Portuguese Republic

National name: República Portuguesa

President: Aníbal Cavaco Silva (2006)

Prime Minister: José Sócrates (2005)

Land area: 35,382 sq mi (91,639 sq km); total area: 35,672 sq mi (92,391 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 10,605,870 (growth rate: 0.4%); birth rate: 10.7/1000; infant mortality rate: 5.0/1000; life expectancy: 77.7; density per sq mi: 300

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Lisbon, 2,618,100 (metro. area), 559,400

Other large city: Oporto, 264,200

Monetary unit: Euro (formerly escudo)

Languages: Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official, but locally used)

Ethnicity/race: homogeneous Mediterranean stock; less than 100,000 citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization; East Europeans have entered since 1990

Religions: Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant (1995)

Literacy rate: 93% (2003 est.).

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $196.3 billion; per capita $18,600. Real growth rate: 0.8%. Inflation: 2.4%. Unemployment: 7.3%. Arable land: 17%. Agriculture: grain, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats, swine, poultry, dairy products; fish. Labor force: 5.52 million; services 60%, industry 30%, agriculture 10% (1999 est.). Industries: textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metals and metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; rubber and plastic products; ceramics; electronics and communications equipment; rail transportation equipment; aerospace equipment; ship construction and refurbishment; wine; tourism. Natural resources: fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore, uranium ore, marble, arable land, hydropower. Exports: $38.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): clothing and footwear, machinery, chemicals, cork and paper products, hides. Imports: $60.35 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum, textiles, agricultural products. Major trading partners: Spain, France, Germany, UK, U.S., Italy, Netherlands (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 5.3 million (yearend 1998); mobile cellular: 3,074,194 (1999). Radio broadcast stations: AM 47, FM 172 (many are repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998). Radios: 3.02 million (1997). Television broadcast stations: 62 (plus 166 repeaters). Televisions: 3.31 million (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000). Internet users: 4.4 million (2002).

Transportation: Railways: total: 2,850 km (2002). Highways: total: 68,732 km; paved: 59,110 km (including 797 km of expressways); unpaved: 9,622 km (2000). Waterways: 820 km navigable; relatively unimportant to national economy, used by shallow-draft craft limited to 300 metric-ton or less cargo capacity. Ports and harbors: Aveiro, Funchal (Madeira Islands), Horta (Azores), Leixoes, Lisbon, Porto, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Praia da Vitoria (Azores), Setubal, Viana do Castelo. Airports: 66 (2002).

International disputes: Portugal has periodically reasserted claims to territories around the town of Olivenza, Spain.

 

Go to Country details page