Map of Portugal | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | 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: 39 30 N 8 00 W

Map reference: Europe

Area
Comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries

Coastline: 1793 km

Maritime claims

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

Natural resources: fish forests (cork) tungsten iron ore uranium ore marble arable land: hydro power

Land use

Irrigated land: 6,300 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: Azores subject to severe earthquakes

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


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Population: 10,048,232 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 0.18% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

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

Languages: Portuguese

Religions: Roman Catholic 94% Protestant (1995)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.18% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 11.49 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 10.2 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.5 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 6.05 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman (2000 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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

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

Dependent areas

Independence: 1140 (independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910)

National holiday: Day of Portugal 10 June (1580)

Constitution: 25 April 1976 revised 30 October 1982 1 June 1989 5 November 1992 and 3 September 1997

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

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica judges appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura

Political parties and leaders: Popular Party or PP [Paulo PORTAS]; Portuguese Communist Part/United Democratic Coalition or PCP/CDU [Carlos CARVALHAS]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PSP [Antonio GUTERRES]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO]; The Left Bloc [Francisco LOUCA]

International organization participation: AfDB Australia Group BIS CCC CE CERN EAPC EBRD ECE ECLAC EIB EMU EU FAO IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Inmarsat Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU LAIA (observer) MINURSO NAM (guest) NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMIBH UNMIK UNMOP UPU WCL WEU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO ZC

Diplomatic representation

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 is an upcoming capitalist economy with a per capita GDP two-thirds that of the four big West European economies. In 1999 it continued to enjoy sturdy economic growth falling interest rates and low unemployment. The country qualified for the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and joined with 10 other European countries in launching the euro on 1 January 1999. Portugal's inflation rate for 1999 2.4% was comfortably low. The country continues to run a trade deficit and a balance of payments deficit. The government is working to modernize capital plant and increase the country's competitiveness in the increasingly integrated world markets. Growth is expected to remain stable in 2000 as the economic integration of Europe proceeds. Improvement in the education sector is critical to the catch-up process.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.2% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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: 2.9% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 4.75 million (1998 est.)
By occupation services: 60%
By occupation industry: 30%
By occupation agriculture: 10% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 4.6% (1999 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.4% (1999 est.)

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: $25 billion (f.o.b. 1998)
Commodities: clothing and footwear machinery chemicals cork and paper products hides
Partners: EU 82% (Germany 20% Spain 16% France 14% UK 12% Netherlands 5% Benelux 5% Italy) US 5% (1998)

Imports: $34.9 billion (f.o.b. 1998)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment chemicals petroleum textiles agricultural products
Partners: EU 77% (Spain 24% Germany 15% France 11% Italy 8% UK 7% Netherlands 5%) US Japan (1998)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $13.1 billion (1997 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: euros per US$1 - 0.9867 (January 2000) 0.9386 (1999); Portuguese escudos (Esc) per US$1 - 172.78 (January 1999) 180.10 (1998) 175.31 (1997) 154.24 (1996) 151.11 (1995)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 38.581 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity consumption: 36.18 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity exports: 3.7 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity imports: 4 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular: 887,216 (1999)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

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: 66 (1999 est.)

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 22 km; petroleum products 58 km; natural gas 700 km

Railways

Roadways

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

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs