Background:
|
| Following its heyday as a global maritime 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 of its wealthiest colony of Brazil in 1822. 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. |
|
|
|
Location:
|
| Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
|
|
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
|
39 30 N, 8 00 W
|
|
|
Map references:
|
|
|
Area:
|
|
total: 92,090 sq km
country comparison to the world: 117
land:
91,470 sq km
water:
620 sq km
note:
includes Azores and Madeira Islands
|
|
|
Area - comparative:
|
|
slightly smaller than Indiana
|
|
|
Land boundaries:
|
|
total: 1,214 km
border countries:
Spain 1,214 km
|
|
|
Coastline:
|
|
1,793 km
|
|
|
Maritime claims:
|
|
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
continental shelf:
200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
|
|
|
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), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower
|
|
|
Land use:
|
|
arable land: 17.29%
permanent crops:
7.84%
other:
74.87% (2005)
|
|
|
Irrigated land:
|
|
6,500 sq km (2003)
|
|
|
Total renewable water resources:
|
|
73.6 cu km (2005)
|
|
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
|
|
total: 11.09 cu km/yr (10%/12%/78%)
per capita:
1,056 cu m/yr (1998)
|
|
|
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, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification
|
|
|
Geography - note:
|
|
Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar |
|
|
|
Population:
|
| 10,707,924 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
|
|
|
Age structure:
|
|
0-14 years: 16.3% (male 912,147/female 834,941)
15-64 years:
66.1% (male 3,525,717/female 3,554,513)
65 years and over:
17.6% (male 772,413/female 1,108,193) (2009 est.)
|
|
|
Median age:
|
|
total: 39.4 years
male:
37.3 years
female:
41.6 years (2009 est.)
|
|
|
Population growth rate:
|
|
0.275% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
|
|
|
Birth rate:
|
|
10.29 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
|
|
|
Death rate:
|
|
10.68 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54
|
|
|
Net migration rate:
|
|
3.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
|
|
|
Urbanization:
|
|
urban population: 59% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
1.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
|
|
Sex ratio:
|
|
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.7 male(s)/female
total population:
0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
|
|
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
|
total: 4.78 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 195
male:
5.24 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
4.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
|
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
|
total population: 78.21 years
country comparison to the world: 48
male:
74.95 years
female:
81.69 years (2009 est.)
|
|
|
Total fertility rate:
|
|
1.49 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
|
|
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
|
0.5% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
|
|
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
|
34,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
|
|
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
|
fewer than 500 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
|
|
|
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 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%, unknown 9%, none 3.9% (2001 census)
|
|
|
Languages:
|
|
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)
|
|
|
Literacy:
|
|
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
93.3%
male:
95.5%
female:
91.3% (2003 est.)
|
|
|
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
|
|
total: 15 years
male:
15 years
female:
16 years (2006)
|
|
|
Education expenditures:
|
|
5.5% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 50
|
|
|
|
|
