Official name Republic of Portugal, Port República Portuguesa, ancient Lusitania
Local name Portugal Timezone GMT Area 91 630 km²/35 370 sq mi population total (2002e) 10 384 000 Status Republic Capital Lisbon Languages Portuguese (official), with many dialectal variations Ethnic groups Homogeneous (Mediterranean stock), with small African minority Religions Roman Catholic (97%), Protestant (1%), Muslim minority Physical features Located on W side of Iberian peninsula; includes semi-autonomous Azores and Madeira Is; chief mountain range, the Serra da Estrêla (N), rising to 1991 m/6532 ft; main rivers, Douro, Tagus, Guadiana, are the lower courses of rivers beginning in Spain. Climate Cool, maritime climate in N; warmer Mediterranean type in S; most rainfall in winter; average annual temperature 11°C (Jan), 22°C (Jul) in Lisbon; average annual rainfall 686 mm/27 in; record temperatures caused widespread forest fires in C and S regions (Aug 2003); serious forest fires in S (Jul 2004), C and N regions (Aug 2005), C region (Jul 2006). Currency 1 euro (EUR) = 100 cents (previous to February 2002, 1 Escudo (PTE) = 100 centavos). Economy Several labour-intensive areas, including textiles, leather, wood products, cork, ceramics; timber; wine, fish; chemicals, electrical machinery, steel, shipbuilding; minerals, cereals, pulses, fruit, olive oil; c.20% of land is forested. GDP (2002e) $195·2 bn, per capita $19 400 Human Development Index (2002) 0·880 History Became a kingdom under Alfonso Henriques in 1140; major period of world exploration and beginning of Portuguese Empire in 15th-c; under Spanish domination, 15801640; invaded by the French, 1807; island of Azores granted semi-autonomy, 1895; monarchy overthrown and republic established, 1910; dictatorship of Dr Salazar, 192868; military coup in 1974, followed by 10 years of political unrest under 15 governments; island of Madeira gained partial autonomy, 1980; Macao still administered by Portugal; joined European Union (formerly EC), 1986; governed by a President, elected for five years, a Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, and a unicameral Assembly of the Republic.|
República Portuguesa Portuguese Republic |
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| Motto: none | |||||
| Anthem: A Portuguesa | |||||
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Capital (largest city) |
Lisbon 38°46′N 9°11′W |
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| Official languages | Portuguese1 | ||||
| Government | Parliamentary democracy | ||||
| - President | Aníbal Cavaco Silva | ||||
| - Prime Minister | José Sócrates | ||||
| Formation | 868 | ||||
| - Independence | June 24, 1128 | ||||
| - Kingdom | July 25, 1139 | ||||
| - Recognized | October 5, 1143 | ||||
| Accession to EU | January 1, 1986 | ||||
| Area | |||||
| - Total |
92,391 km² (110th) 35,672 sq mi |
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| - Water (%) | 0.5 | ||||
| Population | |||||
| - July 2006 estimate | 10,605,870 (75th) | ||||
| - 2001 census | 10,148,259 | ||||
| - Density |
114/km² (87th) 295/sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2005 estimate | ||||
| - Total | $203.4 billion (41st) | ||||
| - Per capita | $19,335 (37th) | ||||
| HDI (2004) | 0.904 (high) (28th) | ||||
| Currency | Euro (€)2 (EUR) | ||||
| Time zone | WET3 (UTC) | ||||
| - Summer (DST) | WEST (UTC+1) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .pt4 | ||||
| Calling code | +351 | ||||
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1 Mirandese and Portuguese Sign Language are officially recognized and protected.
2 Prior to 1999: Portuguese escudo. |
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Coordinates: 38°42′N 9°11′W Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa;
The territory which forms the modern Portuguese Republic has witnessed a constant flow of civilizations during the past 3,100 years, since the earlier pre-Roman inhabitants, to the Roman, Germanic, and Moorish peoples who made an imprint on the country's culture, history, language, and ethnic composition. Portugal is a developed country, a member of the European Union since 1986, and a founding member of NATO and Eurozone.
History
Portugal came into existence as an independent nation on June 24, 1128, when Count Afonso of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, defeated his mother in battle, Countess Teresa, and her lover, Fernão Peres de Trava, thereby establishing himself as sole leader.
Afonso and his successors, aided by military monastic orders, pushed southward to drive out the Moors, as the size of Portugal covered about half of its present area.
In 1373, Portugal made an alliance with England, which is the longest-standing alliance in the world.
In 1383, the king of Castile, husband of the daughter of the Portuguese king who had died without a male heir, claimed his throne.
In 1415, the Portuguese empire arose when a fleet conquered Ceuta, a prosperous Islamic trade center in North Africa.
Throughout the 15th century, Portuguese explorers sailed the coast of Africa, establishing trading posts as they looked for a route to India and its spices, which were coveted in Europe.
In 1500, Pedro Álvares Cabral landed in Brazil and claimed it for Portugal.
Portugal's independence was interrupted between 1580 and 1640.
In 1910, a revolution deposed the Portuguese monarchy, but chaos continued and considerable economic problems were aggravated by a disastrous military intervention in the First World War, which led to a military coup d'état in 1926. Portugal joined the European Union in 1986, and ever since Portugal has engaged in a process of convergence with its EU counterparts.
Government and Politics
Portugal is a democratic republic ruled by the constitution of 1976.
The four main governing components are the president of the republic, the assembly of the republic, the government, and the courts.
The president, who is elected to a five-year term, has a supervising, nonexecutive role.
The government is headed by the prime minister, who chooses a Council of Ministers, made up of ministers and their assistants, the secretaries of state.
The courts are organized into categories, including judicial, administrative, and fiscal.
Foreign Relations and Military
Portugal has been a member of NATO since 1949, the European Union since 1986, and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries since 1996.
The only international dispute concerns the municipality of Olivenza, which Spain received in 1801 under the Treaty of Badajoz and has since administered.
The armed forces have three branches: Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Administrative Divisions
Portugal has an administrative structure of 308 municipalities (Portuguese singular/plural: concelho/concelhos), which are subdivided into more than 4,000 parishes (freguesia/freguesias). Municipalities are grouped for administrative purposes into superior units, the most significant being the classification since 1976 into either mainland Portugal (Portugal Continental) or the autonomous regions of Portugal (Azores and Madeira).
Geography and Climate
Continental Portugal is split by its main river, the Tagus (Tejo).
Snow is usual in the northern half of the nation, around the 40 N parallel.
The islands of the Azores and Madeira are located in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The climate can be classified as Mediterranean in the south and Oceanic in the north. One of the warmest European countries, yearly temperature averages in mainland Portugal are 13°C (55°F) in the north and 18°C (64°F) in the south.
Economy
Portugal joined the European Union in 1986 and started a process of modernization within the framework of a stable environment.
Major industries include oil refineries, automotive, cement production, pulp and paper industry, textile, footwear, furniture, and cork (the world's leading producer).
Energy, Transportation and Communications
In June 2006, U.S. energy companies GE Energy, PowerLight Corp. and Portuguese renewable energy company Catavento began building the world's largest solar power plant in southeast Portugal.
The world's first commercial wave farm opened in October 2006 in northern Portugal.
As of 2006, 55% of electricity production was from coal and fuel power plants.
Transportation was seen as a priority in the 1990s, pushed by the growing use of automobiles and industrialization.
The two principal metropolitan areas have subway systems: Lisbon Metro and Porto Metro, each with more than 35 km (22 mi) of lines.
Portugal has one of the highest mobile phone penetration rates in the world.
The most important airports are in Lisbon, Faro (Algarve), Oporto, Funchal (Madeira), and Ponta Delgada (Azores).
Demographics
The country is fairly homogeneous linguistically and religiously.
In the 2001 census, the population was 10,356,117, of which 51.7% was female.
Portugal, long a country of emigration, has now become a country of net immigration, and not just from the former Indian and African colonies.
Education
The educational system is divided into preschool (for those under age 6), basic education (9 years, in three stages, compulsory), secondary education (3 years), and higher education (university and polytechnic).
Portuguese universities have existed since 1290 and were first established in Lisbon before moving to Coimbra.
Law
The Portuguese legal system is part of the civil law legal system, also called the continental family legal system.
Religion
Portuguese society is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic.
The practice of religion shows striking regional differences.
Culture
Portugal has developed a specific culture while being influenced by various civilizations that have crossed the Mediterranean or were introduced during the Age of Discovery.
Portuguese literature, one of the earliest Western literatures, developed through text and song.
Portuguese music encompasses a wide variety of genres.
Traditional architecture is distinctive. Modern Portugal has given the world renowned architects Eduardo Souto de Moura and Álvaro Siza Vieira.
Since the 1990s, Portugal has increased the number of public cultural facitilies, in addition to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation established in 1956.
Cuisine
Cuisine is particularly diverse. The Portuguese have a reputation for loving cod (bacalhau in Portuguese), for which, it is said, there are 365 recipes (i.e, one for each day of the year): pastéis de bacalhau, bacalhau à Brás, and bacalhau à Gomes de Sá are some of the most popular ones.
Wines have been exported since the time of the Romans, who associated Portugal with Bacchus, their god of wine and feasting. Many famous Portuguese wines are known as some of the world's best: Vinho Verde, Vinho Alvarinho, Vinho do Douro, Vinho do Alentejo, Vinho do Dão, Vinho da Bairrada and the sweet: Port Wine, Madeira wine and the Moscatels of Setúbal and Favaios (Douro).
Sports and Games
Football is the most known, loved and practiced sport.
The Portuguese national team, Selecção Nacional, has won two FIFA World Youth Championships and several other UEFA youth championships.
SL Benfica, Sporting Clube de Portugal and FC Porto, are the main clubs, often known as "os três grandes" ("the big three"). Benfica is the most popular club in Portugal with more than 160000 affiliates and is recognised by the Guinness World Records as the club with more affiliates in the world. Sporting Clube de Portugal has won a European Cup Winners' Cup.
Portugal has a successful rink hockey team, with 15 world titles and 20 european titles, making it the country with more wins in both competitions.
The Portuguese national team of Rugby Sevens is also strong, becoming one of the strongest teams, proving their status as European champions.
Francis Obikwelu again won two European gold medals in the 100 m and the 200 m in 2006, having already received gold and silver medals in 2004 and a silver in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
In the triathlon, Vanessa Fernandes, three times European champion in elite sub-23, won the silver medal in the world championships and became the winner of 2006's World Cup by winning 12 consecutive Grand Prix (world record tied).
Festivals and Holidays
Festivals play a major role during the summer.
Facts and figures
Official date format: YYYY/MM/DD (ex.Neighbouring countries
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