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: Southern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean west of Spain

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Africa, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total: 92,080 km²
Land: 91,640 km²

Land boundaries: total 1,214 km, Spain 1,214 km

Coastline: 1,793 km
Continental shelf: 200 m depth or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Maritime claims

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
Arable land: 32%
Permanent crops: 6%
Meadows and pastures: 6%
Forest and woodland: 40%
Other: 16%

Irrigated land: 6,340 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 10,486,140 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 0.36% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Portuguese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Portuguese

Ethnic groups:

Languages: Portuguese

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

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.36% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 11.59 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 9.77 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.8 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: Azores subject to severe earthquakes
Current issues note: Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 9.8 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.89 years
Male: 71.43 years
Female: 78.56 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.45 children born/woman (1993 est.)

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: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 85%
Male: 89%
Female: 82%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Portuguese Republic
Conventional short form: Portugal
Local long form: Republica Portuguesa
Local short form: Portugal

Government type: republic

Capital: Lisbon

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas:

Independence: 1140 (independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910)

National holiday: Day of Portugal, 10 June

Constitution: 25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982 and 1 June 1989

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: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: president, Council of State, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da Republica)

Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de Justica)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Francisco Jose Laco Treichler KNOPFLI
In the us chancery: 2,125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: (202) 328-8,610
In the us consulates general:
In the us consulates: Los Angeles, New Bedford (Massachusetts), and Providence (Rhode Island)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Everett Ellis BRIGGS
From the us embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600 Lisbon
From the us mailing address: PSC 83, APO AE 9,726
From the us telephone: 351 (1) 726-6,600 or 6,659, 8,670, 8,880
From the us fax: 351 (1) 726-9,109
From the us consulate: 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: Although Portugal has experienced strong growth since joining the EC in 1986 - at least 4% each year through 1990 - it remains one of the poorest members. To prepare for the European single market, the government is restructuring and modernizing the economy and in 1989 embarked on a major privatization program. As of 1 January 1993, Lisbon has fully liberalized its capital markets and most trade markets. The global slowdown and tight monetary policies to counter inflation caused growth to slow in 1991 and 1992. Growth probably will remain depressed in 1993, but should pick up again in 1994.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 1.1% (1992)

Real gdp per capita: $9,000 (1992)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 6.1% of GDP and 20% of labor force; small, inefficient farms; imports more than half of food needs; major crops - grain, potatoes, olives, grapes; livestock sector - sheep, cattle, goats, poultry, meat, dairy products

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

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 9.1% (1990; accounts for 40% of GDP

Labor force: 4,605,700
By occupation services: 45%
By occupation industry: 35%
By occupation agriculture: 20% (1988)

Unemployment rate: 5% (1992)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $27.3 billion; expenditures $33.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $4.5 billion (1991)

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: $16.3 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: cotton textiles, cork and paper products, canned fish, wine, timber and timber products, resin, machinery, appliances
Partners: EC 75.4%, other developed countries 12.4%, US 3.8% (1991)

Imports: $26.0 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: machinery and transport equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, petroleum, textiles
Partners: EC 72%, other developed countries 10.9% less developed countries 12.9%, US 3.4%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Portuguese escudos (Esc) per US$1 - 145.51 (January 1993), 135.00 (1992), 144.48 (1991), 142.55 (1990), 157.46 (1989), 143.95 (1988)


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Electricity
Production: 6,624,000 kW capacity; 26,400 million kWh produced, 2,520 kWh per capita (1992)

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
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $2.4 billion, 2.9% of GDP (1992)

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: 64
Usable: 62
With permanentsurface runways: 36
With runways over 3659 m: 2
With runways 2440-3659 m: 10
With runways 1220-2439 m: 11

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 11 km; petroleum products 58 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 820 km navigable; relatively unimportant to national economy, used by shallow-draft craft limited to 300-metric-ton cargo capacity

Merchant marine:

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor Province) disputed with Indonesia

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: increasingly important gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market