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Introduction | Portugal

Background: | Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.

Geography | Portugal

Location: | Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
Geographic coordinates: | 39 30 N, 8 00 W
Map references: | Europe
Area: | total: 92,391 sq km land: 91,951 sq km note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands water: 440 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries: | total: 1,214 km border countries: Spain 1,214 km
Coastline: | 1,793 km
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: | maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
Terrain: | mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in the Azores 2,351 m
Natural resources: | fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower
Land use: | arable land: 21.75% permanent crops: 7.81% other: 70.44% (2001)
Irrigated land: | 6,320 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: | Azores subject to severe earthquakes
Environment - current issues: | soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification
Geography - note: | Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

People | Portugal

Population: | 10,524,145 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 16.7% (male 916,106; female 840,574) 15-64 years: 66.4% (male 3,454,970; female 3,535,108) 65 years and over: 16.9% (male 735,407; female 1,041,980) (2004 est.)
Median age: | total: 37.9 years male: 35.8 years female: 40 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.41% (2004 est.)
Birth rate: | 10.9 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: | 10.37 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate: | 3.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 5.13 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 5.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 77.35 years male: 74.06 years female: 80.85 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.46 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.5% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 27,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 1,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality: | noun: Portuguese (singular and plural) adjective: Portuguese
Ethnic groups: | homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000; since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal
Religions: | Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant (1995)
Languages: | Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.3% male: 95.5% female: 91.3% (2003 est.)

Government | Portugal

Country name: | conventional long form: Portuguese Republic conventional short form: Portugal local long form: Republica Portuguesa local short form: Portugal
Government type: | parliamentary democracy
Capital: | Lisbon
Administrative divisions: | 18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Aveiro, Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa, Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu
Independence: | 1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (independent republic proclaimed)
National holiday: | Portugal Day, 10 June (1580); note - also called Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes (1524-80) died
Constitution: | 25 April 1976; revised 30 October 1982, 1 June 1989, 5 November 1992, 3 September 1997, 12 December 2001, and 24 July 2004
Legal system: | civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: | chief of state: President Jorge SAMPAIO (since 9 March 1996) note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president head of government: Prime Minister Pedro SANTANA LOPES (since 17 July 2004); note - Prime Minister Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO resigned 5 July 2004 to take over the Presidency of the European Commission; Prime Minister Pedro SANTANA LOPES and his government resigned 11 December 2004, but will stay on in a caretaker capacity until February 2005 elections cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 January 2001 (next to be held NA January 2006); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Jorge SAMPAIO reelected president; percent of vote - Jorge SAMPAIO (Socialist) 55.8%, Joaquim FERREIRA Do Amaral (Social Democrat) 34.5%, Antonio ABREU (Communist) 5.1%
Legislative branch: | unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 March 2002 (next to be held 20 February 2005); note - President SAMPAIO called for early elections after dissolving Parliament on 10 December 2004 because he lacked confidence in the four-month center-right government election results: percent of vote by party - PSD 40.1%, PS 37.8%, PP 8.7%, PCP/PEV 6.9%, The Left Bloc 2.7%; seats by party - PSD 105, PS 96, PP 14, PCP/PEV 12, The Left Bloc 3
Judicial branch: | Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura)
Political parties and leaders: | Green Ecologist Party or PEV [Heloisa APOLONIA]; Popular Party or PP [Paulo PORTAS]; Portuguese Communist Party or PCP [Jeronimo de SOUSA]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pedro Miguel SANTANA LOPES]; The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
International organization participation: | AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMISET, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Pedro Manuel Dos Reis Alves CATARINO consulate(s): Los Angeles, New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island) consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), and San Francisco FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726 telephone: [1] (202) 328-8610 chancery: 2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Adrienne S. O'NEAL embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon mailing address: Apartado 4258, 1507 Lisboa Codex; PSC 83, APO AE 09726 telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300 FAX: [351] (21) 726-9109 consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores)
Flag description: | two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the dividing line

Economy | Portugal

Economy - overview: | Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community in 1986. Over the past decade, successive governments have privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy, including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The country qualified for the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU member economies. Economic growth has been above the EU average for much of the past decade, but fell back in 2001-03. GDP per capita stands at 70% of that of the leading EU economies. A poor educational system, in particular, has been an obstacle to greater productivity and growth. Portugal has been increasingly overshadowed by lower-cost producers in Central Europe and Asia as a target for foreign direct investment. The coalition government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness and to keep the budget deficit within the 3% EU ceiling.
GDP: | purchasing power parity - $181.8 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | -1.3% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $18,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 5.8% industry: 30.7% services: 63.2% (2003)
Investment (gross fixed): | 22.3% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line: | NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 28.4% (1995 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 35.6 (1994-95)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 3.3% (2003 est.)
Labor force: | 5.409 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 10%, industry 30%, services 60% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 6.4% (2003 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $64.81 billion expenditures: $69.09 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
Public debt: | 59.8% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products: | grain, potatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats, poultry, beef, dairy products
Industries: | textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; wine; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: | 0.4% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production: | 44.32 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 41.48 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: | 3.479 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: | 3.743 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 339,800 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: | 28,830 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports: | 357,300 bbl/day (2001)
Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 2.542 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 2.553 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Current account balance: | $-7.592 billion (2003)
Exports: | $31.13 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities: | clothing and footwear, machinery, chemicals, cork and paper products, hides
Exports - partners: | Spain 22.7%, Germany 15.2%, France 12.9%, UK 10.5%, US 5.8%, Italy 4.8%, Belgium 4.6% (2003)
Imports: | $43.73 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities: | machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum, textiles, agricultural products
Imports - partners: | Spain 29.1%, Germany 14.7%, France 9.9%, Italy 6.4%, UK 4.9%, Netherlands 4.6% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: | $12.81 billion (2003)
Debt - external: | $250.7 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - donor: | ODA, $271 million (1995)
Currency: | euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
Currency code: | EUR
Exchange rates: | euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Portugal

Telephones - main lines in use: | 4,278,800 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 9,341,400 (2003)
Telephone system: | general assessment: Portugal's telephone system has achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities and a main line telephone density of 53% domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations international: country code - 351; 6 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station for Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region) is planned
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 47, FM 172 (many are repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: | 3.02 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 62 (plus 166 repeaters) note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands (1995)
Televisions: | 3.31 million (1997)
Internet country code: | .pt
Internet hosts: | 346,078 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 16 (2000)
Internet users: | 3.6 million (2002)

Transportation | Portugal

Railways: | total: 2,850 km broad gauge: 2,576 km 1.668-m gauge (623 km electrified) narrow gauge: 274 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Highways: | total: 68,732 km paved: 59,110 km (including 1441 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,622 km (2000)
Waterways: | 210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2003)
Pipelines: | gas 1,099 km; oil 8 km; refined products 174 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: | Aveiro, Funchal (Madeira Islands), Horta (Azores), Leixoes, Lisbon, Porto, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Praia da Vitoria (Azores), Setubal, Viana do Castelo
Merchant marine: | total: 122 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 872,557 GRT/1,236,025 DWT registered in other countries: 24 (2004 est.) foreign-owned: Australia 1, Belgium 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 7, Germany 21, Greece 2, Guadeloupe 1, Iceland 1, Italy 16, Japan 1, Malta 1, Norway 7, Panama 1, Spain 18, Switzerland 7, Ukraine 1, United Kingdom 1 by type: bulk 12, cargo 49, chemical tanker 19, container 8, liquefied gas 7, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 6, petroleum tanker 7, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 5, short-sea/passenger 5, vehicle carrier 2
Airports: | 66 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 42 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 22 (2004 est.)

Military | Portugal

Military branches: | Army, Navy (PON; including Marines), Air Force (FAP), Republican Guard (including Fiscal Guard)
Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory military service was ended in September 2004 (September 2004)
Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 2,628,892 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 2,107,502 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 72,821 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $3,497.8 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 2.3% (2003)

Transnational Issues | Portugal

Disputes - international: | some Portuguese groups assert dormant claims to territories ceded to Spain around the town of Olivenza
Illicit drugs: | gateway country for Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market (especially from Brazil); transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005