Portugal

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Portugal

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name República Portuguesa/Republic of Portugal Area 92,000 sq km/35,521 sq mi (including the Azores and Madeira) Capital Lisbon Language Portuguese (official) Religion Roman Catholic 97% Time difference GMT +1 Major holidays 1 January, 25 April, 10 June, 15 August, 5 October, 1 November, 1, 8, 24–25 December; variable: Carnival, Corpus Christi, Good Friday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Porto, Coimbra, Amadora, Setúbal, Funchal, Braga, Vila Nova de Gaia Major ports Porto, Setúbal Physical features mountainous in the north (Serra da Estrêla mountains); plains in the south; rivers Minho, Douro, Tagus (Tejo), Guadiana Airports six international airports; domestic services operate between these; total passengers carried: 7.6 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 3,599 km/2,236 mi; total passenger journeys: 151 million (2003) Roads total road network: 72,600 km/45,112 mi, of which 86% paved (2003 est); passenger cars: 463.2 per 1,000 people (2002 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Aníbal Cavaco Silva from 2006 Head of government José Sócrates from 2005 Political system liberal democracy Political executive dual executive Administrative divisions 18 districts and two autonomous regions Political parties Social Democratic Party (PSD), moderate left of centre; Socialist Party (PS), left of centre; People's Party (PP), right wing, anti-European integration Death penalty abolished in 1976 Armed forces 44,900; plus 211,000 reservists and paramilitary forces of 48,000 (2006 est) Conscription four months Defence spend (% GDP) 2.3 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 5.8 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 6.7 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency euro (escudo until 2002) GDP (US$) 173.1 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 1.2 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 170.7 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 19,730 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 2.7% (2006 est) Unemployment 7.7% (2006 est) Labour force 12.1% agriculture, 31.5% industry, 56.5% services (2004) Major trading partners Spain, Germany, France, Italy, UK, USA Resources limestone, granite, marble, iron, tungsten, copper, pyrites, gold, uranium, coal, forests Industries textiles and clothing, footwear, paper pulp, cork items (world's largest producer of cork), chemicals, petroleum refining, fish processing, viticulture, electrical appliances, ceramics, tourism Exports machinery and equipment, textiles, clothing, footwear, pulp and waste paper, wood and cork manufactures, tinned fish, wine, refined petroleum. Principal market: EU 79.4% (2005) Imports foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, crude petroleum, agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, coal, rubber, plastics, tobacco. Principal source: EU 73.5% (2005) Arable land 17.3% (2006 est) Agricultural products wheat, maize, rice, potatoes, tomatoes, grapes, olives, fruit; fishing (1993 sardine catch was the world's largest at 89,914 tonnes)


POPULATION

Population 10,545,000 (2006 est) Population growth rate 0.4% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 110 (2005 est) Urban population (% of total) 56 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 16%, 15–59 62%, 60+ 22% (2005 est) Ethnic groups most of the population is descended from Caucasoid peoples who inhabited the whole of the Iberian peninsula in classical and pre-classical times; there are a number of minorities from Portugal's overseas possessions and former possessions Life expectancy 75 (men); 81 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 5 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 9 Literacy rate 96% (men); 92% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 32.4 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 3.6 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.4 (2003 est) AIDS deaths <1,000 (2005 est)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 40.4 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 109.1 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 306 (2000 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 421 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 13.3 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 28.5 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

2nd century BC Romans conquered Iberian peninsula. 5th century AD Iberia overrun by Vandals and Visigoths after fall of Roman Empire. 711 Visigoth kingdom overthrown by Muslims invading from North Africa. 997–1064 Christians resettled northern area, which came under rule of Léon and Castile. 1139 Afonso I, son of Henry of Burgundy, defeated Muslims; the area became an independent kingdom. 1340 Final Muslim invasion defeated. 15th century Age of exploration: Portuguese mariners surveyed coast of Africa, opened sea route to India (Vasco da Gama), and reached Brazil (Pedro Cabral). 16th century ‘Golden Age’: Portugal flourished as commercial and colonial power. 1580 Philip II of Spain took throne of Portugal. 1640 Spanish rule overthrown in bloodless coup; Duke of Braganza proclaimed as King John IV. 1668 Spain recognized Portuguese independence. 1755 Lisbon devastated by earthquake. 1807 Napoleonic France invaded Portugal; Portuguese court fled to Brazil. 1807–11 Peninsular War; British forces played leading part in liberating Portugal from French rule. 1820 Liberal revolution forced King John VI to return from Brazil and accept constitutional government. 1822 First Portuguese constitution adopted. 1828 Dom Miguel blocked succession of his niece, Queen Maria, and declared himself absolute monarch; civil war ensued between liberals and conservatives. 1834 Queen Maria regained throne with British, French, and Brazilian help; constitutional government restored. 1840s Severe disputes between supporters of radical 1822 constitution and more conservative 1826 constitution. late 19th century Government faced severe financial difficulties; rise of socialist, anarchist, and republican parties. 1908 Assassination of King Carlos I. 1910 Portugal became republic after three-day insurrection forced King Manuel II to flee. 1911 New regime adopted liberal constitution, but republic proved unstable, violent, and corrupt. 1916–18 Portugal fought in World War I on Allied side. 1926–51 Popular military coup installed Gen António de Fragoso Carmona as president. 1933 Authoritarian ‘Estado Novo’ (‘New State’) constitution adopted. 1949 Founding member of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 1974 Army seized power to end stalemate situation in African colonial wars. 1975 Portuguese colonies achieved independence. 1976 First free elections in 50 years. 1986 Mario Soares of Socialist Party (PS) became first civilian president in 60 years; Portugal joined European Community (EC). 1989 Social Democrat government started to dismantle socialist economy and privatize major industries. 1996 PS candidate Jorge Sampaio elected president. 2001 Sampaio re-elected for second term. Threat from BSE disease to livestock industry. 2002 Portugal adopted single European currency (euro); Social Democrat leader José Manuel Durão Barroso formed centre-right coalition government after PS defeat in general election. 2003 Devastating forest fires. 2004 Barroso resigned as prime minister to become president of European Commission. 2005 PS victory in general elections; José Sócrates became prime minister. More forest fires exacerbated by drought. 2006 Aníbal Cavaco Silva, centre-right prime minister 1985–1995, elected president. 2007 Portugal took over six-month presidency of European Union from July.


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