Portugal

National name

República Portuguesa

Government Parliamentary democracy.

Geography
Portugal occupies the western part of the Iberian Peninsula. The country is crossed by three large rivers that rise in Spain, flow into the Atlantic and divide the country into three geographic areas. The Minho River, part of the northern boundary, cuts through a mountainous area that extends south to the vicinity of the Douro River. South of the Douro, the mountains slope to the plains around the Tejo River. The remaining division is the southern one of Alentejo.

Historical 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 EU in 1986.

Facts & Figures

Name

PORTUGAL

Capital

Lisbon

Government

Parliamentary republic

Language

Portuguese

Religion

Many Portuguese holidays, festivals and traditions have a Christian origin or connotation. Although relations between the Portuguese state and the Roman Catholic Church were generally amiable and stable since the earliest years of the Portuguese nation

Area

92,090 km2

Population

February 2011 estimate     10,647,267[2] (77th) 2001 census 10,355,824

Currency

Euro (€)2 (EUR)

GDP(PPP)

2010 estimate Total  $234.945 billion

GDP(nominal)

2010 estimate Total $225.972 billion

Time Zone

WET3 (UTC0) Summer (DST) WEST (UTC+1)