PORTUGAL
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 92,080 km2; land area: 91,640 km2; includes Azores and
Madeira Islands
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundary: 1,214 km with Spain
Coastline: 1,793 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor Province)
disputed with Indonesia
Climate: maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and
drier in south
Terrain: mountainous north of the Tagus, rolling plains in south
Natural resources: fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore,
uranium ore, marble
Land use: arable land 32%; permanent crops 6%; meadows and
pastures 6%; forest and woodland 40%; other 16%; includes irrigated
7%
Environment: Azores subject to severe earthquakes
Note: Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations
along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
PEOPLE
Population: 10,387,617 (July 1991), growth rate 0.3% (1991)
Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 13 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 78 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Portuguese (sing. and pl.);
adjective--Portuguese
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
Religion: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant denominations 1%,
other 2%
Language: Portuguese
Literacy: 85% (male 89%, female 82%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force: 4,605,700; services 45%, industry 35%, agriculture
20% (1988)
Organized labor: about 55% of the labor force; the
Communist-dominated General Confederation of Portuguese
Workers--Intersindical (CGTP-IN) represents more than half of the
unionized labor force; its main competition, the General Workers Union
(UGT), is organized by the Socialists and Social Democrats and represents
less than half of unionized labor
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Portuguese Republic
Type: republic
Capital: Lisbon
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
Dependent area: Macau (scheduled to become a Special Administrative
Region of China in 1999)
Independence: 1140; independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910
Constitution: 25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982 and
1 June 1989
Legal system: civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews
the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Day of Portugal, 10 June
Executive branch: president, Council of State, prime minister,
deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic
(Assembleia da Republica)
Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de
Justica)
Leaders:
Chief of State--President Dr. Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES
(since 9 March 1986);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 6
November 1985)
Political parties and leaders:
Social Democratic Party (PSD), Anibal CAVACO Silva;
Portuguese Socialist Party (PS), Jorge SAMPAIO;
Party of Democratic Renewal (PRD), Herminio MARTINHO;
Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), Alvaro CUNHAL;
Social Democratic Center (CDS), Andriano MORREIRA (interim);
National Solidarity Party, Manuel SERGIO
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held 13 February 1991 (next to be held February
1996);
results--Dr. Mario Lopes SOARES 70%, Basilio HORTA 14%, Carlos
CARVALHAS 13%, Carlos MARQUES 3%;
Assembly of the Republic--last held 6 October 1991
(next to be held October 1995);
results--Social Democrats 50.4%,
Socialists 29.3%,
United Democratic Coalition (CDU; Communists) 8.8%,
Christian Democrats 4.4%,
National Solidarity Party 1.7%,
Democratic Renewal 0.6%, other 4.8%;
seats--(230 total) Social Democrats 132, Socialists 70, United
Democratic Coalition (CDU; Communists) 17,
Christian Democrats 5,
National Solidarity Party 1; after absentee ballots counted five
seats to be allocated
Communists: Portuguese Communist Party claims membership of 200,753
(December 1983)
Member of: AfDB, 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, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, OAS (observer),
OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Joao Eduardo M. PEREIRA
BASTOS; Chancery at 2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 328-8610; there are Portuguese Consulates General in
Boston, New York, and San Francisco, and Consulates in Los Angeles,
Newark (New Jersey), New Bedford (Massachusetts), and Providence (Rhode
Island);
US--Ambassador Everett E. BRIGGS; Embassy at Avenida das Forcas
Armadas, 1600 Lisbon (mailing address is APO New York 09678-0002);
telephone 351 (1) 726-6600 or 6659, 8670, 8880; there is a US
Consulate in 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
ECONOMY
Overview: During the past four years, the economy has made a
sustained recovery from the severe recession of 1983-85. The economy
grew by 14% during the 1987-89 period, largely because of strong
domestic consumption and investment spending. Unemployment has
declined for the third consecutive year, but inflation continues to be
about three times the European Community average. The government is
pushing economic restructuring and privatization measures in anticipation
of the 1992 European Community timetable to form a single large market in
Europe.
GDP: $57.8 billion, per capita $5,580; real growth rate 3.5%
(1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13.4% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 5.5% (1990 est.)
Budget: revenues $21.6 billion; expenditures $23.8 billion,
including capital expenditures of $6.9 billion (1990)
Exports: $16.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities--cotton textiles, cork and cork products, canned fish,
wine, timber and timber products, resin, machinery, appliances;
partners--EC 72%, other developed countries 13%, US 5%
Imports: $24.9 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities--petroleum, cotton, foodgrains, industrial machinery,
iron and steel, chemicals;
partners--EC 69%, other developed countries 11%,
less developed countries 13%, US 4%
External debt: $18.4 billion (1990)
Industrial production: growth rate 4.9% (1989); accounts for
40% of GDP
Electricity: 6,729,000 kW capacity; 16,000 million kWh produced,
1,530 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork;
metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; wine; tourism
Agriculture: accounts for 9% 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
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.8
billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $1.13 billion
Currency: Portuguese escudo (plural--escudos);
1 Portuguese escudo (Esc) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Portuguese escudos (Esc) per US$1--134.46 (January
1991), 142.55 (1990), 157.46 (1989), 143.95 (1988), 140.88 (1987), 149.59
(1986), 170.39 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: 3,613 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
Highways: 73,661 km total; 61,599 km paved (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
Pipelines: crude oil, 11 km; refined products, 58 km
Ports: Leixoes, Lisbon, Porto, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Velas
(Azores), Setubal, Sines
Merchant marine: 52 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 684,350
GRT/1,190,454 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 20 cargo,
2 refrigerated cargo, 1 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo,
12 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker,
2 liquefied gas, 10 bulk, 1 combination bulk; 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
Civil air: 29 major transport aircraft
Airports: 69 total, 63 usable; 36 with permanent-surface runways; 1
with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: facilities are generally adequate; 2,690,000
telephones; stations--57 AM, 66 (22 relays) FM, 25 (23 relays) TV;
7 submarine cables; communication satellite ground stations operating in
the INTELSAT (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), EUTELSAT, and
domestic systems (mainland and Azores)
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, National
Republican Guard, Fiscal Guard, Public Security Police
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,621,116; 2,131,628 fit for
military service; 88,718 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: $1.6 billion, 3% of GDP (1990)