Portugal

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

16 (2000)

Internet country code

.pt

Internet users

4.4 million (2002)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 47, FM 172 (many are repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: undergoing rapid development in recent years, Portugal's telephone system, by the end of 1998, achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities and a main line telephone density of 53% domestic: 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 - main lines in use

5.3 million (yearend 1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular

3,074,194 (1999)

Television broadcast stations

62 (plus 166 repeaters) note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands (1995)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $45 billion expenditures: $48 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Currency

euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Currency code

EUR

Debt - external

$13.1 billion (1997 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

35.6 (1994-95)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $271 million (1995)

Economy - overview

Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community in 1986. 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. The country qualified for the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU member economies. Economic growth has been above the EU average for much of the past decade, but fell back in 2001-03. GDP per capita stands at 70% of that of the leading EU economies. 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 coalition government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness and to keep the budget deficit within the 3% EU ceiling.

Electricity - consumption

41.48 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

3.479 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

3.743 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

44.32 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 64.5% hydro: 31.3% other: 4.1% (2001) nuclear: 0%

Exchange rates

euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94 (1999)

Exports

$25.9 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Exports - commodities

clothing and footwear, machinery, chemicals, cork and paper products, hides

Exports - partners

Spain 20.3%, Germany 18.4%, France 12.6%, UK 10.5%, US 5.8%, Italy 4.8%, Belgium 4.5% (2002)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $195.2 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 3.6% industry: 28.7% services: 67.7% (2001)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $19,400 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

0.4% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 28.4% (1995 est.)

Imports

$39 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum, textiles, agricultural products

Imports - partners

Spain 28.1%, Germany 15%, France 10.2%, Italy 6.5%, UK 5.2%, Netherlands 4.5% (2002)

Industrial production growth rate

1.5% (2002 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.7% (2002 est.)

Labor force

5.1 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation

services 60%, industry 30%, agriculture 10% (1999 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

2.542 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

2.553 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption

339,800 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

28,830 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

357,300 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

4.7% (2002 est.)

Area

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

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 (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in the 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban

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

6,320 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

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

Land use

arable land: 20.57% permanent crops: 7.74% other: 71.69% (1999 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Natural hazards

Azores subject to severe earthquakes

Natural resources

fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore, uranium ore, marble, arable land, hydropower

Terrain

mountainous north of the Tagus River, 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

Capital

Lisbon

Constitution

25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982, 1 June 1989, 5 November 1992, and 3 September 1997

Country name

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador John N. PALMER embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon mailing address: PSC 83, APO AE 09726 telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300 FAX: [351] (21) 726-9109 consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Pedro Manuel Dos Reis Alves CATARINO consulate(s): Los Angeles, New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island) consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), and San Francisco FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726 telephone: [1] (202) 328-8610 chancery: 2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

Executive branch

chief of state: President Jorge SAMPAIO (since 9 March 1996) note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president head of government: Prime Minister Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO (since 6 April 2002) 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 NA 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 election results: Jorge SAMPAIO reelected president; percent of vote - Jorge SAMPAIO (Socialist) 55.8%, Joaquim FERREIRA Do Amaral (Social Democrat) 34.5%, Antonio ABREU (Communist) 5.1%

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

1143 (independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910)

International organization participation

AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMISET, UPU, WCL, WCO, 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 17 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - PSD 40.1%, PS 37.8%, PP 8.7%, PCP/PEV 6.9%, The Left Bloc 2.7%; seats by party - PSD 105, PS 96, PP 14, PCP/PEV 12, The Left Bloc 3

National holiday

Portugal Day, 10 June (1580)

Political parties and leaders

The Greens or PEV [no leader]; Popular Party or PP [Paulo PORTAS]; Portuguese Communist Party/The Greens or PCP/PEV [Carlos CARVALHAS]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Eduardo Ferro RODRIGUES]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO]; United Democratic Coalition or CDU [Carlos CARVALHAS]; The Left Bloc [no leader]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

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, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and 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 entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.

Military branches

Army, Navy (PON) (includes Marines), Air Force, Republican Guard (includes Fiscal Guard)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$1.286 billion (FY99/00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.2% (FY99/00)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 2,520,852 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 2,017,678 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - military age

20 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 67,816 (2003 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 16.8% (male 874,198; female 825,742) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 3,326,957; female 3,461,425) 65 years and over: 16% (male 651,697; female 962,003) (2003 est.)

Birth rate

11.45 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate

10.21 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.5% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

27,000 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 5.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 6.26 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.35 years male: 72.86 years female: 80.07 years (2003 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.3% male: 95.5% female: 91.3% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 37.6 years male: 35.8 years female: 39.3 years (2002)

Nationality

noun: Portuguese (singular and plural) adjective: Portuguese

Net migration rate

0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Population

10,102,022 (July 2003 est.)

Population growth rate

0.17% (2003 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant (1995)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.49 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Disputes - international

Portugal has periodically reasserted claims to territories around the town of Olivenza, Spain

Illicit drugs

gateway country for Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin

Airports

66 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 40 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 7 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 25 (2002)

Highways

total: 68,732 km paved: 59,110 km (including 1441 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,622 km (2000)

Merchant marine

total: 132 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 993,325 GRT/1,533,255 DWT ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 62, chemical tanker 18, container 7, liquefied gas 8, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 4, petroleum tanker 10, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 5, short-sea passenger 3, vehicle carrier 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 1, British Virgin Islands 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 6, Germany 20, Greece 1, Iceland 1, Italy 16, Lebanon 1, Liberia 1, Monaco 2, Norway 5, Panama 5, Spain 22, Switzerland 8, UK 1, Virgin Islands (UK) 1 (2002 est.)

Pipelines

gas 482 km (2003)

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: 2,850 km broad gauge: 2,576 km 1.668-m gauge (623 km electrified) narrow gauge: 274 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)

Waterways

820 km note: relatively unimportant to national economy, used by shallow-draft craft limited to 300 metric-ton or less cargo capacity