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NAVIGATION
Portuguese Republic
Republica Portuguesa
GOVERNMENT
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Portuguese Republic
conventional short form: Portugal local long form: Republica Portuguesa local short form: Portugal |
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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Lisbon |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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1143 (independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910) |
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National holiday:
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Portugal Day, 10 June (1580) |
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Constitution:
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25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982, 1 June 1989, 5 November 1992, and 3 September 1997 |
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Legal system:
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civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Jorge SAMPAIO (since 9 March 1996)
note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president head of government: Prime Minister Jose Manuel DURAO Barroso (since 6 April 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister 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% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - PSD 40.1%, PS 37.8%, PP 8.7%, PCP/PEV 6.9%, The Left Bloc 2.7%; seats by party - PSD 105, PS 96, PP 14, PCP/PEV 12, The Left Bloc 3 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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The Greens or PEV [no leader]; Popular Party or PP [Paulo PORTAS]; Portuguese Communist Party/The Greens or PCP/PEV [Carlos CARVALHAS]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Eduardo Ferro RODRIGUES]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Jose Manuel DURAO Barroso]; United Democratic Coalition or CDU [leader NA]; The Left Bloc [no leader] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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AfDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Pedro Manuel Dos Reis Alves CATARINO
consulate(s): Los Angeles, New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island) consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), and San Francisco FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726 telephone: [1] (202) 328-8610 chancery: 2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador John N. PALMER
embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon, Apartado 4258, 1507 Lisboa CODEX mailing address: PSC 83, APO AE 09726 telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300 FAX: [351] (21) 727-9109 consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores) |
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Flag description:
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two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the dividing line |
ECONOMY
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Economy - overview:
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Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community in 1986. Over the past decade, successive governments have privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy, including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The country qualified for the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating its new currency, the euro, on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU member economies. Economic growth has been above the EU average for much of the past decade, but fell back in 2001-02. GDP per capita stands at 75% of that of the leading EU economies. A poor educational system, in particular, has been an obstacle to greater productivity and growth. Portugal has been increasingly overshadowed by lower-cost producers in Central Europe and Asia as a target for foreign direct investment. The new coalition government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness and to keep the budget deficit within the 3% EU ceiling. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $182 billion (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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0.8% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $18,000 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 4%
industry: 29% services: 68% (2001) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 28% (1995 est.) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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36 (1994-95 ) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.7% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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5.1 million (2000) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 60%, industry 30%, agriculture 10% (1999 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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4.7% (2002 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $45 billion
expenditures: $48 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
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Industries:
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textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; wine; tourism |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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1.5% (2002 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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43.242 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 70%
hydro: 26% other: 4% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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41.146 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - exports:
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3.767 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - imports:
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4.698 billion kWh (2000) |
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Agriculture - products:
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grain, potatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats, poultry, beef, dairy products |
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Exports:
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$25.9 billion f.o.b. (2001) |
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Exports - commodities:
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clothing and footwear, machinery, chemicals, cork and paper products, hides |
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Exports - partners:
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EU 79.7% (Germany 19.2%, Spain 18.6%, France 12.6%, UK 10.3%, Benelux 5.4%), US 5.8% (2001) |
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Imports:
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$39 billion f.o.b. (2001) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum, textiles, agricultural products |
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Imports - partners:
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EU 74.2% (Spain 26.5%, Germany 13.9%, France 10.3%, Italy 6.7%, UK 5.0%), US 3.8%, Japan 1.9% (2001) |
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Debt - external:
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$13.1 billion (1997 est.) |
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Economic aid - donor:
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ODA, $271 million (1995) (1995) |
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Currency:
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euro (EUR); Portuguese escudo (PTE)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries |
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Currency code:
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EUR; PTE |
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Exchange rates:
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euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Portuguese escudos per US dollar - 180.10 (1998), 175.31 (1997) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |