Map of Portugal | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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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 loss of its Brazilian colony in 1822. 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 entered the EC in 1985.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries: 1,214 km with Spain

Coastline: 1,793 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation
Extended economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south

Terrain: mountainous north of the Tagus, rolling plains in south

Elevation

Natural resources: fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore, uranium ore, marble

Land use: 32% arable land; 6% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; 40% forest and woodland; 16% other; includes 7% irrigated

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar


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Population: 10,459,701 (July 1989), growth rate 0.7% (1989)

Nationality: noun - Portuguese (sing. and pl.; adjective - Portuguese

Ethnic groups: homogeneous Mediterranean stock in mainland, Azores, Madeira Islands; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000

Languages: Portuguese

Religions: 97% Roman Catholic, 1% Protestant denominations, 2% other

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 15 births/1000 population (1989)

Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (1989)

Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1000 population (1989)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: Azores subject to severe earthquakes

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 15 deaths/1000 live births (1989)

Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 78 years female (1989)

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1989)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 83%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Portuguese Republic

Government type: republic

Capital: Lisbon

Administrative divisions: 22 districts (distritos, singular - distrito; Angra do Heroismo, Aveiro, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Evora, Faro, Funchal, Guarda, Horta, Leiria, Lisboa, Ponta Delgada, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu; note - there may now be 18 districts and 2 autonomous regions (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma) with a new autonomous region of Acores, the district of Funchal becoming the autonomous region of Madeira, and abolition of the districts of Angra do Heroismo, Horta, and Ponta Delgada

Dependent areas: (1) Macau (scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China in 1999)

Independence: 1140; independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910

National holiday: 25 April

Constitution: 25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982; new discussions on constitutional revision began October 1987

Legal system: civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal over age 18

Executive branch

Legislative branch: Army, Navy, Air Force

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: CCC, Council of Europe, EC, EFTA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IATP, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDB - Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IRC, ISO, ITU, IWC - International Wheat Council, NATO, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Joao Eduardo M. PEREIRA BASTOS; Chancery at 2,125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 328-8,610; there are Portuguese Consulates General in Boston, New York, and San Francisco, and Consulates in Los Angeles, Newark (New Jersey), New Bedford (Massachusetts), and Providence (Rhode Island; US - Ambassador Edward M. ROWELL; Embassy at Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600 Lisbon (mailing address is APO New York 9,678-0002; telephone Õ351å (1) 726-6,600 or 6,659, 8,670, 8,880; there are US Consulates in Oporto and 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: In 1987, Portugal's per capita GDP was among the lowest in Europe at $3,250. Industry employs about a third of the work force, producing 38% of GDP, and agriculture employs 22% of the work force and contributes 9% to GDP. Economic recovery began in mid-1985 after two years of recession and continued through 1987, when GDP posted a 5.0% increase. Inflation and unemployment rates also declined to single digit numbers for the first time in a decade. In 1987 record tourist and remittance earnings compensated for a trade deficit, enabling the balance of payments to show a surplus.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: generally underdeveloped; grains, potatoes, olives, grapes for wine; deficit foods - sugar, grain, meat, fish, oilseed

Industries: textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; wine; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% (1987)

Labor force:

Unemployment rate: 7.9% (1987 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $8.0 billion; expenditures $11.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.5 billion (1987)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $9.2 billion (f.o.b., 1987)
Commodities: cotton textiles, cork and cork products, canned fish, wine, timber and timber products, resin, machinery, appliances
Partners: EC 71%, other developed countries 14%, US 7%

Imports: $13.4 billion (c.i.f., 1987)
Commodities: petroleum, cotton, foodgrains, industrial machinery, iron and steel, chemicals
Partners: EC 64%, other developed countries 14%, less developed countries 17%, US 5%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $18.24 billion (1987)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Portuguese escudos (Esc) per US$1 - 150.28 (January 1989), 143.95 (1988), 140.88 (1987), 149.59 (1986), 170.39 (1985)


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Electricity
Capacity: 6,599,000 kW capacity; 15,555 million kWh produced, 1,500 kWh per capita (1988)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $1.27 billion, 8.7% of central government budget (1988 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 69 total, 65 usable; 37 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 11 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil, 11 km; refined products, 58 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 820 km navigable; relatively unimportant to national economy, used by shallow-draft craft limited to 297-metric-ton cargo capacity

Merchant marine: 53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 823,793 GRT/1,472,856 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 22 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 1 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 13 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 10 bulk, 1 combination bulk

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Macau is scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China in 1999; East Timor question with Indonesia

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs