Portugal

republicIndependence 1140

Portugal as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 75 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalLisbon

Area92,080 km2

Populationas each edition published it

10.45 million July 1992 · 10.35m in 1990

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 0.36% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 37.6 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 74.89 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.4 children per woman 1992 · 1.5 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

10 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 14 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $9,000 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 1.1% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Total area

92,080km2

Comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana

Coastline

1,793km

Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitationExclusive economic zone: 200 nmTerritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

1,214km

Spain 1,214 km

Land area

91,640 km2; includes Azores and Madeira Islands

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%

Note

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

People

14 fields

Population

10,448,509

(July 1992), growth rate 0.4% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

12Death

10Net migration

Religions

Roman Catholic 97%Protestant denominations 1%other 2%

Literacy

85%

(male 89%, female 82%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun - Portuguese (singular and plural); 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

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

Republic

19 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

70%

Dr. Mario Lopes SOARES 70%Basilio HORTA 14%Carlos CARVALHAS 13%Carlos MARQUES 3%

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

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

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;
Center Democratic Party;
United Democratic Coalition (CDU; Communists)

Elections

President:: last held 13 February 1991 (next to be held NA 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 NA October 1995);
results - PSD 50.4%, PS 29.3%, CDU 8.8%, Center Democrats 4.4%, National Solidarity Party 1.7%, PRD 0.6%, other 4.8%;
seats - (230 total) PSD 135, PS 72, CDU 17, Center Democrats 5, National Solidarity Party 1

Communists

Portuguese Communist Party claims membership of 200,753 (December 1983)

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 PSC 83, APO AE 09726);
telephone [351] (1) 726-6600 or 6659, 8670, 8880;
FAX [351] (1) 726-9109;
there is a US Consulate in Oporto and 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

Although Portugal has experienced strong growth since joining the EC in 1986 | - at least 4% each year through 1990 - it remains one of the poorest | members.

17 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

12.0%

(1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

4.0%

(1991 est.)

External debt

$15.0billion

(1991 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$27.0 billionExpenditures

$33.9 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $6.7 billion (1991 est.)

Overview

Although Portugal has experienced strong growth since joining the EC in 1986 - at least 4% each year through 1990 - it remains one of the poorest members. To prepare for the European single market, the government is restructuring and modernizing the economy and in 1989 embarked on a major privatization program. The global slowdown and tight monetary policies to counter inflation caused growth to slow in 1991, but it is likely to recover in 1992.

GDP

purchasing power equivalent - $87.3 billion, per capita $8,400; real growth rate 2.7% (1991 est.)

Exports

$16.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990)

commodities:: cotton textiles, cork and paper products, canned fish, wine, timber and timber products, resin, machinery, appliances
partners:: EC 74%, other developed countries 13.2%, US 4.8%

Imports

$25.1 billion (c.i.f., 1990)

commodities:: machinery and transport equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, petroleum, textiles
partners:: EC 69.1%, other developed countries 11.4% less developed countries 15.1%, US 3.9%

Industrial production

growth rate 9.1% (1990); accounts for 40% of GDP

Electricity

6,729,000 kW capacity; 16,000 million kWh produced, 1,530 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 6.1% of GDP and about 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

Illicit drugs

increasingly import gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.8 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.2 billion

Currency

Portuguese escudo (plural - escudos); 1 Portuguese escudo (Esc) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

Portuguese escudos (Esc) per US$1 - 143.09 (March 1992), 144.48 (1991), 142.55 (1990), 157.46 (1989), 143.95 (1988), 140.88 (1987)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 53 ships by typeone square, one ship

short-sea passenger 1cargo 20refrigerated cargo 3container 3roll-on/roll-off cargo 1petroleum tanker 13chemical tanker 2bulk 8vehicle carrier; 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 253 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 738,774 GRT/1,300,787 DWT

Airports, 65 total, 62 usable

permanent-surface runways

36runways over | 3,659 m

1runways 2,440-3,659 m

12runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

73,661Inland waterways

820

Highways: ; 61,599 km surfaced (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: ; relatively unimportant to national economy, used by shallow-draft craft limited to 300-metric-ton cargo capacity

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 surfaced (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; petroleum products 58 km

Ports

Leixoes, Lisbon, Porto, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Velas (Azores), Setubal, Sines

Civil air

43 major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

generally adequate integrated network of coaxial cables, open wire and radio relay;
2,690,000 telephones;
broadcast stations - 57 AM, 66 (22 repeaters) FM, 66 (23 repeaters) TV;
6 submarine cables;
3 INTELSAT earth stations (2 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean), EUTELSAT, domestic satellite systems (mainland and Azores);
tropospheric link to Azores