Portugal
Population | 10.6 m |
Capital | Lisbon |
Surface area | 91,900 km2 |
Official Language | Portuguese |
Gross domestic product (GDP) (in euros) | 192.8 bn |
GDP as a % of EU-27, based on 2009 data | 1.6 |
GDP per capita by purchasing power standards (indexed to EU average of 100) | 75.5 |
Currency | Euro |
Human development index (HDI), an index based on life expectancy, education and GDP (max. 1) | 0.897 |
World rank in HDI | 27/177 |
Key economic sectors (% of GDP in 2002) | Services (68); industry (28); agriculture (4) |
Leading Companies | EDP (energy supplier); Galp Energia, SGPS, SA (oil and gas company); Portugal Telecom |
Unemployment in January 2010 | 10.5% (source: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table) |
Main religious denominations (numbers in millions) | Roman Catholic (9.52) |
Political system | Executive power is vested in the President, who can be elected for a maximum of two five-year terms. Political parties may not field candidates in presidential elections, although they may lend their support to one of them. A unicameral legislature, the National Assembly, sits for four-year terms. |
Electoral system | The President is directly elected. The National Assembly is elected by proportional representation. |
Current (March 2010) leaders | President: Aníbal Cavaco Silva (b. 1939), since March 2006 Prime minister: José Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa (b. 1957), since March 2005 |
Previous leaders: | Presidents: Jorge Sampaio (1996-2006); Mario Soares (1986-96) Prime ministers: Pedro Santana Lopes (2004-05); José Manuel Barroso (2002-04) |
Joined the EU/EC | 1986 |
Commissioner from country in Barroso II College of Commissioners, and portfolio | José Manuel Barroso (President) |
Number of MEPs | 22/754 |
Turnout in 2009 EP elections (%) | 37.0 |
Member of eurozone | Yes (founder member) |
Except where a specific reference is inserted, the sources for this profile are either Neill Nugent’s book itself, or Barry Turner (ed.), The Statesman’s Yearbook Online, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. If your library subscribes, you can gain access at
http://www.statesmansyearbook.com