Portugal

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

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

0-14 years:

16.7% (male 916,106; female 840,574)

15-64 years:

66.4% (male 3,454,970; female 3,535,108)

65 years and over:

16.9% (male 735,407; female 1,041,980) (2004 est.)

at birth:

1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.09 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.71 male(s)/female

total population:

0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

noun:

Portuguese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Portuguese

• 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

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 Pedro SANTANA LOPES (since 17 July 2004);
• note - Prime Minister Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO resigned 5 July 2004 to take over the Presidency of the European Commission;
• Prime Minister Pedro SANTANA LOPES and his government resigned 11 December 2004, but will stay on in a caretaker capacity until February 2005 elections

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 2001 (next to be held NA January 2006);
• 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:

Jorge SAMPAIO reelected president; percent of vote - Jorge SAMPAIO (Socialist) 55.8%, Joaquim FERREIRA Do Amaral (Social Democrat) 34.5%, Antonio ABREU (Communist) 5.1%

• Green Ecologist Party or PEV [Heloisa APOLONIA];
• Popular Party or PP [Paulo PORTAS];
• Portuguese Communist Party or PCP [Jeronimo de SOUSA];
• Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa];
• Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pedro Miguel SANTANA LOPES];
• The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Pedro Manuel Dos Reis Alves CATARINO

chancery:

2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 328-8610

FAX:

[1] (202) 462-3726

consulate(s) general:

Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), and San Francisco

consulate(s):

Los Angeles, New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island)

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Adrienne S. O'NEAL

embassy:

Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon

mailing address:

Apartado 4258, 1507 Lisboa Codex; PSC 83, APO AE 09726

telephone:

[351] (21) 727-3300

FAX:

[351] (21) 726-9109

consulate(s):

Ponta Delgada (Azores)

lowest 10%:

3.1%

highest 10%:

28.4% (1995 est.)

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

general assessment:

Portugal's telephone system has achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities and a main line telephone density of 53%

domestic:

integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations

international:

• country code - 351;
• 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:

2,850 km

broad gauge:

2,576 km 1.668-m gauge (623 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

274 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)

total:

68,732 km

paved:

59,110 km (including 1441 km of expressways)

unpaved:

9,622 km (2000)

• gateway country for Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market (especially from Brazil);
• transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe;
• consumer of Southwest Asian heroin