Map of Portugal | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | 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: Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total area total: 92,080 km²
Land: 91,640 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana
Note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands

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

Coastline: 1,793 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive 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
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
Note: Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar


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Population: 10,562,388 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate: 0.36% (1995 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Portuguese (singular and plural)
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: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant denominations 1%, other 2%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 18% (female 943,412; male 1,000,971)
15-64 years: 68% (female 3,625,086; male 3,499,176)
65 years and over: 14% (female 889,142; male 604,601) (July 1995 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.36% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 11.72 births/1000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 9.65 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.55 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas
Current issues natural hazards: Azores subject to severe earthquakes
Current issues international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 9.1 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.53 years
Male: 72.11 years
Female: 79.16 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman (1995 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: 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

Dependent areas: (1) Macau (scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China on 20 December 1999)

Independence: 1140 (independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910)

National holiday: Day of Portugal, 10 June (1580)

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
Chief of state: President Dr. Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES (since 9 March 1986); election last held 13 February 1991 (next to be held NA February 1996); results - Dr. Mario Lopes SOARES 70%, Basilio HORTA 14%, Carlos CARVALHAS 13%, Carlos MARQUES 3%; note - SOARES is finishing his second term and by law cannot run for a third consecutive term
Head of government: Prime Minister Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 6 November 1985); note - will be replaced in the October 1995 elections
Council of State: acts as a consultative body to the president
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime minister

Legislative branch: unicameral
Assembly of the Republic Assembleia da Republica: elections last held 6 October 1991 (next to be held NA October 1995); results - PSD 50.4%, PS 29.3%, CDU 8.8%, CDS 4.4%, PSN 1.7%, PRD 0.6%, other 4.8%; seats - (230 total) PSD 136, PS 71, CDU 17, CDS 5, PSN 1

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

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: AfDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

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: [1] (202) 328-8,610
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 462-3,726
In the us consulates general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), and San Francisco
In the us consulates: Los Angeles, New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island), and Washington, DC
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley BAGLEY
From the us embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600 Lisbon
From the us mailing address: PSC 83, Lisbon; APO AE 9,726
From the us telephone: [351] (1) 7,266,600, 7,266,659, 7,268,670, 7,268,880
From the us FAX: [351] (1) 7,269,109
From the us consulates: 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: Portugal's economy contracted 0.4% in 1993 but registered a 1.4% growth in 1994, with 3% growth expected in 1995 and 1996. This comeback rests on high levels of public investment, continuing strong export growth, and a gradual recovery in consumer spending. The government's long-run economic goal is the modernization of Portuguese markets, industry, infrastructure, and work force in order to catch up with productivity and income levels of the more advanced EU countries. Per capita income now equals only 55% of the EU average. Economic policy in 1994 focused on reducing inflationary pressures by lowering the fiscal deficit, maintaining a stable escudo, moderating wage increases, and encouraging increased competition. The government's medium-term objective is to be in the first tier of the EU countries eligible to join the economic and monetary union (EMU) as early as 1997. To this end, the 1995 budget posits a cut in total deficit to 5.8% of GDP.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 1.4% (1994 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $10,190 (1994 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 5% of GDP; 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: 1.5% (1994 est.), accounts for 30.6% of GDP

Labor force: 4.24 million (1994 est.)
By occupation services: 54.5%
By occupation manufacturing: 24.4%
By occupation agriculture forestry fisheries: 11.2%
By occupation construction: 8.3%
By occupation utilites: 1.0%
By occupation mining: 0.5% (1992)

Unemployment rate: 6.7% (May 1994)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $31 billion
Expenditures: $41 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994)

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: $15.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
Commodoties: clothing and footwear, machinery, cork and paper products, hides and skins
Partners: EU 75.5%, other developed countries 12.4%, US 4.3% (1994)

Imports: $24.3 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
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: $20 billion (1993 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Portuguese escudos (Esc) per US$1 - 158.02 (January 1995), 165.99 (1994), 160.80 (1993), 135.00 (1992), 144.48 (1991), 142.55 (1990)


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Electricity
Capacity: 8,220,000 kW
Production: 29.5 billion kWh
Production consumption per capita: 2,642 kWh (1993)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system: 2,690,000 telephones
Local: NA
Intercity: generally adequate integrated network of coaxial cables, open wire and microwave radio relay, domestic satellite earth stations
International: 6 submarine cables; 3 INTELSAT (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), EUTELSAT earth stations; tropospheric link to Azores

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $2.4 billion, 2.9% of GDP (1994)

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: 65
With paved runways over 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 18
With paved runways under 914 m: 29
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 22 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
Total: 65 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 852,785 GRT/1,545,804 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 28, chemical tanker 5, container 4, liquefied gas tanker 2, oil tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1, short-sea passenger 1
Note: Portugal has created a captive register on Madeira for Portuguese-owned ships; ships on the Madeira Register (MAR) will have taxation and crewing benefits of a flag of convenience; in addition, Portugal owns 25 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 155,776 DWT that operate under Panamanian and Maltese registry

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; transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe