Capital:
Lisbon.
Area: 92,345 sq
km (35,655 sq miles).
Population
of Portugal: 10,407,000 (official estimate 2002).
Population of Lisbon: 564,657,
1,900,000 in Greater Lisbon
Population Density: 112.7 per sq km.
Geography:
Portugal occupies the southwest part of the Iberian Peninsula
and shares borders in the north and the east with Spain,
while to the south and west lies the Atlantic Ocean.
The country is divided into various provinces, including the Atlantic
islands of Madeira and the Azores,
the latter lying some 1220km (760 miles) due west of Lisbon.
The Douro, Guadiana and Tagus
rivers flow across the border from Spain. North Portugal is very
mountainous, the highest part being the Serra da Estrela,
a popular area for great skiing. South of Lisbon stretch the vast
plains of the Alentejo region. A range of mountains
divides the Alentejo from the Algarve,
which runs along the south coast, and is one of the most popular
resort areas with wide sandy beaches and attractive bays.
Government: Republic
since 1910.
Head of State: President Jorge Fernando
Branco de Sampaio since 1996.
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Pedro Santana Lopes since 2004.
Language
: Portuguese. English is widely spoken within the
business community.
Religion
: Roman Catholic.
Time
: GMT (GMT + 1 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October)
Electricity : 230 volts AC,
50Hz. 110 volts in some areas and 230 DC in parts of the south.
Continental two-pin plugs are in use. |
