Portugal country profile

28 August 2006
by eub2 -- last modified 04 January 2008

Portugal, a country with a rich history of seafaring and discovery, looks out from the Iberian Peninsula onto the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal became a member of the European Community, now the EU, in 1986.

República Portuguesa

Portugal, a country with a rich history of seafaring and discovery, looks out from the Iberian Peninsula onto the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal's history has had a lasting impact on the culture of the country: Moorish and Oriental influences in architecture and the arts are prominent.

During the past 3 000 years, Portugal has witnessed a constant ebb and flow of civilisations. Phoenician, Greek, Celt, Carthaginian, Roman and Arabic cultures have all left their imprint. In the 15th century, Portugal’s intrepid maritime explorers led by Vasco da Gama discovered new territories, leading to the accumulation of an overseas empire.

The President, elected for a five-year term by universal suffrage, has limited powers. The parliament has 230 members, whose mandate is for four years.

The university of Coimbra, established in 1290, is one of the oldest in Europe. Among the best-known Portuguese poets are Luís de Camões and Fernando Pessoa.

During the summer, in the month of June, festivities dedicated to three saints known as Santos Populares (Popular saints) take place all over Portugal. Folk dance and music, particularly the melancholy fado, remain vibrant.

Each region of Portugal has its traditional dishes with various kinds of meat and seafood, including the hundred ways of cooking cod, the national dish.

Area: 91 985 km²
Population: 10.5 million)
Capital city: Lisbon
Currency: 1 euro = 100 cent
National day: 10 June
EU-membership: 1 January 1986

Head of State: President Aníbal Cavaco Silva
Head of Government: Prime Minister José Sócrates
Foreign Minister: Luís Filipe Marques Amado

GDP: € 144.0 billion (2005)
GDP per capita in PPS: € 13 650 (2005)
Economic growth in real terms: + 0.3% (2005)

Links:
Head of State: http://www.presidenciarepublica.pt
Government: http://www.portugal.gov.pt
Foreign Minister: http://www.min-nestrangeiros.pt
Parliament: http://www.parlamento.pt

Map of Portugal


Source: European Commission, Slovenia EU Presidency