxemburg [ˈlʊksm̩bʊʁk] ; Luxembourgish: Lëtzebuerg [ˈlətsəbuəɕ] ; Walloon: Lussimbork), also called Belgian Luxembourg or West Luxembourg,[5][6] is the southernmost province of Wallonia within Belgium. It borders the country of Luxembourg to the east, the French departments of Ardennes, Meuse and Meurthe-et-Moselle to the south and southwest, and the Walloon provinces of Namur and Liège to the north. Its capital and largest city is Arlon, in the south-east of the province, near the border of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

It has an area of 4,459 km2 (1,722 sq mi), making it the largest Belgian province. With around 295,000 residents as of January 2024, Luxembourg is also the least populated province, with a density of 64/km2 (170/sq mi), making it a relatively sparsely settled part of a very densely populated region, as well as the lowest density in Belgium. It is significantly larger (71%) than, but has less than half the population of, the neighbouring Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. About eighty percent of the province is part of the densely wooded Ardennes region. The southernmost region of the province is called Gaume or Belgian Lorraine (main city: Virton).

The Arelerland, the region around Arlon (coloured red on the map of arrondissements, below) bordering the neighbouring Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg has the particularity that many of its residents have historically spoken Luxembourgish, a German dialect alongside of Walloon spoken elsewhere in the province.

The province was separated from the grand-duchy by the Third Partition of Luxembourg, in 1830–31 by the Conference of London dealing with the consequences of the Belgian Revolution of 1830. In 1839, after William I, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg, agreed to the terms of the partition and the province was given to the newly created Kingdom of Belgium.

An unofficial flag of the province exists, with the current colours of Luxembourg (red, white, and blue), as well as the province's coat of arms on the foreground.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "be.STAT". bestat.statbel.fgov.be.
  2. ^ "Structuur van de bevolking | Statbel". statbel.fgov.be.
  3. ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab".
  5. ^ "ARDENNE / BELGIAN LUXEMBOURG – Find 2018 Exhibitors – WTM London". london.wtm.com.
  6. ^ "The Improbable Ales of Belgian Luxembourg". DRAFT. 18 August 2016.