aicep Portugal Global Portugal - Basic Data (October 2017) Background Mainland Portugal is geographically located in Europe’s West Coast, on the Iberian Peninsula. It is bordered by Spain to the North and East and by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South, therefore being in a geo strategic location between Europe, America and Africa. In addition to the mainland, Portugal’s territory also includes the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, two archipelagos located in the Atlantic Ocean. Portuguese borders have remained unchanged since the XIII Century, making Portugal one of the oldest countries in the world, with nearly 900 years of history that clearly demonstrates its strong identity and internal cohesion. Population and language Portugal’s population is estimated at 10.3 million, of which 50% are economically active. The demographic concentration is higher near the coastal areas, with Lisbon (the capital city) and Porto showing the highest population density. The Portuguese language is spoken by more than 250 million people spread over all continents: Europe, Africa, America and Asia. This diversity greatly contributes to the strong historical and cultural ties that Portugal has with the world. Politics The Republic of Portugal is a Parliamentary democracy, based on the respect and the effective guarantees for fundamental rights and freedoms and the separation and interdependence of powers. Under the Portuguese Constitution, sovereign powers are vested in the President of the Republic, the Assembly of the Republic, the Government and the Courts. The President of the Republic is the Head of State, elected by direct universal suffrage for a five year term, with a maximum of two terms. The current President of the Republic is Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who was elected in January 2016. Same time zone as the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland Nearest European country to the United States of America and Canada Legislative power lies with the Parliament (Assembly of the Republic) represented by 230 members which are elected by popular vote to serve a four year term. Executive power lies with the Government, headed by the Prime Minister, the Ministers and the Secretaries of State. The current Prime-Minister is António Costa, leader of the socialist party, who took office in November 2015. The Portuguese judicial system consists of several categories of Court, independent of each other, with their own structure and rules. Two of these categories are composed only by one Court (the Constitutional Court and the Court of Auditors). The Judicial, Administrative and Fiscal Courts are numerous, hierarchically structured and respond to a Supreme Court. In addition, there are Maritime Courts, Courts of Arbitration and Justices of the Peace. Summary Area: Population (thousands): Working population (thousands): Population density (inhabit./sq km): Official designation: Capital: District Capitals: Main religion: 92 212 .0 sq km 10 306 (2016) 5 178 (2016) 111.8 (2016) Republic of Portugal Lisbon (2.1 million inhabit.– metropolitan area) Aveiro, Beja, Braga, Bragança, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Évora, Faro, Funchal (in Madeira), Guarda, Leiria, Ponta Delgada (in the Azores), Portalegre, Porto, Santarém, Setúbal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real and Viseu. Roman Catholic Language: Portuguese Currency: Euro (in units of 100 cents) EUR = 200.482 PTE (fixed parity 1/01/99) EUR = 1.0614 USD (average rate in 2016) EUR = 1.1807 USD (average rate in August 2017) Source: INE (National Statistics Office), Banco de Portugal 1 hour time difference from the Central European time zone 3 hour time difference in relation to Moscow BETTER LOCATION 3 hour time difference in relation to Sao Paulo Portugal has a privileged location to reach relevant markets Note: In reference to UTC hours aicep Portugal Global – Trade & Investment Agency – Av. 5 de Outubro, 101, 1050-051 LISBOA Tel. Lisboa: + 351 217 909 500 Contact Centre: 808 214 214 aicep@portugalglobal.pt www.portugalglobal.pt 3
Baixar PDF