Portugal

Internet country code

.pt

Internet hosts

1.858 million (2008)

Internet users

3.549 million (2007)

Radio broadcast stations

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

Telephone system

general assessment: Portugal's telephone system has achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations international: country code - 351; a combination of submarine cables provide connectivity to Europe, North and East Africa, South Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the US; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores (1998)

Telephones - main lines in use

4.139 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular

13.413 million (2007)

Television broadcast stations

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

Agriculture - products

grain, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats, swine, poultry, dairy products; fish

Budget

revenues: $96.01 billion expenditures: $101.9 billion (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

7.92% (31 December 2007)

Currency (code)

euro (EUR)

Current account balance

-$21.75 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$461.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

38.5 (2007)

Economy - overview

Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community in 1986. Over the past two decades, 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 had been above the EU average for much of the 1990s, but fell back in 2001-07. GDP per capita stands at roughly two-thirds of the EU-27 average. 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 budget deficit surged to an all-time high of 6% of GDP in 2005, but the government reduced the deficit to 2.6% in 2007 - a year ahead of Portugal's targeted schedule. Nonetheless, the government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness while keeping the budget deficit within the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP ceiling.

Electricity - consumption

48.02 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports

2.153 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports

9.641 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production

44.83 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Exports

$51.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities

agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision

Exports - partners

Spain 27.1%, Germany 12.9%, France 12.3%, UK 5.9%, US 4.8%, Angola 4.5%, Italy 4% (2007)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$223.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$232.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 8.2% industry: 25.4% services: 66.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$21,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.8% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$75.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities

agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision instruments, computer accessories and parts, semi-conductors and related devices, household goods, passenger cars new and used, and wine products

Imports - partners

Spain 29.5%, Germany 12.9%, France 8.4%, Italy 5.2%, Netherlands 4.6% (2007)

Industrial production growth rate

2.3% (2007 est.)

Industries

textiles, clothing, footwear, wood and cork, paper, chemicals, auto-parts manufacturing, base metals, diary products, wine and other foods, porcelain and ceramics, glassware, technology, telecommunications; ship construction and refurbishment; tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.4% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

21.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Labor force

5.618 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 10% industry: 30% services: 60% (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$66.98 billion (2005)

Natural gas - consumption

4.112 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports

4.095 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

301,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports

50,490 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports

390,300 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - production

6,281 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

NA bbl

Public debt

63.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$11.55 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$54.85 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$91.19 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$451.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money

NA (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

8% (2007 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 (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, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 11.09 cu km/yr (10%/12%/78%) per capita: 1,056 cu m/yr (1998)

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

6,500 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

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

Land use

arable land: 17.29% permanent crops: 7.84% other: 74.87% (2005)

Location

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

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

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

Natural hazards

Azores subject to severe earthquakes

Natural resources

fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower

Terrain

mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south

Total renewable water resources

73.6 cu km (2005)

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 (Lisbon), Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu

Capital

name: Lisbon geographic coordinates: 38 43 N, 9 08 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Constitution

adopted 2 April 1976; note - subsequent revisions of the Constitution placed the military under strict civilian control, trimmed the powers of the president, and laid the groundwork for a stable, pluralistic liberal democracy; as well, they allowed for the privatization of nationalized firms and the government-owned communications media

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 Thomas F. STEPHENSON embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon mailing address: Apartado 43033, 1601-301 Lisboa; 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 Joao DE VALLERA chancery: 2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 350-5400 FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726 consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), San Francisco consulate(s): New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island)

Executive branch

chief of state: President Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 9 March 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa (since 12 March 2005) 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 (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011); 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: Anibal CAVACO SILVA elected president; percent of vote - Anibal CAVACO SILVA 50.6%, Manuel ALEGRE 20.7%, Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES 14.3%, Jeronimo DE SOUSA 8.5%, Franciso LOUCA 5.3%

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

republic; parliamentary democracy

Independence

1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed)

International organization participation

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, CPLP, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

based on 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 20 February 2005 (next to be held in Fall 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PS 45.1%, PSD 28.7%, CDU 7.6%, CDS/PP 7.3%, BE 6.4%, other 4.9%; seats by party - PS 121, PSD 75, CDU 14, CDS/PP 12, BE 8

National holiday

Portugal Day (Day of Portugal), 10 June (1580); note - also called Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes (1524-80) died

Political parties and leaders

Democratic and Social Center/Popular Party or CDS/PP [Paulo PORTAS]; Green Ecologist Party (The Greens) or PEV [leadership commission elected by members]; Portuguese Communist Party or PCP [Jeronimo DE SOUSA]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Manuela FERREIRA Leite]; The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA]; Unitarian Democratic Coalition or CDU [Jeronimo DE SOUSA] (includes PCP and PEV)

Political pressure groups and leaders

the media

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 is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 2,573,913 females age 16-49: 2,498,262 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 2,099,647 females age 16-49: 2,060,559 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 64,910 female: 58,599 (2008 est.)

Military branches

Portuguese Army (Exercito Portugues), Portuguese Navy (Marinha Portuguesa; includes Marine Corps), Portuguese Air Force (Forca Aerea Portuguesa, FAP) (2008)

Military expenditures

2.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory military service ended in 2004; women serve in the armed forces, on naval ships since 1993, but are prohibited from serving in some combatant specialties; reserve obligation to age 35 (2007)

Age structure

0-14 years: 16.4% (male 912,995/female 835,715) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 3,514,905/female 3,555,097) 65 years and over: 17.4% (male 764,443/female 1,093,755) (2008 est.)

Birth rate

10.45 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate

10.62 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Education expenditures

5.5% of GDP (2005)

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

0.4% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

22,000 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.04 years male: 74.78 years female: 81.53 years (2008 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: 39.1 years male: 37 years female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Portuguese (singular and plural) adjective: Portuguese

Net migration rate

3.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Population

10,676,910 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate

0.305% (2008 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%, unknown 9%, none 3.9% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.49 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Disputes - international

Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz

Illicit drugs

seizing record amounts of Latin American cocaine destined for Europe; a European gateway for Southwest Asian heroin; transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin

Airports

66 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 44 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Merchant marine

total: 117 by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 36, carrier 1, chemical tanker 15, container 6, liquefied gas 9, passenger 10, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 15 foreign-owned: 84 (Bahamas 1, Belgium 7, Belgium 1, Denmark 3, Germany 20, Greece 4, Hong Kong 2, Italy 12, Japan 15, Mexico 1, Netherlands 1, Spain 11, Sweden 3, Switzerland 2, US 1) registered in other countries: 15 (Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 1, Italy 1, Malta 3, Panama 9) (2008)

Pipelines

gas 1,098 km; oil 11 km; refined products 188 km (2007)

Ports and terminals

Leixoes, Lisbon, Setubal, Sines

Railways

total: 2,786 km broad gauge: 2,603 km 1.668-m gauge (1,351 km electrified) narrow gauge: 183 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways

total: 82,900 km paved: 71,294 km (includes 2,300 km of expressways) unpaved: 11,606 km (2005)

Waterways

210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2006)