1993 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1993 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 92,080 km2 land area: 91,640 km2 comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands
Climate
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
Coastline
1,793 km
Environment
Azores subject to severe earthquakes
International disputes
sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor Province) disputed with Indonesia
Irrigated land
6,340 km2 (1989 est.)
Land boundaries
total 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%
Location
Southern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean west of Spain
Map references
Africa, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Maritime claims
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
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
People and Society
Birth rate
11.59 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate
9.77 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
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
9.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Labor force
4,605,700 by occupation: services 45%, industry 35%, agriculture 20% (1988)
Languages
Portuguese
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 74.89 years male: 71.43 years female: 78.56 years (1993 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 85% male: 89% female: 82%
Nationality
noun: Portuguese (singular and plural) adjective: Portuguese
Net migration rate
1.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Population
10,486,140 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate
0.36% (1993 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant denominations 1%, other 2%
Total fertility rate
1.45 children born/woman (1993 est.)
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)
Constitution
25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982 and 1 June 1989
Dependent areas
Macau (scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China on 20 December 1999)
Digraph
PO
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission: Ambassador Francisco Jose Laco Treichler KNOPFLI chancery: 2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008 telephone: (202) 328-8610 consulates general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), and San Francisco consulates: Los Angeles, New Bedford (Massachusetts), and Providence (Rhode Island)
Executive branch
president, Council of State, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
FAX
[351] (1) 726-9109 consulate: Ponta Delgada (Azores)
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)
Member of
AfDB, Australian Group, 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, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Names
conventional long form: Portuguese Republic conventional short form: Portugal local long form: Republica Portuguesa local short form: Portugal
National holiday
Day of Portugal, 10 June
Political parties and leaders
Social Democratic Party (PSD), Anibal CAVACO Silva; Portuguese Socialist Party (PS), Antonio GUTERRES; Party of Democratic Renewal (PRD), Pedro CANAVARRO; Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), Carlos CARVALHAS; Social Democratic Center (CDS), Manuel MONTEIRO; 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
18 years of age; universal
Type
republic
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: Ambassador Everett Ellis BRIGGS embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600 Lisbon mailing address: PSC 83, APO AE 09726 telephone: [351] (1) 726-6600 or 6659, 8670, 8880
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 6.1% of GDP and 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 $27.3 billion; expenditures $33.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $4.5 billion (1991)
Currency
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
6,624,000 kW capacity; 26,400 million kWh produced, 2,520 kWh per capita (1992)
Exchange rates
Portuguese escudos (Esc) per US$1 - 145.51 (January 1993), 135.00 (1992), 144.48 (1991), 142.55 (1990), 157.46 (1989), 143.95 (1988)
Exports
$16.3 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.) commodities: cotton textiles, cork and paper products, canned fish, wine, timber and timber products, resin, machinery, appliances partners: EC 75.4%, other developed countries 12.4%, US 3.8% (1991)
External debt
$16.9 billion (1992 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Illicit drugs
increasingly important gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market
Imports
$26.0 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, petroleum, textiles partners: EC 72%, other developed countries 10.9% less developed countries 12.9%, US 3.4%
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)
9% (1992)
National product
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $93.7 billion (1992)
National product per capita
$9,000 (1992)
National product real growth rate
1.1% (1992)
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. As of 1 January 1993, Lisbon has fully liberalized its capital markets and most trade markets. The global slowdown and tight monetary policies to counter inflation caused growth to slow in 1991 and 1992. Growth probably will remain depressed in 1993, but should pick up again in 1994.
Unemployment rate
5% (1992)
Communications
Airports
total: 64 usable: 62 with permanent-surface runways: 36 with runways over 3,659 m: 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 10 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 11
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
51 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 634,072 GRT/1,130,515 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 21 cargo, 3 refrigerated cargo, 3 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 13 oil tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 5 bulk, 2 liquified gas; 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
3,625 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 microwave 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 - $2.4 billion, 2.9% of GDP (1992)
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 2,696,325; fit for military service 2,188,041; reach military age (20) annually 88,735 (1993 est.)