Portugal

Radio broadcast stations

AM 57, FM 66 (repeaters 22), shortwave 0

Radios

2.2 million (1993 est.)

Telephone system

domestic: generally adequate integrated network of coaxial cables, open wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations international: 6 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station for Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean Region) is planned

Telephones

3,444,300 (1994 est.)

Television broadcast stations

66 (repeaters 23)

Televisions

2,970,892 (1993 est.)

Agriculture - products

grain, potatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats, poultry, meat, dairy products

Budget

revenues: $48 billion expenditures: $52 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.4 billion (1996 est.)

Currency

1 Portuguese escudo (Esc) = 100 centavos

Debt - external

$13.6 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid

donor: ODA, $248 million (1993) recipient : ODA, $70 million (1993)

Economy - overview

Portugal's short-term economic fundamentals remain strong: the economy has grown by more than 2% during the past two years, with similar growth expected in 1997. The Socialist government's primary economic goal is to place Portugal in the first group of countries adopting the single European currency, and it has instituted a disciplined 1997 budget to bolster Lisbon's chances. Portuguese government forecasts suggest that it is likely to meet partially the Maastricht monetary convergence criteria by lowering its budget deficit from 4% of GDP in 1996 to 2.9% in 1997, although the government predicts that government debt will be cut only to 68% of GDP, overshooting Maastricht's 60% target. Social programs - a priority for the Socialists - will still grow slightly faster than GDP in 1997, mandating strict budget discipline in other areas. As for the long run, Portugal is increasing its infrastructure spending - much of it in anticipation of hosting the world's International Exposition in 1998 - while working to modernize its capital plant and increase competitiveness in hopes of increasing Portugal's GDP, which remains below 65% of the EU's average GDP per capita.

Electricity - capacity

8.83 million kW (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita

2,863 kWh (1995 est.)

Electricity - production

33.1 billion kWh (1995)

Exchange rates

Portuguese escudos (Esc) per US$1 - 160.35 (January 1997), 154.24 (1996), 151.11 (1995), 165.99 (1994), 160.80 (1993), 135.00 (1992)

Exports

total value: $25.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: clothing and footwear, machinery, cork and paper products, hides partners : EU 80%, other developed countries 9% (US 4.5%)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $122.1 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture : 6% industry: 36% services: 58% (1995 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $12,400 (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.5% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value: $34.2 billion (c.i.f., 1996) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, petroleum, textiles partners: EU 72%, other developed countries 8% (US 3%), less developed countries 17%

Industrial production growth rate

2.2% (1996 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate - consumer price index

3.4% (1996 est.)

Labor force

total: 4.53 million (1996 est.) by occupation : services 54.5%, manufacturing 24.4%, agriculture, forestry, fisheries 11.2%, construction 8.3%, utilities 1.0%, mining 0.5% (1992)

Unemployment rate

7% (1996 est.)

Area

total: 92,391 sq km land: 91,951 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Indiana

Climate

maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south

Coastline

1,793 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point : Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Ponta do Pico in Azores 2,351 m

Environment - current issues

soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, 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, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Tropical Timber 94

Geographic coordinates

39 30 N, 8 00 W

Geography - note

Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

Irrigated land

6,300 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 1,214 km border countries: Spain 1,214 km

Land use

arable land : 26% permanent crops: 9% permanent pastures: 9% forests and woodland: 36% other : 20% (1993 est.)

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 hazards

Azores subject to severe earthquakes

Natural resources

fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore, uranium ore, marble

Terrain

mountainous north of the Tagus, rolling plains in south

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

Constitution

25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982, 1 June 1989, and 5 November 1992

Country name

conventional long form: Portuguese Republic conventional short form: Portugal local long form: Republica Portuguesa local short form: Portugal

Data code

PO

Dependent areas

Macau (scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China on 20 December 1999)

Diplomatic representation from the US

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Fernando Antonio de Lacerda ANDRESEN GUIMARAES chancery: 2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone : [1] (202) 328-8610

Executive branch

chief of state: President Jorge SAMPAIO (since 9 March 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Antonio Manuel de Oliviera GUTERRES (since 28 October 1995) 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; election last held 14 January 1996 (next to be held NA January 2001); following assembly elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Jorge SAMPAIO elected president; percent of vote - Jorge SAMPAIO (Socialist) 53.8%, Anibal CAVACO SILVA (Conservative) 46.2%

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), Washington, DC

FAX

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

1140 (independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910)

International organization participation

AfDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UPU, WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica, judges appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura

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 or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections : last held 1 October 1995 (next to be held by NA October 1999) election results: percent of vote by party - PSD 34.0%, PS 43.8%, CDU 8.6%, CDS/PP 9.1%; seats by party - PSD 88, PS 112, CDU 15, CDS/PP 15

National capital

Lisbon

National holiday

Day of Portugal, 10 June (1580)

Political parties and leaders

Social Democratic Party or PSD [Marcelo Rebelo DE SOUSA]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Antonio GUTERRES]; Portuguese Communist Party or PCP [Carlos CARVALHAS]; Popular Party or PP [Manuel MONTEIRO], may have joined the CDS for the election; National Solidarity Party or PSN [Manuel SERGIO]; Center Democratic Party or CDS; United Democratic Coalition or CDU (communists)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Military branches

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$2.07 billion (1996)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.9% (1996)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 2,543,502 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males: 2,049,806 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - military age

20 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 80,494 (1997 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 17% (male 895,294; female 848,133) 15-64 years: 68% (male 3,280,015; female 3,429,007) 65 years and over: 15% (male 605,074; female 873,522) (July 1997 est.)

Birth rate

10.75 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

10.3 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

Portuguese

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.42 years male: 72.02 years female: 79.04 years (1997 est.)

Literacy

definition : age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85% male: 89% female: 82% (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun: Portuguese (singular and plural) adjective: Portuguese

Net migration rate

-0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Population

9,931,045 (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.01% (1997 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over : 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.36 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Disputes - international

sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor province) disputed with Indonesia and not recognized by the UN

Illicit drugs

important gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market; transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin PUERTO RICO (commonwealth associated with the US)

Airports

67 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total : 66 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 32 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: 68,732 km paved: 59,110 km (including 587 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,622 km (1995 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 84 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 556,069 GRT/906,790 DWT ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 47, chemical tanker 6, container 5, liquefied gas tanker 4, oil tanker 7, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, short-sea passenger 2 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; Portugal owns an additional 10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 322,887 DWT operating under the registries of Cyprus, Liberia, and Panama (1996 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 22 km; petroleum products 58 km note: there is a 700 km natural gas pipeline which connects with one in Spain carrying Algerian natural gas which is to open in 1997; the secondary lines that will be 300 km long have not yet been built

Ports and harbors

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

Railways

total: 3,068 km broad gauge: 2,761 km 1.668-m gauge (464 km electrified; 426 km double track) narrow gauge: 307 km 1.000-m gauge note : in 1994, Portugal had 3,520 km of track of which 464 km were electrified

Waterways

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