De Vliegende Hollander |
1 november 2004 19:26 |
Citaat:
Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door Hans1
Het westelijk deel hoort bij België sinds 1830. Het oostelijk deel is door de schuld van de Hollanders onafhankelijk geworden. Niet dat de Luxemburgers er slecht bij varen, maar indien de Luxemburgers bij België willen horen, zijn ze welkom. Maar daarvoor dienen de Belgen eerst hun interne communautaire problemen op te lossen natuurlijk.
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Ik denk dat de mensen in Luxemburg daar ook zeer blij mee zijn beste Hans, anderzijds waren ze nu waarschijnlijk én hun unieke taal kwijtgeweest en hun autonomie!
Bron: world factbook
Background:
Founded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839, but gained a larger measure of autonomy. Full independence was attained in 1867. Overrun by Germany in both World Wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union), and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area.
Economy - overview:
This stable, high-income economy features solid growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector, initially dominated by steel, has become increasingly diversified to include chemicals, rubber, and other products. Growth in the financial sector, which now accounts for about 22% of GDP, has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Most banks are foreign-owned and have extensive foreign dealings. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. The economy depends on foreign and trans-border workers for more than 30% of its labor force. Although Luxembourg, like all EU members, has suffered from the global economic slump, the country has maintained a fairly strong growth rate and enjoys an extraordinarily high standard of living. GDP:
purchasing power parity - $25.01 billion (2003 est.) GDP - real growth rate:
1.2% (2003 est.) GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $55,100 (2003 est.)
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