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 global maritime 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 of its wealthiest colony of Brazil 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 is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986. In January 2011 Portugal assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2011-12 term.


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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

Area
Rank: 111
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) iron ore copper zinc tin tungsten silver gold uranium marble clay gypsum salt arable land: hydropower

Land use

Irrigated land: 5,840 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 73.6 km³ (2005)

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: 10,781,459 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 77
Growth rate: 0.181% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 178
Below poverty line: 18% (2006)

Nationality

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

Languages: Portuguese (official) Mirandese (official but locally used)

Religions: Roman Catholic 84.5% other Christian 2.2% other 0.3% unknown 9% none 3.9% (2001 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.181% (2012 est.)
Rank: 178

Birth rate: 9.76 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 198

Death rate: 10.86 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 40

Net migration rate: 2.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 28

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
Rank: 186

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 49

Total fertility rate: 1.51 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 188

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.755 physicians/1000 population (2009)

Hospital bed density: 3.37 beds/1000 population (2008)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 63
People living with hivaids: 42,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 60
Deaths: fewer than 500 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 96

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 14.2% (2005)
Rank: 40

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 4.4% of GDP (2008)
Rank: 88

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: republic; parliamentary democracy

Capital

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 (Lisbon) Madeira* Portalegre Porto Santarem Setubal Viana do Castelo Vila Real Viseu

Dependent areas

Independence: 1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed)

National holiday: Portugal Day (Dia de Portugal) 10 June (1580); note - also called Camoes Day the day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes (1524-80) died

Constitution: adopted 2 April 1976; subsequently revised

Legal system: civil law system; Constitutional Tribunal review of legislative acts

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

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

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (Tribunal Constitucional) consists of 13 judges (10 appointed by the Assembly and 3 are coopted by the 10 judges) for six-year terms; Supreme Court (Supremo Tribunal de Justica); Audit Court (auditoria do Tribunal); Supreme Administrative Court (Supremo Tribunal Administrativo); all judges are appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura

Political parties and leaders: Democratic and Social Center/Popular Party or CDS/PP [Paulo PORTAS]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pedro PASSOS COELHO]; Socialist Party or PS [Jose SEGURO]; The Left Bloc or BE [Pedro Filipe SOARES]; Unitarian Democratic Coalition or CDU [Jeronimo DE SOUSA] (includes Portuguese Communist Party or PCP and Ecologist Party ('The Greens') or PEV)

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member) AfDB (nonregional member) Australia Group BIS CD CE CERN CPLP EAPC EBRD ECB EIB EMU ESA EU FAO FATF IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAIA (observer) MIGA NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE Paris Club (associate) PCA Schengen Convention SELEC (observer) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO Union Latina UNMIT UNSC (temporary) UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: two vertical bands of green (hoist side two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the national coat of arms (armillary sphere and Portuguese shield) centered on the dividing line; explanations for the color meanings are ambiguous but a popular interpretation has green symbolizing hope and red the blood of those defending the nation

National symbols: armillary sphere (a spherical astrolabe modeling objects in the sky)

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community - the EU's predecessor - in 1986. Over the following two decades successive governments privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The country qualified for the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU members. The economy grew by more than the EU average for much of the 1990s but the rate of growth slowed in 2001-08. The economy contracted 2.5% in 2009 before growing 1.4% in 2010 but GDP fell again in 2011 and 2012 as the government began implementing spending cuts and tax increases to comply with conditions of an EU-IMF financial rescue package agreed to in May 2011. GDP per capita stands at roughly two-thirds of the EU-27 average. Portugal also has been increasingly overshadowed by lower-cost producers in Central Europe and Asia as a destination for foreign direct investment in part because its rigid labor market hindered greater productivity and growth. However the government of Pedro PASSOS COELHO has enacted several measures to introduce more flexibility into the labor market and this along with steps to reduce high levels of public debt could make Portugal more attractive to foreign investors. The government reduced the budget deficit from 10.1% of GDP in 2009 to 4.5% in 2011 an achievement made possible only by the extraordinary revenues obtained from the one-time transfer of bank pension funds to the social security system. The budget deficit worsened in 2012 as a sharp reduction in domestic consumption took a bigger bite out of value-added tax revenues while rising unemployment benefits increased expenditures more than anticipated. Poor growth prospects over the next year have reinforced investors' concerns about the government's ability to achieve its budget deficit targets and regain full access to bond market financing when the EU-IMF financing program expires in 2013.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 52

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 211

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 58

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: grain potatoes tomatoes olives grapes; sheep cattle goats pigs poultry dairy products; fish

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: -2% (2011 est.)
Rank: 156

Labor force: 5.48 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 72

Unemployment rate: 12.7% (2011 est.)
Rank: 148

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 18% (2006)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index: 35.6 (1995)
Rank: 70

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -6.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 174

Taxes and other revenues: 44.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 33

Public debt: 107.8% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 9

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.7% (2011 est.)
Rank: 73

Central bank discount rate: 1.75% (31 December 2010)
Rank: 125

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 5.71% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 148

Stock of narrow money: $89.42 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 38

Stock of broad money: $322.7 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 32

Stock of domestic credit: $451.3 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 31

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 46

Current account balance: -$15.44 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 168

Exports: $59.22 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 57
Commodities: agricultural products food products wine oil products chemical products plastics and rubber hides leather wood and cork wood pulp and paper textile materials clothing footwear machinery and tools base metals
Partners: Spain 25.1% Germany 13.6% France 12.1% Angola 5.5% UK 5.1% (2011)

Imports: $77.62 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 46
Commodities: agricultural products chemical products vehicles and other transport material and optical and precision instruments computer accessories and parts semi-conductors and related devices oil products base metals food products textile materials
Partners: Spain 31.8% Germany 12.4% France 6.9% Italy 5.4% Netherlands 4.8% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $21 billion (2010 est.)
Rank: 56

Debt external: $497.8 billion (30 June 2010)
Rank: 24

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $120.4 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 31

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $64.25 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 32

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 50.3 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 51
Consumption: 47.81 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 46
Exports: 3.191 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 37
Imports: 5.814 billion kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 37
Installed generating capacity: 17.39 million kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 41
Generation sources fossil fuels: 48.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 158
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 162
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 23.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 85
Generation sources other renewable sources: 22.5% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 5

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 1926 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 93
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 170
Crude oil imports: 205,400 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 33
Crude oil proven reserves: NA bbl

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 237,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products production rank: 51
Products consumption: 259,700 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 49
Products exports: 49,650 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products exports rank: 59
Products imports: 83,520 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products imports rank: 53

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 181
Consumption: 5.212 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 58
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 134
Imports: 5.181 billion m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 33
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 184

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 51.43 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 61

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 4.53 million (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 36
Mobile cellular: 12.335 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 64

Telephone system

Broadcast media: Radio e Televisao de Portugal (RTP)the publicly-owned TV broadcaster operates 2 domestic channels and external service channels to Africa; overall roughly 40 domestic TV stations; viewers have widespread access to international broadcasters with more than half of all households connected to multi-channel cable or satellite TV systems; publicly-owned radio operates 3 national networks and provides regional and external services; several privately-owned national radio stations and some 300 regional and local commercial radio stations (2008)

Internet
Country code: .pt
Hosts: 3.748 million (2012)
Hosts rank: 28
Users: 5.168 million (2009)
Users rank: 45

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 2.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 65

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no compulsory military service; women serve in the armed forces on naval ships since 1993 but are prohibited from serving in some combatant specialties; reserve obligation to age 35 (2010)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 65 (2012)
Rank: 76

Heliports

Pipelines: gas 1307 km; oil 11 km; refined products 188 km (2010)

Railways
Rank: 53

Roadways
Rank: 54

Waterways: 210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2011)
Rank: 96

Merchant marine
Rank: 48

Ports and terminals: Leixoes Lisbon Setubal Sines


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Disputes international: Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: seizing record amounts of Latin American cocaine destined for Europe; a European gateway for Southwest Asian heroin; transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin