1995 Edition

Area

total area: 92,080 sq km land area: 91,640 sq km 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

current issues: soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas natural hazards: Azores subject to severe earthquakes international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

International disputes

sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor Province) disputed with Indonesia

Irrigated land

6,340 sq km (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

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

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the 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

Age structure

0-14 years: 18% (female 943,412; male 1,000,971) 15-64 years: 68% (female 3,625,086; male 3,499,176) 65 years and over: 14% (female 889,142; male 604,601) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

11.72 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

9.65 deaths/1,000 population (1995 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

9.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

4.24 million (1994 est.) by occupation: services 54.5%, manufacturing 24.4%, agriculture, forestry, fisheries 11.2%, construction 8.3%, utilites 1.0%, mining 0.5% (1992)

Languages

Portuguese

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.53 years male: 72.11 years female: 79.16 years (1995 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

1.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

10,562,388 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

0.36% (1995 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant denominations 1%, other 2%

Total fertility rate

1.47 children born/woman (1995 est.)

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 (Assembleia da Republica)

elections last held 6 October 1991 (next to be held NA October 1995); results - PSD 50.4%, PS 29.3%, CDU 8.8%, CDS 4.4%, PSN 1.7%, PRD 0.6%, other 4.8%; seats - (230 total) PSD 136, PS 71, CDU 17, CDS 5, PSN 1

Capital

Lisbon

Constitution

25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982 and 1 June 1989

Council of State

acts as a consultative body to the president cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime minister

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: [1] (202) 328-8610

Executive branch

chief of state: President Dr. Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES (since 9 March 1986); election 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%; note - SOARES is finishing his second term and by law cannot run for a third consecutive term head of government: Prime Minister Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 6 November 1985); note - will be replaced in the October 1995 elections

FAX

[1] (202) 462-3726 consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), and San Francisco consulate(s): Los Angeles, New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island), and Washington, DC

[351] (1) 7269109 consulate(s): 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

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

Member of

AfDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WEU, WFTU, 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 (1580)

Political parties and leaders

Social Democratic Party (PSD), Fernando NOGUEIRA; 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 (PSN), Manuel SERGIO; Center Democratic Party (CDS); United Democratic Coalition (CDU; Communists)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley BAGLEY embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600 Lisbon mailing address: PSC 83, Lisbon; APO AE 09726 telephone: [351] (1) 7266600, 7266659, 7268670, 7268880

Agriculture

accounts for 5% of GDP; 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: $31 billion expenditures: $41 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994)

Currency

1 Portuguese escudo (Esc) = 100 centavos

Economic aid

recipient: 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

capacity: 8,220,000 kW production: 29.5 billion kWh consumption per capita: 2,642 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

Portuguese escudos (Esc) per US$1 - 158.02 (January 1995), 165.99 (1994), 160.80 (1993), 135.00 (1992), 144.48 (1991), 142.55 (1990)

Exports

$15.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: clothing and footwear, machinery, cork and paper products, hides and skins partners: EU 75.5%, other developed countries 12.4%, US 4.3% (1994)

External debt

$20 billion (1993 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

increasingly important gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market; transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe

Imports

$24.3 billion (c.i.f., 1993) 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 1.5% (1994 est.); accounts for 30.6% of GDP

Industries

textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; wine; tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6.1% (May 1994)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $107.3 billion (1994 est.)

National product per capita

$10,190 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

1.4% (1994 est.)

Overview

Portugal's economy contracted 0.4% in 1993 but registered a 1.4% growth in 1994, with 3% growth expected in 1995 and 1996. This comeback rests on high levels of public investment, continuing strong export growth, and a gradual recovery in consumer spending. The government's long-run economic goal is the modernization of Portuguese markets, industry, infrastructure, and work force in order to catch up with productivity and income levels of the more advanced EU countries. Per capita income now equals only 55% of the EU average. Economic policy in 1994 focused on reducing inflationary pressures by lowering the fiscal deficit, maintaining a stable escudo, moderating wage increases, and encouraging increased competition. The government's medium-term objective is to be in the first tier of the EU countries eligible to join the economic and monetary union (EMU) as early as 1997. To this end, the 1995 budget posits a cut in total deficit to 5.8% of GDP.

Unemployment rate

6.7% (May 1994)

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 57, FM 66 (repeaters 22), shortwave 0 radios: NA

Telephone system

2,690,000 telephones local: NA intercity: generally adequate integrated network of coaxial cables, open wire and microwave radio relay, domestic satellite earth stations international: 6 submarine cables; 3 INTELSAT (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), EUTELSAT earth stations; tropospheric link to Azores

Television

broadcast stations: 66 (repeaters 23) televisions: NA

Airports

total: 65 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 5 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 18 with paved runways under 914 m: 29 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 2

Highways

total: 70,176 km paved and graveled: 60,351 km (519 km of expressways) unpaved: earth 9,825 km

Inland waterways

820 km navigable; relatively unimportant to national economy, used by shallow-draft craft limited to 300 metric-ton cargo capacity

Merchant marine

total: 65 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 852,785 GRT/1,545,804 DWT ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 28, chemical tanker 5, container 4, liquefied gas tanker 2, oil tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1, short-sea passenger 1 note: Portugal has created a captive register on Madeira for Portuguese-owned ships; ships on the Madeira Register (MAR) will have taxation and crewing benefits of a flag of convenience; in addition, Portugal owns 25 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 155,776 DWT that operate under Panamanian and Maltese registry

Pipelines

crude oil 22 km; petroleum products 58 km

Ports

Aveiro, Funchal (Madeira Islands), Horta (Azores), Leixoes, Lisbon, Porto, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Praia da Vitoria (Azores), Setubal, Viana do Castelo

Railroads

total: 3,068 km broad gauge: 2,761 km 1.668-m gauge (439 km electrified; 426 km double track) narrow gauge: 307 km 1.000-m gauge

Branches

Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force, National Republican Guard, Fiscal Guard, Public Security Police

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $2.4 billion, 2.9% of GDP (1994) ________________________________________________________________________ PUERTO RICO (commonwealth associated with the US)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 2,747,357; males fit for military service 2,223,299; males reach military age (20) annually 90,402 (1995 est.)