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.

Geographic coordinates: 39 30 N 8 00 W

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 92,090 km²
Rank: 110
Land: 91,470 km²
Water: 620 km²
Note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands
Comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries
Total: 1214 km
Border countries: (1) Spain 1214 km

Coastline: 1793 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in the Azores 2,351 m

Natural resources: fish forests (cork) iron ore copper zinc tin tungsten silver gold uranium marble clay gypsum salt arable land: hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 17.29%
Permanent crops: 7.84%
Other: 74.87% (2005)

Irrigated land: 6,500 km² (2003)

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

Population: 10,707,924 (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 75
Growth rate: 0.275% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 177
Below poverty line: 18% (2006)

Nationality
Noun: Portuguese
Adjective: Portuguese

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)

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.3%
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 3,525,717/female 3,554,513)
65 years and over: 17.6% (male 772,413/female 1,108,193) (2009 est.)

Median age
Total: 39.4 years
Male: 37.3 years
Female: 41.6 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.275% (2009 est.)
Rank: 177

Birth rate: 10.29 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 191

Death rate: 10.68 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 54

Net migration rate: 3.14 migrant(s)/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 29

Urbanization
Urban population: 59% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Environment
Current issues: soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution especially in coastal areas
International agreements party to: Air Pollution Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Marine Life Conservation Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Tropical Timber 83 Tropical Timber 94 Wetlands Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Environmental Modification

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.78 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 195
Male: 5.24 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4.29 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.21 years
Rank: 48
Male: 74.95 years
Female: 81.69 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.49 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 187

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2007 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 74
People living with hivaids: 34,000 (2007 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 69
Deaths: fewer than 500 (2007 est.)
Deaths rank: 89

Education expenditures: 5.5% of GDP (2005)
Rank: 50

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 93.3%
Male: 95.5%
Female: 91.3% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 16 years (2006)

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

Government type: republic; parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Lisbon
Geographic coordinates: 38 43 N 9 08 W
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

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

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
Note: the revisions placed the military under strict civilian control trimmed the powers of the president and laid the groundwork for a stable pluralistic liberal democracy; and they allowed for the privatization of nationalized firms and the government-owned communications media

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Anibal CAVACO SILVA
Head of government: Prime Minister Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa (since 12 March 2005)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011); following legislative elections the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president
Election results: Anibal CAVACO SILVA elected president; percent of vote - Anibal CAVACO SILVA 50.6% Manuel ALEGRE 20.7% Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES 14.3% Jeronimo DE SOUSA 8.5% Franciso LOUCA 5.3%

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held 27 September 2009 (next to be held in fall 2013)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PS 37.7% PSD 30% CDS/PP 10.8% BE 10.2% CDU 8.1% other 3.2%; seats by party - PS 96 PSD 78 CDS/PP 21 BE 16 CDU 15

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

Political parties and leaders: Democratic and Social Center/Popular Party or CDS/PP [Paulo PORTAS]; Green Ecologist Party (The Greens) or PEV [leadership commission elected by members]; Portuguese Communist Party or PCP [Jeronimo DE SOUSA]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Manuela FERREIRA LEITE]; The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA]; Unitarian Democratic Coalition or CDU [Jeronimo DE SOUSA] (includes PCP and PEV)

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member) AfDB (nonregional member) Australia Group BIS CE CERN CPLP EAPC EBRD EIB EMU ESA EU FAO IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC LAIA (observer) MIGA MINURCAT NAM (guest) NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE PCA Schengen Convention SECI (observer) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL Union Latina UNMIT UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WEU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Joao DE VALLERA
In the us chancery: 2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 328-8,610
In the us fax: [1] (202) 462-3,726
In the us consulate general: Boston New York Newark (New Jersey) San Francisco
In the us consulate: New Bedford (Massachusetts) Providence (Rhode Island)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas F. STEPHENSON
From the us embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas 1600-081 Lisbon
From the us mailing address: Apartado 43,033 1601-301 Lisboa; PSC 83 APO AE 9,726
From the us telephone: [351] (21) 727-3,300
From the us fax: [351] (21) 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

Economy overview: Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community in 1986. Over the past two decades successive governments have privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The country qualified for the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU member economies. Economic growth had been above the EU average for much of the 1990s but fell back in 2001-08. GDP per capita stands at roughly two-thirds of the EU-27 average. A poor educational system in particular has been an obstacle to greater productivity and growth. Portugal has been increasingly overshadowed by lower-cost producers in Central Europe and Asia as a target for foreign direct investment. The budget deficit surged to an all-time high of 6% of GDP in 2005 but the government reduced the deficit to 2.6% in 2007 - a year ahead of Portugal's targeted schedule. Nonetheless the government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost the economy which declined 0.1% in 2008 while keeping the budget deficit within the euro-zone 3%-of-GDP ceiling.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 48
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 199

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 54
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.8%
Industry: 25%
Services: 72.2% (2008 est.)

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

Industries: textiles clothing footwear wood and cork paper chemicals auto-parts manufacturing base metals diary products wine and other foods porcelain and ceramics glassware technology telecommunications; ship construction and refurbishment; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: -2.2% (2008 est.)
Rank: 156

Labor force: 5.625 million (2008 est.)
Rank: 68
By occupation agriculture: 10%
By occupation industry: 30%
By occupation services: 60% (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate: 8% (2007 est.)
Rank: 102

Population below poverty line: 18% (2006)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.1%
Highest 10: 28.4% (1995 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index: 35.6 (1995)
Rank: 72

Budget
Revenues: $105.5 billion
Expenditures: $111.9 billion (2008 est.)

Public debt: 61.5% of GDP (2004 est.)
Rank: 19

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.4% (2007 est.)
Rank: 28

Central bank discount rate: 5% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 104
Note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 7.92% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 108

Stock of domestic credit: $412.7 billion (31 December 2007)
Rank: 20

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 44

Current account balance: -$21.18 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 181

Exports: $51.81 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 54
Commodities: agricultural products food products oil products chemical products plastics and rubber skins and leather wood and cork wood pulp and paper textile materials clothing footwear minerals and mineral products base metals machinery and tools vehicles and other transport material and optical and precision instruments
Partners: Spain 25.7% Germany 12.7% France 11.1% Angola 5.9% UK 5.3% (2008)

Imports: $75.98 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 37
Commodities: agricultural products food products oil products chemical products plastics and rubber skins and leather wood and cork wood pulp and paper textile materials clothing footwear minerals and mineral products base metals machinery and tools vehicles and other transport material and optical and precision instruments computer accessories and parts semi-conductors and related devices household goods passenger cars new and used and wine products
Partners: Spain 28.9% Germany 11.6% France 8% Italy 4.9% Netherlands 4.4% (2008)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $11.55 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 62

Debt external: $483.9 billion (31 December 2007)
Rank: 20

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $114.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 30

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $69.24 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 28

Exchange rates: euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.) 0.7345 (2007) 0.7964 (2006) 0.8041 (2005) 0.8054 (2004)

Electricity
Production: 44.47 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 51
Consumption: 48.78 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 46
Exports: 1.313 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 10.74 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 141
Consumption: 4.754 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 59
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 132
Imports: 4.763 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 33
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 145

Telephones
Main lines in use: 4.121 million (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 37
Mobile cellular: 14.91 million (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 44

Telephone system
General assessment: Portugal's telephone system has a state-of-the-art network with broadband high-speed capabilities
Domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables open-wire microwave radio relay and domestic satellite earth stations
International: country code - 351; a combination of submarine cables provide connectivity to Europe North and East Africa South Africa the Middle East Asia and the US; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores (2008)

Internet
Country code: .pt
Hosts: 1.967 million (2009)
Hosts rank: 33
Users: 4.476 million (2008)
Users rank: 45

Military expenditures: 2.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 72

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory military service ended in 2004; 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 (2007)

Airports: 65 (2009)
Rank: 76
With paved runways total: 43
With paved runways over 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 9
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With paved runways under 914 m: 11 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 22
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 21 (2009)

Pipelines: gas 1098 km; oil 11 km; refined products 188 km (2008)

Railways
Total: 2,786 km
Rank: 58
Broad gauge: 2,603 km 1.668-m gauge (1351 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 183 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Total: 82,900 km
Rank: 56
Paved: 71,294 km (includes 2,300 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 11,606 km (2005)

Waterways: 210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2008)
Rank: 96

Merchant marine
Total: 117
Rank: 48
By type: bulk carrier 10 cargo 36 carrier 1 chemical tanker 15 container 6 liquefied gas 9 passenger 10 passenger/cargo 9 petroleum tanker 4 roll on/roll off 1 specialized tanker 1 vehicle carrier 15
Foreign owned: 84 (Bahamas 1 Belgium 8 Denmark 3 Germany 20 Greece 4 Hong Kong 2 Italy 12 Japan 15 Mexico 1 Netherlands 1 Spain 11 Sweden 3 Switzerland 2 US 1)
Registered in other countries: 15 (Cyprus 1 Hong Kong 1 Italy 1 Malta 3 Panama 9) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Leixoes Lisbon Setubal Sines

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

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