2 years ago. Its growth, like that of the neighbouring iron and steel centres of Pétange, Differdange, and Dudelange, has slowed since the shrinkage of those industries in western Europe in the late 20th century. According to the International Monetary Fund projections, Luxembourg will overtake Qatar to become the richest nation in the world in 2015 with a GDP per capita of US$96,269. The national language of Luxembourg is Lëtzebeurgesch or Luxembourgish (a Franconian dialect of High German). Luxembourg was founded in 963AD as the County of Luxembourg by Sigefroid, Count of the Ardennes, who built a fort on the site; the ancient Saxon name Lucilinburhuc (‘little fortress’) symbolised its strategic position. Daily Hive is a Canadian-born online news source, established in 2008, that creates compelling, hyperlocal content. Only after unification and removal of economic barriers due to fragmentation Germany industrialized properly, same story in other highly fragmented parts of Europe. Get kids back-to-school ready with Expedition: Learn! The only country in the world who's prime minister is openly gay, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Varadkar. Per capita GDP is where it shines, since it has only around 500,000 people. Luxembourg is rich because it has a lot of resources like oil,gas, other minerals and it has a relatively small country with small population so more for everyone. The little countries offered a safe haven for assets like gold, jewels, and currencies beyond the reach of local taxing authorities. They're protected by continental security systems (NATO), a system of international order that protects their borders against incursion, while at the same time providing them the right to refuse immigrants, they can participate in global trade for their luxury goods and wealth still seeks to avoid taxes. It is a plateau that averages 1,500 feet (450 metres) in elevation and is composed of schists and sandstones. In 1995 and again in 2007. Reddit user Salem-Witch has put together a map that answers some interesting questions about Canada.. Well, actually, it answers one specific question. From the 16th century until 1867, Luxembourg was one of Europe’s greatest fortified sites, constantly reinforced as it passed through the hands of the Holy Roman Emperors, the House of Burgundy, the Hapsburgs, various French and Spanish kings and, eventually, the Prussians. They skimmed a bit off the top in fees for providing this service, but the wealth they attracted was so disproportionately greater than the size of their intrinsic economies that even a tiny skim produced huge per capita benefits. Sûre River on the border between Germany (left) and Luxembourg (right), near Weilerbach, Luxembourg. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Children learn in Luxembourgish in nursery schools; then also in French and German at primary school, plus English at secondary level. Many of Luxembourg’s villages date from ancient Celtic and Roman times or originated in Germanic and Frankish villages after about 400 ce. Except it's totally wrong on so many levels: Europe was never covered by city states, they existed only in some areas, and usually were nominally under some king of emperor anyway (like all the German city states which were nominally under HRE even if de facto independent), tiny states like ones in Germany did extremely poorly economically, while big ones like England and Netherlands prospered.