Portugal

Portugal 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 is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.

Portugal Information

• Population: 10,524,145 (July 2004 est.)
• Nationality: noun: Portuguese (singular and plural) adjective: Portuguese
• Location:: Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
• Religions:: Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant (1995)
• 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
• Land Boundaries:: total: 1,214 km border countries: Spain 1,214 km
• Area: total: 92,391 sq km land: 91,951 sq km note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands water: 440 sq km
• Coast Line: 1,793 km
• Climate: maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
• Terrain: mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south
• Maritime Claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
• Land Use: arable land: 21.75% permanent crops: 7.81% other: 70.44% (2001)
• Environmental Issues: soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas
• Natural Resources: fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower
• Highways: total: 68,732 km paved: 59,110 km (including 1441 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,622 km (2000)
• Railways: total: 2,850 km broad gauge: 2,576 km 1.668-m gauge (623 km electrified) narrow gauge: 274 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
• Ports & Harbours: Aveiro, Funchal (Madeira Islands), Horta (Azores), Leixoes, Lisbon, Porto, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Praia da Vitoria (Azores), Setubal, Viana do Castelo
• Airports: 66 (2003 est.)