NAVIGATION
|
HOME
• FLAG FINDER
• MAP FINDER
• SOURCES
• ADD YOURSELF TO THE ATLAS! COUNTRIES A-D • COUNTRIES E-K • COUNTRIES L-R • COUNTRIES S-Z |
NAVIGATION
Portuguese Republic
Republica Portuguesa
INTRODUCTION
|
Background:
|
Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal entered the EC (now the EU) in 1985. |
GEOGRAPHY
|
Location:
|
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain |
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
39 30 N, 8 00 W |
|
Map references:
|
Europe |
|
Area:
|
total: 92,391 sq km
land: 91,951 sq km note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands water: 440 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly smaller than Indiana |
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 1,214 km
border countries: Spain 1,214 km |
|
Coastline:
|
1,793 km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
|
Climate:
|
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south |
|
Terrain:
|
mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
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 |
|
Natural resources:
|
fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore, uranium ore, marble, arable land, hydropower |
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 20.57%
permanent crops: 7.74% other: 71.69% (1999 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
6,320 sq km (1998 est.) |
|
Natural hazards:
|
Azores subject to severe earthquakes |
|
Environment - current issues:
|
soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas |
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban |
|
Geography - note:
|
Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar |
PEOPLE
|
Population:
|
10,084,245 (July 2002 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 16.9% (male 875,485; female 827,670)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 3,324,215; female 3,463,301) 65 years and over: 15.8% (male 644,761; female 948,813) (2002 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
0.18% (2002 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
11.5 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
10.21 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Sex ratio:
|
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
5.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 76.14 years
female: 79.87 years (2002 est.) male: 72.65 years |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
1.48 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
0.74% (1999 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
36,000 (1999 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
280 (1999 est.) |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Portuguese (singular and plural)
adjective: Portuguese |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
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 |
|
Religions:
|
Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant (1995) |
|
Languages:
|
Portuguese |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.4% male: NA% female: NA% |