Portugal

Semi-presidential republic

Official:

Republic of Portugal

Local name:

Portugal

Region:

Southern Europe

Surface area:

92,226 km²

Capital:

Lisbon

Geography

Portugal is located in the southwest of Europe, bordering Spain to the east and north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south. The majority of the country lies on the Iberian Peninsula; the archipelago of the Azores, which is part of the country, lies roughly on the same latitude as Lisbon, but around 1370 km further west in the Atlantic. Madeira is also far away in the Atlantic, but about 940 km southwest of Lisbon. Including the 60 Portuguese islands (12 of which are in the Azores and 28 in Madeira), the total length of the coastline is 1,793 km.

The north of the country is largely mountainous, with the Iberian Sheath Mountains stretching from central Spain to Portugal and forming the highest mountain range on the mainland at almost 2000 meters. The landscape becomes flatter towards the coast and in a southerly direction. The highest mountain in the country is the stratovolcano Ponta do Pico on the Azores with a summit height of 2351 meters.

On further pages:

Current time in Lisbon:

00:00

July 2024

The time in Lisbon is Western European Time (WET), which is currently 5 hours ahead of New York.
As in many countries far away from the equator, there is a daylight savings time in the summer. Related to GMT, the time difference is usually 0 hours in summer and 1 hours in winter. The next time change will be on October 27 at 1:00 am (local time).

Time zones and clock changes Public Holidays in Portugal Sunrise + Sunset

Population

Population:10,410,000

Population per km²:112.9

Life expectancy males:Ø 78.8 years

Life expectancy females:

Ø 84.5 years

Birth rate:

7.7 ‰

Death rate:

11.9 ‰

Males/Females:

47.2% : 52.8%

Population pyramid

The currency in Portugal is the euro (EUR).
1 Euro is divided into 100 Cent.
Status: 07/11/2024

1 US dollar = 0.92 Euros
1 Euro = 1.09 US dollar

Climate in Portugal

The weather in Portugal is among the warmest in Europe. The average annual rainfall is up to 3,000 mm in the northern mountains, and about 1,100 mm nationwide. Southern Portugal has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild winters. It rains very little and the summers are warm. A fresh sea breeze usually provides a pleasant climate. Summer temperatures in the Algarve often exceed 30°C and sometimes reach more than 40°C in the Alentejo. In the north, the weather is more humid and cooler, especially in winter. There, temperatures are influenced by Atlantic currents and the Spanish meseta. The climate in the Azores and Madeira is subtropical. Dry summer months prevail in large parts of the Azores, with warm temperatures year-round.

Average daytime and nighttime temperatures

Languages

Official language:

Portuguese

Mother tongue	Distribution
Portuguese	99.0 %
other	1.0 %

Religions

Religion	Distribution
Roman Catholics	81.0%
other Christs	3.3%
nondenominational	6.8%
other	8.9%

more...

Economy

GDP:	255.20 bn $
Exportations:	126.54 bn $
Importations:	131.63 bn $
Budget deficit:	994 M $
› Tourism receipts:	13.82 bn $
› Debt rate:	116.05 %
› Unemployment rate:	6.49 %
› Inflation rate:	7.83 %
› Corruption index:	61 (moderate)
› Energy consumption:	48.4 bn kWh

With a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.874, Portugal counts as one of the high developed economies by UN definition. The IMF also shares this classification.

With an average annual income of 25,950 USD Portugal is one of the high-income countries.

Land use

14% Urban areas:	12,765 km²
40% Agricultural areas:	37,250 km²
36% Forest:	33,340 km²
1% Water areas:	620 km²
10% Others:	8,871 km²

more...

Transport

Roadways:	11,217 km
Railways:	3,622 km
Waterways:	210 km
Reg. vehicles:	6,591,000
› Airports:

Population distribution

Portugal's total area of 92,225.60 square kilometers is roughly the size of the state of Maine. The population, on the other hand, is more than 7 times larger at 10.41 million inhabitants. The population density is therefore 112.9 inhabitants per square kilometer, whereby urbanization is relatively high at 67.4%.

The most densely populated regions are those along the coast and the conurbations around Lisbon and Porto. In contrast, the interior of the country is much less densely populated, with the eastern provinces of Braganca, Portoalegre and Beja in particular being extremely rural with fewer than 20 inhabitants per km².

Most important cities

Population refers to the city proper, not metropolitan areas.

City	Region	Population
Lisbon / Capital	Lisbon	549,000
Porto	North	217,000
Braga	North	193,000
Vila Nova de Gaia	North	187,000
Amadora	Lisbon	185,000
Coimbra	Center	141,000
Setubal	Lisbon	118,000
Funchal	Madeira	106,000
Queluz	Lisbon	103,000
Almada	Lisbon	102,000
Cacém	Lisbon	94,000
Évora	Alentejo	56,000
Aveiro	Center	54,000
Monsanto	Alentejo	50,000
Rio Tinto	North	50,000
Leiria	Center	45,000
Faro	Algarve	41,000
Ponta Delgada	Azores	20,000

The difference between the urban area and the city proper alone can be considerable. Lisbon, for example, has an urban population of 1,313,000. However, the actual proper city is much smaller with only 549,000 inhabitants. The difference to metropolitan regions, i.e. conurbations with several cities, is even greater.

Political indicators

(Based on the "Worldwide Governance Indicators" project of the World Bank)

Political stability:	◈
Rule of law:	◈
Effectivity:	◈
Regulatory quality:	◈
Voice accountability:	◈
Democratic values:	◈
Death penalty:	abolished in 1976

Existing trade agreements

Alliances

Spain: country data and statisticsSpain in numbers: demographics, economy, energy, climate and more data and comparisons with other countries.

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