from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Portugal
Introduction
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
Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic
Ocean, west of Spain
Geographic 39 30 N, 8 00 W
coordinates:
Map Europe
references:
Area: total: 92,391 sq km
land: 91,951 sq km
water: 440 sq km
note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands
Area - slightly smaller than Indiana
comparative:
Land total: 1,214 km
boundaries: border countries: Spain 1,214 km
Coastline: 1,793 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
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 lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on
Ilha do Pico in the Azores 2,351 m
Natural fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin,
resources: tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum,
salt, arable land, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 17.29%
permanent crops: 7.84%
other: 74.87% (2005)
Irrigated 6,500 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural Azores subject to severe earthquakes
hazards:
Environment - soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and
current vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in
issues: coastal areas
Environment - party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
international Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
agreements: 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 - Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations
note: along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
People
Population: 10,605,870 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.5% (male 915,604/female 839,004)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 3,484,545/female 3,544,674)
65 years and over: 17.2% (male 751,899/female
1,070,144) (2006 est.)
Median age: total: 38.5 years
male: 36.4 years
female: 40.6 years (2006 est.)
Population 0.36% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 10.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 10.5 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 3.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
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: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 4.98 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 5.45 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 4.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 77.7 years
expectancy at male: 74.43 years
birth: female: 81.2 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.47 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 0.4% (2001 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 22,000 (2001 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - less than 1,000 (2003 est.)
deaths:
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
Country name: conventional long form: Portuguese Republic
conventional short form: Portugal
local long form: Republica Portuguesa
local short form: Portugal
Government parliamentary democracy
type:
Capital: name: Lisbon
geographic coordinates: 38 43 N, 9 08 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in
March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative 18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2
divisions: 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 Portugal Day (Day of Portugal), 10 June (1580); note -
holiday: also called Camoes Day, the day that revered national
poet Luis de Camoes (1524-80) died
Constitution: 25 April 1976; revised many times
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 chief of state: President Anibal CAVACO Silva (since 9
branch: March 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Jose SOCRATES (since
12 March 2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
president on the recommendation of the prime minister
note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a
consultative body to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a
five-year term (eligible for a second term); election
last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held January
2011); 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: Anibal CAVACO Silva elected
president; percent of vote - Anibal CAVACO Silva 50.6%,
Manuel ALEGRE 20.7%, Mario SOARES 14.3%, Jeronimo de
SOUSA 8.5%, Franciso LOUCA 5.3%
Legislative unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da
branch: Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 February 2005 (next to be held
February 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - PS 45.1%,
PSD 28.7%, CDU 7.6%, PP 7.3%, BE 6.4%; seats by party -
PS 121, PSD 75, CDU 14, PP 12, BE 8
Judicial Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges
branch: appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da
Magistratura)
Political Green Ecologist Party or PEV [Heloisa APOLONIA];
parties and Popular Party or PP [Jose Ribeiro e CASTRO]; Portuguese
leaders: Communist Party or PCP [Jeronimo de SOUSA]; Portuguese
Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de
Sousa]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Luis Marques
MENDES]; The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA];
Unitarian Democratic Coalition or CDU (includes PEV and
PCP) [Jeronimo de SOUSA]
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD,
organization EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
participation: ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA
(observer), MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI
(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Pedro Manuel Dos Reis
representation Alves CATARINO
in the US: chancery: 2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 328-8610
FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726
consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New
Jersey), San Francisco
consulate(s): New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence
(Rhode Island)
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Alfred J. HOFFMAN Jr.
representation embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon
from the US: mailing address: Apartado 43033, 1601-301 Lisboa; PSC
83, APO AE 09726
telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300
FAX: [351] (21) 726-9109
consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores)
Flag two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths)
description: and red (three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms
centered on the dividing line
Economy
Economy - Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly
overview: 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 European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998
and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along
with 11 other EU member economies. Economic growth had
been above the EU average for much of the past decade,
but fell back in 2001-05. GDP per capita stands at
two-thirds that of the Big Four 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 government faces tough choices in its
attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness
while keeping the budget deficit within the eurozone's
3%-of-GDP ceiling.
GDP $200.6 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $170.3 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 0.4% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $19,000 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 5.3%
composition by industry: 27.4%
sector: services: 67.3% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 5.52 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 10%
by occupation: industry: 30%
services: 60% (1999 est.)
Unemployment 7.6% (2005 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 3.1%
income or highest 10%: 28.4% (1995 est.)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 38.5 (1997)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 2.3% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 21.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $78.84 billion
expenditures: $90.27 billion; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Public debt: 63.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - grain, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes; sheep,
products: cattle, goats, swine, poultry, dairy products; fish
Industries: textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork;
metals and metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish
canning; rubber and plastic products; ceramics;
electronics and communications equipment; rail
transportation equipment; aerospace equipment; ship
construction and refurbishment; wine; tourism
Industrial 0% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 44.32 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 64.5%
production by hydro: 31.3%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 4.1% (2001)
Electricity - 44.01 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 3.1 billion kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 5.9 billion kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 326,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: 28,830 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports: 357,300 bbl/day (2001)
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 2.983 billion cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 2.553 billion cu m (2001 est.)
imports:
Current $-17.1 billion (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $38.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - clothing and footwear, machinery, chemicals, cork and
commodities: paper products, hides
Exports - Spain 25.9%, France 13.1%, Germany 11.9%, UK 8%, US
partners: 5.4%, Italy 4.3% (2005)
Imports: $60.35 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - machinery and transport equipment, chemicals,
commodities: petroleum, textiles, agricultural products
Imports - Spain 29%, Germany 13.4%, France 8.5%, Italy 5.2%,
partners: Netherlands 4.3%, UK 4.2% (2005)
Reserves of $10.36 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $287.8 billion (2005 est.)
external:
Economic aid - ODA, $271 million (1995)
donor:
Currency euro (EUR)
(code): 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 euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004),
rates: 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 4.234 million (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 11.448 million (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: Portugal's telephone system has
system: achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband,
high-speed capabilities
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 AM 47, FM 172 (many are repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 3.02 million (1997)
Television 62 (plus 166 repeaters)
broadcast note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands (1995)
stations:
Televisions: 3.31 million (1997)
Internet .pt
country code:
Internet 845,980 (2005)
hosts:
Internet 16 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 7,782,700 (2006)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 66 (2006)
Airports - total: 43
with paved over 3,047 m: 5
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 11 (2006)
Airports - total: 23
with unpaved 914 to 1,523 m: 1
runways: under 914 m: 22 (2006)
Pipelines: gas 1,099 km; oil 8 km; refined products 174 km (2006)
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 (2005)
Roadways: total: 72,600 km
paved: 62,436 km (including 1,700 km of expressways)
unpaved: 10,164 km (2002)
Waterways: 210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2003)
Merchant total: 111 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,077,300 GRT/
marine: 1,363,435 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 27, chemical tanker 15,
container 7, liquefied gas 11, passenger 9, passenger/
cargo 10, petroleum tanker 8, roll on/roll off 4,
vehicle carrier 9
foreign-owned: 82 (Australia 1, Belgium 8, Cyprus 1,
Denmark 4, Germany 17, Greece 4, Italy 12, Japan 9,
Malta 1, Mexico 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 4, Spain 15,
Switzerland 3, US 1)
registered in other countries: 16 (Cyprus 2, Hong Kong
1, Malta 3, Panama 10) (2006)
Ports and Leixoes, Lisbon, Setubal, Sines
terminals:
Military
Military Army, Navy (Marinha Portuguesa; includes Marine Corps),
branches: Air Force (Forca Aerea Portuguesa, FAP), National
Republican Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana) (2005)
Military 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
service age compulsory military service was ended in 2004; women
and serve in the armed forces, on naval ships since 1993,
obligation: but are prohibited from serving in some combatant
specialties (2005)
Manpower males age 18-49: 2,435,042
available for females age 18-49: 2,405,816 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 1,952,819
for military females age 18-49: 1,977,264 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 67,189
reaching females age 18-49: 60,626 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $3,497.8 million (2003)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 2.3% (2003)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over
international: the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of
interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the
1801 Treaty of Badajoz
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