1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
Coastline
1,793 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Indiana
Continental shelf
200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
Disputes
sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor Province) disputed with Indonesia
Environment
Azores subject to severe earthquakes
Exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Land area
91,640 km2; includes Azores and Madeira Islands
Land boundaries
1,214 km; Spain 1,214 km
Land use
arable land 32%; permanent crops 6%; meadows and pastures 6%; forest and woodland 40%; other 16%; includes irrigated 7%
Natural resources
fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore, uranium ore, marble
Note
Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
Terrain
mountainous north of the Tagus, rolling plains in south
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
92,080 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
12 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
10 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
homogeneous Mediterranean stock in mainland, Azores, Madeira Islands; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000
Infant mortality rate
10 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
4,605,700; services 45%, industry 35%, agriculture 20% (1988)
Languages
Portuguese
Life expectancy at birth
71 years male, 78 years female (1992)
Literacy
85% (male 89%, female 82%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun - Portuguese (singular and plural); adjective - Portuguese
Net migration rate
2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
about 55% of the labor force; the Communist-dominated General Confederation of Portuguese Workers - Intersindical (CGTP-IN) represents more than half of the unionized labor force; its main competition, the General Workers Union (UGT), is organized by the Socialists and Social Democrats and represents less than half of unionized labor
Population
10,448,509 (July 1992), growth rate 0.4% (1992)
Religions
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant denominations 1%, other 2%
Total fertility rate
1.4 children born/woman (1992)
Government
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
Assembly of the Republic
last held 6 October 1991 (next to be held NA October 1995); results - PSD 50.4%, PS 29.3%, CDU 8.8%, Center Democrats 4.4%, National Solidarity Party 1.7%, PRD 0.6%, other 4.8%; seats - (230 total) PSD 135, PS 72, CDU 17, Center Democrats 5, National Solidarity Party 1
Capital
Lisbon
Chief of State
President Dr. Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES (since 9 March 1986)
Communists
Portuguese Communist Party claims membership of 200,753 (December 1983)
Constitution
25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982 and 1 June 1989
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Joao Eduardo M. PEREIRA BASTOS; Chancery at 2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 328-8610; there are Portuguese Consulates General in Boston, New York, and San Francisco, and Consulates in Los Angeles, Newark (New Jersey), New Bedford (Massachusetts), and Providence (Rhode Island) US: Ambassador Everett E. BRIGGS; Embassy at Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600 Lisbon (mailing address is PSC 83, APO AE 09726); telephone [351] (1) 726-6600 or 6659, 8670, 8880; FAX [351] (1) 726-9109; there is a US Consulate in Oporto and Ponta Delgada (Azores)
Executive branch
president, Council of State, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Flag
two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the dividing line
Head of Government
Prime Minister Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 6 November 1985)
Independence
1140; independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910
Judicial branch
Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de Justica)
Legal system
civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch
unicameral Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da Republica)
Long-form name
Portuguese Republic
Member of
AfDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Day of Portugal, 10 June
Political parties and leaders
Social Democratic Party (PSD), Anibal CAVACO Silva; Portuguese Socialist Party (PS), Jorge SAMPAIO; Party of Democratic Renewal (PRD), Herminio MARTINHO; Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), Alvaro CUNHAL; Social Democratic Center (CDS), Andriano MORREIRA (interim); National Solidarity Party, Manuel SERGIO; Center Democratic Party; United Democratic Coalition (CDU; Communists)
President
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%
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 6.1% of GDP and about 20% of labor force; 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
Budget
revenues $27.0 billion; expenditures $33.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $6.7 billion (1991 est.)
Currency
Portuguese escudo (plural - escudos); 1 Portuguese escudo (Esc) = 100 centavos
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.8 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.2 billion
Electricity
6,729,000 kW capacity; 16,000 million kWh produced, 1,530 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
Portuguese escudos (Esc) per US$1 - 143.09 (March 1992), 144.48 (1991), 142.55 (1990), 157.46 (1989), 143.95 (1988), 140.88 (1987)
Exports
$16.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: cotton textiles, cork and paper products, canned fish, wine, timber and timber products, resin, machinery, appliances partners: EC 74%, other developed countries 13.2%, US 4.8%
External debt
$15.0 billion (1991 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power equivalent - $87.3 billion, per capita $8,400; real growth rate 2.7% (1991 est.)
Illicit drugs
increasingly import gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market
Imports
$25.1 billion (c.i.f., 1990) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, petroleum, textiles partners: EC 69.1%, other developed countries 11.4% less developed countries 15.1%, US 3.9%
Industrial production
growth rate 9.1% (1990); accounts for 40% of GDP
Industries
textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; wine; tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
12.0% (1991 est.)
Overview
Although Portugal has experienced strong growth since joining the EC in 1986 - at least 4% each year through 1990 - it remains one of the poorest members. To prepare for the European single market, the government is restructuring and modernizing the economy and in 1989 embarked on a major privatization program. The global slowdown and tight monetary policies to counter inflation caused growth to slow in 1991, but it is likely to recover in 1992.
Unemployment rate
4.0% (1991 est.)
Communications
Airports
65 total, 62 usable; 36 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
43 major transport aircraft
Highways
73,661 km total; 61,599 km surfaced (bituminous, gravel, and crushed stone), including 140 km of limited-access divided highway; 7,962 km improved earth; 4,100 km unimproved earth (motorable tracks)
Inland waterways
820 km navigable; relatively unimportant to national economy, used by shallow-draft craft limited to 300-metric-ton cargo capacity
Merchant marine
53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 738,774 GRT/1,300,787 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 20 cargo, 3 refrigerated cargo, 3 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 13 petroleum tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 8 bulk, 2 vehicle carrier; note - Portugal has created a captive register on Madeira (MAR) for Portuguese-owned ships that will have the taxation and crewing benefits of a flag of convenience; although only one ship currently is known to fly the Portuguese flag on the MAR register, it is likely that a majority of Portuguese flag ships will transfer to this subregister in a few years
Pipelines
crude oil 11 km; petroleum products 58 km
Ports
Leixoes, Lisbon, Porto, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Velas (Azores), Setubal, Sines
Railroads
3,613 km total; state-owned Portuguese Railroad Co. (CP) operates 2,858 km 1.665-meter gauge (434 km electrified and 426 km double track), 755 km 1.000-meter gauge; 12 km (1.435-meter gauge) electrified, double track, privately owned
Telecommunications
generally adequate integrated network of coaxial cables, open wire and radio relay; 2,690,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 57 AM, 66 (22 repeaters) FM, 66 (23 repeaters) TV; 6 submarine cables; 3 INTELSAT earth stations (2 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean), EUTELSAT, domestic satellite systems (mainland and Azores); tropospheric link to Azores
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, National Republican Guard, Fiscal Guard, Public Security Police
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $1.7 billion, 2.8% of GDP (1991)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 2,666,450; 2,166,341 fit for military service; 88,826 reach military age (20) annually