Capital:  Luxembourg-City
Population:  451.600 (2004)
Surface:  2.586 km2
Languages:  Luxemburgish (lëtzebuergesch) French and German

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, resulting from the word Lucilinburhuc meaning small castle, is administratively divided into 3 districts, 12 cantons and 118 communes.

Le Luxembourgish territory with the two natural areas Oesling in the north and Gutland (Good Country) in the south, is divided into 3 districts: Luxembourg, Grevenmacher and Diekirch. 

For the districts, the local administration is exerted by police chiefs who are named by the sovereign, the Grand-Duke, but are placed under the direct authority of the Ministry for Interior Affairs. 

These police chiefs have monitoring competences while taking care of the execution of laws and regulations issued under the authority the Grand Duke and assume a role of intermediaries between the government and the local authorities. 

The three Luxembourgish districts are divided into 12 cantons. In the center and the south, the district of Luxembourg consists of the cantons Luxembourg, Capellen, Esch-on-Alzette and Mersch.  The north district of Diekirch, includes the cantons of Diekirch, Clervaux, Redange, Vianden and Wiltz.  Finally, the third district of Grevenmacher located at the east of the country is made of the cantons of Grevenmacher, Echternach and Remich.

The twelve Luxembourgish cantons do not have an individual administrative structure.  This territorial division in cantons goes back to the times of the French occupation from 1795 to 1814 when Luxembourg was called the “Département des Forêts” (Department of Forests). 
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg counts 118 communes with regulating bodies elected by the people with at their head a mayor.