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Country information - Portugal

Portugal has witnessed a constant flow of different civilizations during the past 3100 years. Iberian, Tartessian, Celtic, Phoenician and Carthaginian, Greek, Roman, Germanic and Moorish cultures have all made an imprint on the country.

The name of the Country itself reveals most of the country's early history, stemming from the Roman name Portus Cale, a possibly mixed Greek and Latin name meaning "Beautiful Port", or even mixed Celtic and Latin or mixed Phoenician and Latin.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal was a major economic, political, and cultural power, its empire stretching from Brazil to the Indies. 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 and tsunami, which killed more than a third of the capital population and devastated the Algarve as well.

From 1801 Portugal suffered occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and Portugal lost even more by the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony.

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.

	Geography	Portugal

Location

Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain

Area	total: 92,391 sq km

Land	91,951 sq km

Water

440 sq km

Land boundaries

total: 1,214 km

Border countries

Spain 1,214 km

Coastline

1,793 km

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

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

Natural hazards

Azores subject to severe earthquakes

	People	Portugal

Population

10,566,212

Nationality

noun: Portuguese (singular and plural)

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

Religions

Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant (1995)

Languages

Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)

	Government	Portugal

Country name

conventional long form: Portuguese Republic

Conventional short form

Portugal

Local long form

Republica Portuguesa

Local short form

Portugal

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Capital

Lisbon

Administrative divisions

18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito); Aveiro, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, and Viseu and 2 autonomous regions (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Acores (Azores), Madeira , Independence: 1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (independent republic proclaimed)

National holiday

Portugal Day (Day of Portugal), 10 June (1580)

Constitution

25 April 1976; revised many times

Legal system

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 Jorge Sampaio (since 9 March 1996)

Head of government

Prime Minister Jose Socrates (since 12 March 2005)

Cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

Elections

president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 January 2001 (next to be held January 2006); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president

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 20 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009); Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura)

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	Portugal

Portugal is a market economy. Over the past decade, successive governments have privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy, including the financial and telecommunications sectors. Portugal developed an increasingly service-based economy and it was one of the eleven founding countries of the Euro in 1999, with very restrictive criteria, and began circulating the new currency on January 1, 2002 along with twelve other EU members.

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 government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness while keeping the budget deficit within the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP ceiling.

Labor force

5.52 million

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 10%, industry 30%, services 60%

Unemployment rate

7.3%

Population below poverty line

Household income by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.1%, highest 10%: 28.4%

Agriculture - products

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

Industries

textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metals and metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; rubber and plastic products; ceramics; electronics and communications equipment; rail transportation equipment; aerospace equipment; ship construction and refurbishment; wine; tourism

Currency (code)

euro (EUR)