Portugal

Full name of country: Portuguese Republic

Region: Europe

Official language: Portuguese, Mirandese

Population: 10,207,177 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Portuguese (singular and plural) (noun), Portuguese (adjective)

Land area: 91,470 sq km (35,317 sq miles)

Water area: 620 sq km (239 sq miles)

Capital: Lisbon

National anthem: "A Portugesa" (The Song of the Portuguese), by Henrique Lopes De Mendoca/Alfredo Keil

National holiday: Portugal Day (Dia de Portugal), June 10 (1580); note—also called Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes (1524–80) died

Population growth: -0.14% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +0

Flag: The flag of Portugal features two horizontal bands of color, with a smaller green band on the left (or hoist) side that takes up roughly one-third of the flag, and a red band on the right side. The national coat of arms of Portugal is featured along the colors’ demarcation point and centered horizontally.

Independence: 1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); October 5, 1910 (republic proclaimed)

Government type: semi-presidential republic; parliamentary democracy

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: civil law system; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts

Portugal, known officially as the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa), is a Western European nation located on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Its only land neighbor is Spain, to the north and east; on the west and south, Portugal borders the Atlantic Ocean, where several island territories are located, including Madeira and the Azores.

Portugal's name is thought to derive from the Latin phrase "Beautiful Port," dating from its days as a Roman province. During the Age of Exploration, Portugal established a worldwide colonial empire, in places such as Brazil, India, and several regions of Africa.

Portugal was governed by a military dictatorship for much of the twentieth century, under António de Oliveira Salazar from 1932 until his death in 1968 and then by Marcello Caetano; the dictatorship was overthrown in 1974 and replaced with a parliamentary democracy. Now a member of the European Union, Portugal is noted for its rich and lengthy cultural history and its tradition of hospitality.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Portugal's population declined during the 1960s and 1970s, due to economic stagnation and the country's colonial wars. The population began growing again, in part due to immigration from the former African colonies, including Cape Verde and Angola. Portugal was ranked 42 out of 193 countries and territories on the 2022 United Nations Human Development Index.

The largest city is Lisbon, the capital, with a metropolitan population of around 3.001 million people in 2023. The second largest is Porto, with a metropolitan population of about 1.325 million (2023 estimate). Other major cities include Coimbra, Braga, and Aveiro.

Portugal has a small but growing population of immigrants, especially Brazilians, Cape Verdeans, and Angolans, many of them from the former colonies.

In 1996, Portugal formed a global community similar to the British Commonwealth of Nations, intended to link it more closely with its former colonies. Known as the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa, or CPLP), its member states include Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste.

Most inhabitants speak the Portuguese language. Thanks to Portugal's voyages of discovery and colonial expansion, Portuguese has also become a major world language spoken by people around the globe. Like Spanish, Portuguese is a Romance language, but it differs markedly from its neighbor in vocabulary and pronunciation. The Mirandese language is a protected minority language spoken in the Miranda de Douros region of northeastern Portugal, near the Douro River. This tongue is part of the family of Asturo-Leonese Romance dialects also spoken in the northwestern part of Spain.

Most Portuguese are Roman Catholics, though not all are active churchgoers. Roman Catholicism is strongly bound up with Portuguese culture, despite the official separation of church and state. The shrine at Fátima is a major site of pilgrimage, where several children were believed to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary in the early twentieth century. There are also small populations of Muslims and Hindus, largely from the former Portuguese colony of Goa, India. The Jewish population is very small due to expulsions led by the Spanish Inquisition.

Indigenous People: Portugal's modern population is largely homogeneous. Historically, most Portuguese are the descendants of the Iberian tribes who intermarried with the country's various conquerors, including the Romans, the Germanic tribes, and Arabs. Portugal has relatively small ethnic minorities. In the late 1980s, less than 1 percent of the population were foreigners. This has changed somewhat, with Portugal's increasing connection to its former colonies and Europe.

Ethnic minorities in Portugal include citizens of Asian and African descent, such as Hindus from Goa and Chinese from Macau. There are also numerous Eastern Europeans, including many Ukrainians. Many minorities have not assimilated into the Portuguese culture and face varying amounts of prejudice.

Education: Portugal has greatly improved public education since the fall of the military dictatorship. There has been a major effort to reduce illiteracy, which largely affects the older population. In the early 1990s, literacy was still as low as 80 percent. The country's literacy rate is estimated at 95.9 percent (2021 estimate).

Twelve years of schooling are compulsory for students between the ages of six and eighteen. Following primary education, secondary students can prepare for university studies or take vocational courses. In addition to the public schools, a number of private schools exist.

Historically, only the political and economic elites had access to higher education. Since the establishment of the republic in 1974, the government has sought to make higher education more accessible. Portugal has several distinguished universities, including those at Lisbon, Porto, and Coimbra. The University of Coimbra, founded in 1290, is one of the world's oldest universities. There are also several private universities in Lisbon, including the Catholic University of Portugal, sponsored by the Vatican.

After completing the bachelor's (Bacharel) or licenciate (Licenciado) degree, students may seek a master's degree (Mestre), a doctorate (Doutor), and a postdoctoral level known as the Agregação.

Health Care: Public health in Portugal was extremely poor until the late twentieth century. In 1970, toward the end of the Salazar dictatorship, the infant mortality rate was over 50 deaths per 1,000. The situation has improved dramatically since then, with greater numbers of medical personnel and health facilities under systems such as the National Health Service. Many improvements, however, have not affected rural areas, where access to quality care can be limited. In 2024, the infant mortality rate was approximately 2.4 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Food: Portuguese cuisine is basically Mediterranean, though with many differences from the foods of neighboring Spain. Portugal's location on the Atlantic coast has meant that fish (particularly cod) is an important staple. The national dish is bacalhau (salt cod), also used in a variety of Portuguese recipes.

Most meat dishes feature pork and beef. Portuguese sausages such as linguiça and chouriço are commonly roasted or used in stews. Sausages figure prominently in feijoada, a thick stew of black beans and various meats. Many aspects of Portuguese cuisine have been assimilated by the country's former colonies; feijoada, for example, is considered the national dish of Brazil.

Sweet desserts, usually flavored with cinnamon and vanilla, are very popular in Portugal. Egg custards and rice pudding are two of the most common dessert dishes.

Portugal is famous for its wines, particularly Madeira and port (the latter actually takes its name from Portugal).

Arts & Entertainment: Portugal has a long and rich cultural history, reflecting a blend of many influences. The culture is essentially Mediterranean, though with many borrowings from Africa and the Moors. Luís Vaz de Camões, also known as Camoens (1524–80) is considered the country's greatest poet. His masterpiece is "Os Lusiadas," an epic poem that retells his country's history up through the sixteenth-century voyages of discovery. One of Portugal's best-known twentieth century authors is José Saramago (1922–2010), winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Portuguese music, often known for its melancholy themes, has been heavily influenced by contact with Africa and South America. One of the best examples of this is the fado (Portuguese for "fate"), which has been compared with American blues music. This form relies heavily on sadness and nostalgia, described by the hard-to-translate term "saudade."

Football (soccer) is the country's most popular sport, and Portuguese teams regularly rank among the top ten in the world. Jogo do Pau, or stick combat, is a Portuguese sport that originated in medieval times.

Holidays: Political holidays in Portugal include Freedom Day (April 25), celebrating the end of the Salazar dictatorship in 1974. The Implantation of the Republic (October 5) celebrates the founding of the republic in 1910. The Restoration of Independence (December 1) commemorates Portugal's independence from Spain.

Many major holidays are connected with saints' days in the Roman Catholic Church. The most popular saints' days take place in June: Saint Anthony's Day (June 13), Saint John's Day (June 24), and Saint Peter's Day (June 29). As in other parts of Europe, Epiphany (January 6) is a major holiday, celebrating the arrival of the Magi to visit the baby Jesus. Carnival, the holiday that precedes the end of Lent, is also very popular.

Environment and Geography

Topography: The Portuguese mainland is known as the "continente," reflecting its location on Continental Europe. Most of Portugal lies along the Atlantic coast, a fact which has dramatically shaped Portuguese history and culture.

North of the River Douro, the country is hilly or mountainous, with rugged river valleys. The country's highest point is Ponta do Pico (2,351 meters/7,713 feet). Southern Portugal, lying south of the River Tagus (Tajo) is covered with plains and has a more Mediterranean climate. Central Portugal, lying between these two rivers, is the most heavily urbanized region. The Algarve, at the extreme southern end of the country, is Mediterranean in landscape and climate, with a strong Moorish influence.

Portugal's rivers play an important role in navigation and commerce. There are ten main rivers, five of which begin in Spain and flow west to the Atlantic. Besides the Douro and Tagus, these include the Sado, Guadiana, and Mondego.

Natural Resources: Portugal has numerous plant and mineral resources. Forests cover about one-third of the country, particularly pine, oak, olive, and eucalyptus. Mineral resources include iron ore, copper, zinc, tungsten, tin, and uranium. Portugal is a major producer of cork.

Plants & Animals: Portugal's plant life reflects the country's unique geographic position as part of Western Europe, the Mediterranean, and a neighbor of North Africa. Much of the country is forested, though the species differ depending on whether one is in the north or south. Common species in the north include pines and chestnuts. In the south, Mediterranean species are common, including oaks, olive trees, fig trees, and cork trees.

A variety of wildlife may be found in the rural regions and mountainous areas of Portugal. In rural regions, one can find deer, foxes, rabbits, hares, as well as wild goats and pigs. Wolves and lynx can be found in particularly remote mountain regions. As befits a maritime country, Portugal is particularly blessed with fish and shellfish. Portugal has several national parks and wildlife conservation areas. These include the Peneda-Gerês National Park in northwestern Portugal and the Tapada Nacional de Mafra, a former royal park and hunting area.

Climate: Portugal's climate is a mix of Mediterranean and Atlantic. Temperatures tend to be cooler to the north and inland, though sea breezes serve as a moderating influence over most of the country. The higher mountains of the Serra da Estrela chain often receive snow, but the overall climate is mild. Summer temperatures are hot, and winters are mild. The Azores and Madeira Archipelago also have generally mild climates, thanks to the sea winds.

As in other countries, ongoing climate change meant that Portugal had experienced increased temperatures as well as more frequent and severe weather conditions such as drought and flooding.

Economy

For much of the twentieth century, Portugal was one of the poorest countries in Western Europe. This has changed, however, since the end of the dictatorship and Portugal's entry into the European Union (EU) in 1986. Within the EU, Portugal once enjoyed a competitive advantage due to low labor costs; this has changed, however, since the addition of Eastern European members. Thanks to its economic reform efforts, Portugal became a founding member of the European Union's single currency zone in 1999.

The country's economy grew at a higher rate than the EU average throughout much of the 1990s. However, the economy shrank slightly in the first years of the twenty-first century, with an annual growth rate of –1.3 percent. The country was also greatly affected by the global financial crisis that began in 2007, and the economy contracted in 2009 and between 2011 and 2013. However, the economy began to show signs of recovery and growth in 2015 with increasing exports and private consumption.

Portugal's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023 was US$287.08 billion, with a per capita GDP of US$41,700.

Industry: During the dictatorship, Portugal became increasingly industrialized, but the economy remains somewhat dependent on agriculture. Since the 1990s, governments have worked to privatize many industries and modernize the country's transportation and communications infrastructure.

Portugal's industry is mostly light, though there are some heavy industries such as mining, automobile manufacturing, and chemicals. Light industries include textile, clothing, and cork production.

Agriculture: Much of mainland Portugal focuses on farming, though agriculture accounts for only a small percentage of Portugal's GDP. Major crops include cereals such as wheat and corn, as well as barley and rice. Olive plantations produce large quantities of olive oil. Fruit and nut production is also important. Many farmers also raise livestock, particularly sheep, cattle, and goats. Fishing remains important, with fishing ports found up and down the coast.

Tourism: Portugal has become an increasingly popular tourist destination, thanks in part to improved transportation and the country's membership in the European Union. Favorite destinations include large cities such as Lisbon, the capital, with its cosmopolitan culture, as well as seaside and mountain resorts. Tourists also flock to the beaches of the Algarve region, on the country's southern coast. Portugal faced increased competition from Eastern Europe as a low-cost tourist destination.

Government

Portugal is one of Europe's oldest nations, dating its independence to the early twelfth century with the reign of King Afonso I (Afonso Henriques). During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Portugal established a global empire through bold voyages of discovery, establishing colonies in Brazil, India, and parts of Africa. Portugal itself, however, fell under Spanish control from 1580 until 1640.

The Republic fell to a military coup in 1926, in the midst of economic and political turmoil following World War I. In 1933, António de Oliveira Salazar transformed the military dictatorship into the fascist-style Estado Novo ("New State"). The dictatorship became increasingly unpopular in the 1960s, due partly to disastrous African wars. In 1974, the largely nonviolent Carnation Revolution overthrew the "New State" and reestablished a parliamentary republic. Portugal is governed under its 1976 constitution, amended several times, most recently in 2005.

The president, elected by popular vote to a five-year term, serves as the head of state. The prime minister, appointed by the president from the majority party in parliament, serves as head of government and governs with the aid of the Council of Ministers, or cabinet. The president's Council of State is composed of leading political figures, including former Portuguese presidents, and other individuals appointed by the president and the Parliament.

Portugal's parliament is a single-house body known as the Assembly of the Republic. The 230 members serve four-year terms and are elected by proportional representation. The main parties tend to be centrist: the Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democratica) is center-right and the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista) is center-left. Other parties include the Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda), the Portuguese Communist Party, and the Democratic and Social Center/People's Party.

Portugal's judicial branch has several levels. The Supreme Court is the nation's highest court. The Constitutional Court, which has thirteen members, considers constitutional issues.

Local government is highly centralized. Mainland Portugal has eighteen administrative districts, each with a governor appointed by the central government. The minister of internal administration oversees local government. The Azores and the Madeira Islands are autonomous regions and enjoy extensive self-government.

In 2020, President Rebelo de Sousa asks parliament to authorize a state of emergency to combat Covid-19, the first nationwide state of emergency since becoming a democracy in 1974.

Interesting Facts

• Portugal has been allied with England since the Middle Ages. This relationship is governed by the terms of the Treaty of Windsor (1386).
• Portugal faced a political crisis in the mid-eighteenth century, due to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which destroyed much of the capital and its population. This event forced Portugal to focus on internal rebuilding, rather than its colonial empire. The rebuilding was led by the efficient and dictatorial prime minister the Marquěs de Pombal, who governed Portugal until 1779.
• Portugal was at the forefront of the Age of Exploration and was the birthplace of the great explorers Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco da Gama, Bartolomeu Dias, and Pedro Álvares Cabral.
• A brown bear had not been seen in Portugal since the nineteenth century until a lone bear that had likely strayed into the country from Spain was spotted in 2019.
• Portugal played in the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time in 2023.

Bibliography

Human Development Report. United Nations Development Programme, 13 March 2024, hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf‗1.pdf. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.

"Portugal." The World Bank, 2024, data.worldbank.org/country/portugal. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.

"Portugal." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 29 Dec. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/portugal/. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.

"Portugal." BBC News, 22 Mar. 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17758217. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.

"Portugal." World Health Organization, www.who.int/countries/prt/en/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023.