LUXEMBURG, or LUXEMBOURG, a province of Belgium, in the basins of the Meuse and Moselle, formerly part of the grand duchy of Luxembourg, bounded on the N. by Liège, S. by France, E. by the duchy of Luxembourg, and W. by Namur. Its length from N. to S. is about 67 miles, and its breadth E. to W. 37 miles; area, 1705 square miles. It is traversed from S.W. to N.E. by a branch of the Ardennes, whose highest summits do not exceed 2000 feet. Its surface is extremely rugged, covered with wood and extensive morasses. The soil is nowhere
very fertile, being thin and gravelly. About one-third of the unwooded surface is devoted to pasture—sheep, horned cattle, pigs, and horses being reared for export in great numbers. The latter especially are of a hardy and spirited race, and are bought for the light cavalry in France. There are considerable mines of iron, and lead and copper are also found; with marble, slate, freestone, marl, and gypsum. Besides iron, there are manufactures of cloth, tulle, earthenware, leather, nails, and potash. Of the soil, the principal productions are,—wheat, potatoes, tobacco, wine, and fruit. The most important article of commerce is the bark of the oak, which is employed in the great tanneries of Stavelot and Malmey, and in England; and the oakwood itself, which is exported to Liège and the Netherlands by way of the Meuse. The province is divided, for administrative purposes, into five arrondissements—Arlon, Bastogne, La Marche, Neufchâteau, and Virton. Arlon, the capital, is a place of some size and importance; but on the whole, the province is thinly populated. In 1855 it amounted to 196,074. It sends two senators and five representatives to the Belgian legislature.