Portugal

arable land:

26%

permanent crops:

9%

permanent pastures:

9%

forests and woodland:

36%

other:

20% (1993 est.)

• soil erosion;
• air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions;
• water pollution, especially in coastal areas

party to:

Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban, Tropical Timber 94

0-14 years:

17% (male 881,091; female 834,775)

15-64 years:

68% (male 3,283,273; female 3,429,233)

65 years and over:

15% (male 612,221; female 886,963) (July 1998 est.)

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.69 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

noun:

Portuguese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Portuguese

• homogeneous Mediterranean stock in mainland, Azores, Madeira Islands;
• citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000

conventional long form:

Portuguese Republic

conventional short form:

Portugal

local long form:

Republica Portuguesa

local short form:

Portugal

• 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

• civil law system;
• the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation;
• accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

chief of state:

President Jorge SAMPAIO (since 9 March 1996)

head of government:

Prime Minister Antonio Manuel de Oliviera GUTERRES (since 28 October 1995)

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;
• election last held 14 January 1996 (next to be held NA January 2001);
• following assembly 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 elected president; percent of vote-Jorge SAMPAIO (Socialist) 53.8%, Anibal CAVACO SILVA (Social Democrat) 46.2%

• Social Democratic Party or PSD [Marcelo Rebelo DE SOUSA];
• Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Antonio GUTERRES];
• Portuguese Communist Party or PCP [Carlos CARVALHAS];
• Popular Party or PP (formerly known as Center Democratic Party or CDS) [Rebelo DE SOUSA];
• National Solidarity Party or PSN [Manuel SERGIO];
• United Democratic Coalition or CDU (communists; includes the PCP and a number of small leftist groups)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Fernando Antonio de Lacerda ANDRESEN GUIMARAES

chancery:

2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 328-8610

chief of mission:

Ambassador Gerald S. MCGOWAN

embassy:

Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600 Lisbon

mailing address:

PSC 83, APO AE 09726

telephone:

[351] (1) 727-3300

total:

4.53 million (1996 est.)

by occupation:

services 56%, manufacturing 23%, agriculture, forestry, fisheries 11%, construction 8%, utilities 1%, mining 1% (1995)

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

total value:

$23.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996)

commodities:

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

partners:

EU 76%, other developed countries 9% (US 5%)

total value:

$33.9 billion (c.i.f., 1996)

commodities:

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

partners:

EU 72%, other developed countries 8% (US 3%), less developed countries 17% (1995)

donor:

ODA, $220 million (1996)

recipient:

ODA, $70 million (1993)

domestic:

generally adequate 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

total:

3,072 km

broad gauge:

2,769 km 1.668-m gauge (528 km electrified; 426 km double track)

narrow gauge:

303 km 1.000-m gauge (1996)

total:

68,732 km

paved:

59,110 km (including 687 km of expressways)

unpaved:

9,622 km (1995 est.)

• crude oil 22 km;
• petroleum products 58 km;
• natural gas 700 km

note: the secondary lines for the natural gas pipeline that will be 300 km long have not yet been built

• important gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market;
• transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe;
• consumer of Southwest Asian heroin PUERTO RICO (commonwealth associated with the US)