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

total:

11.09 cu km/yr (10%/12%/78%)

per capita:

1,056 cu m/yr (1998)

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

at birth:

1.067 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.09 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.7 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2010 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

name:

Lisbon

geographic coordinates:

38 43 N, 9 08 W

time difference:

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

• 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 (Lisbon), Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu

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

chief of state:

President Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 9 March 2006)

head of government:

Prime Minister Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa (since 12 March 2005)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

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 (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011);
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president

election results:

Anibal CAVACO SILVA elected president; percent of vote - Anibal CAVACO SILVA 50.6%, Manuel ALEGRE 20.7%, Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES 14.3%, Jeronimo DE SOUSA 8.5%, Franciso LOUCA 5.3%

• Democratic and Social Center/Popular Party or CDS/PP [Paulo PORTAS];
• Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa];
• Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pedro Manuel PASSOS COELHO];
• The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA];
• Unitarian Democratic Coalition or CDU [Jeronimo DE SOUSA] (includes Portuguese Communist Party or PCP and Ecologist Party ("The Greens") or PEV)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Joao DE VALLERA

chancery:

2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 328-8610

FAX:

[1] (202) 462-3726

consulate(s) general:

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

consulate(s):

New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island)

chief of mission:

Ambassador-designate Allan J. KATZ

embassy:

Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon

mailing address:

Apartado 43033, 1601-301 Lisboa; PSC 83, APO AE 09726

telephone:

[351] (21) 727-3300

FAX:

[351] (21) 726-9109

consulate(s):

Ponta Delgada (Azores)

• two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the national coat of arms (armillary sphere and Portuguese shield) centered on the dividing line;
• explanations for the color meanings are ambiguous, but a popular interpretation has green symbolizing hope and red the blood of those defending the nation

name:

"A Portugesa" (The Song of the Portuguese)

lyrics/music:

Henrique LOPES DE MENDOCA/Alfredo KEIL

note: adopted 1910; "A Portuguesa" was originally written to protest the Portuguese monarchy's acquiescence to the 1890 British ultimatum forcing Portugal to give up areas of Africa; the lyrics refer to the "insult" that resulted from the event

agriculture:

10%

industry:

30%

services:

60% (2007 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.1%

highest 10%:

28.4% (1995 est.)

• grain, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes;
• sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, dairy products;
• fish

• textiles, clothing, footwear, wood and cork, paper, chemicals, auto-parts manufacturing, base metals, diary products, wine and other foods, porcelain and ceramics, glassware, technology, telecommunications;
• ship construction and refurbishment;
• tourism

agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision instruments, computer accessories and parts, semi-conductors and related devices, household goods, passenger cars new and used, and wine products

general assessment:

Portugal's telephone system has a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities

domestic:

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

international:

• country code - 351;
• a combination of submarine cables provide connectivity to Europe, North and East Africa, South Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the US;
• satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat;
• tropospheric scatter to Azores (2008)

• the publicly-owned TV broadcaster operates 2 domestic channels and external service channels to Africa;
• overall, roughly 40 domestic TV stations;
• viewers have widespread access to international broadcasters with more than half of all households connected to multi-channel cable or satellite TV systems;
• publicly-owned radio operates 3 national networks and provides regional and external services;
• several privately-owned national radio stations and some 300 regional and local commercial radio stations (2008)

total:

2,786 km

country comparison to the world: 59

broad gauge:

2,603 km 1.668-m gauge (1,351 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

183 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)

total:

82,900 km

country comparison to the world: 57

paved:

71,294 km (includes 2,613 km of expressways)

unpaved:

11,606 km (2008)

• 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
• no compulsory military service;
• women serve in the armed forces, on naval ships since 1993, but are prohibited from serving in some combatant specialties;
• reserve obligation to age 35 (2010)

males age 16-49:

2,572,007

females age 16-49:

2,474,719 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

2,104,945

females age 16-49:

2,034,912 (2010 est.)

male:

62,628

female:

55,737 (2010 est.)

• seizing record amounts of Latin American cocaine destined for Europe;
• a European gateway for Southwest Asian heroin;
• transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe;
• consumer of Southwest Asian heroin