$Unique_ID{COW02962} $Pretitle{381} $Title{Portugal Front Matter} $Subtitle{} $Author{Eugene K. Keefe} $Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army} $Subject{percent portugal national authors country government portuguese foreign wrote book} $Date{1976} $Log{Map of Portugal*0296201.scf } Country: Portugal Book: Portugal, A Country Study Author: Eugene K. Keefe Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army Date: 1976 Front Matter Foreword This volume is one in a continuing series of books now being prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under the Country Studies-Area Handbook Program. This book, however, is a reprint of a book written by members of the research staff of Foreign Area Studies, The American University. The last page of this book lists the other published studies. Most books in the series deal with a particular foreign country, describing and analyzing its political, economic, social, and national security systems and institution, and the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors. Each study is written by a multidisciplinary team of social scientists. The authors seek to provide a basic understanding of the observed society, striving for a dynamic rather than a static portrayal. Particular attention is devoted to the people who make up the society, their origins, dominant beliefs and values, their common interests and the issues on which they are divided, the nature and extent of their involvement with national institutions, and their attitudes toward each other and toward their social system and political order. The books represent the analysis of the authors and should not be construed as an expression of an official United States government position, policy, or decision. The authors have sought to adhere to accepted standards of scholarly objectivity. Corrections, additions, and suggestions for changes from readers will be welcomed for use in future editions. Chief Federal Research Division Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 20540 PREFACE On April 25, 1974, a military coup d'etat deposed Portugal's government, which itself had been established after a military takeover forty-eight years earlier. Marcello Caetano, who was prime minister at the time, had ruled for six years, but his administration was a continuation of the regime of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, who ruled Portugal from the early 1930s to the late 1960s. Both men, however, will be remembered for refusing to face up to the tide of anticolonialism that was sweeping across Africa during their tenures. In the post-World War II era, as the former Belgian, British, French, and Italian colonies in Africa gained independence and became new states and members of the United Nations, the Portuguese leaders remained adamant about holding their colonies. Their intransigence eventually led to colonial warfare, revolution, and decolonization. Portugal not only lost its colonies but was also impoverished by its long, losing effort to hold them. In mid-1976 the new leaders of Portugal were seeking political stability as a platform from which to launch economic recovery and social reform. The Area Handbook for Portugal is intended to provide a concise, objective description of Portugal and the Portuguese. The book covers the historical background and the geography of the country as well as the principal political, social, and economic aspects of the society. There is an inherent danger in writing about a country during the time that it is undergoing a revolutionary experience (six provisional governments, two coup attempts, and two national elections in two years indicate the mercurial nature of the revolutionary regime); however, the authors have made every effort to retain their objectivity while describing the roles played by a multitude of individuals, parties, and interest groups. The spelling of place names in this handbook conforms to the rulings of the United States Board on Geographic Names except for the use of the conventional spelling of Lisbon rather than the Portuguese Lisboa. Area measurements have been given in hectares rather than acres, and all tonnages are given in metric tons unless otherwise noted. This study results from the combined efforts of a Foreign Area Studies multidisciplinary team of researchers assisted by the organizational research support staff. The team was chaired by Eugene K. Keefe, who wrote Chapter 1 and coordinated the contributions of the other authors. David P. Coffin wrote Chapters 12, 13, and 14; Sallie M. Hicks wrote Chapters 4, 5, and 6; William A. Mussen, Jr., wrote Chapters 8, 9, and 10; Robert Rinehart wrote Chapters 2, 7, and 11; and William J. Simon wrote Chapters 3, 15, and 16. The authors wish to thank the members of the Portuguese embassy in Washington who have given assistance and advice. Any errors or omissions, however, are the responsibility of the authors. COUNTRY PROFILE [See Map of Portugal: Europe.] COUNTRY Formal Name: Portuguese Republic. Short Form: Portugal. Term for Nationals: Portuguese; adjectival form-Portuguese. Capital: Lisbon. GEOGRAPHY Size and Location: Approximately 35,510 square miles including the Azores and Madeira. Continental Portugal occupies about one-sixth of Iberian Peninsula; bounded on north and east by Spain and on west and south by Atlantic Ocean. Topography: Hills and mountains north of Rio Tejo; rolling plains to the south. Climate: Varied with considerable rainfall and marked seasonal temperatures in north; dryer conditions and milder temperatures in south. SOCIETY Population: Estimated at 8.9 million in 1976; decreasing trend in 1960s and early 1970s probably reversed in the 1975-76 period by slowing emigration and influx of refugees from Africa. Ethnic Groups and Language: Marked ethnic and linguistic homogeneity; dominated by Mediterranean racial characteristics and Latin language roots. Religion: Ninety-five percent Roman Catholic; freedom of worship guaranteed. Education: Free and compulsory for ages seven through sixteen; literarcy estimated at 75 percent. Mass Communications: Radio and television facilities owned and operated by the state. Diversity of opinion protected in government-financed press. Censorship prohibited. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS Form: Republic. Government: Parliamentary system. Popularly elected president is head of state; prime minister is head of government. Politics: Democratic, multiparty. Administrative Division: Twenty-two districts subdivided into municipalities and parishes (see fig. 1). Justice: Legal and judicial system based on Roman law and defined in Constitution of April 1976. Administration of justice influenced by French model. Supreme Court of Justice highest tribunal in independent judiciary. Major International Memberships: United Nations and many of its specialized agencies, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OEDC), and European Free Trade Association (EFTA). ECONOMY General Character: Formerly oligarchic and capitalistic; widespread nationalization since April 1974 and new constitutional provisions portend pronounced socialist features. Gross Domestic Product (GDP): Approximately US $]10.7 billion in 1973; GDP per capita, equivalent to US $]1,250, lowest in Western Europe. Agriculture: Yields lowest in Western Europe. Contributes about one-sixth of GDP, employs about one-fourth of work force. Traditional products, cork and wine, provide significant exports. Industry: Contributes about 45 percent of GDP and employs about 35 percent of work force. Major industries are metal and machine products, textiles, and chemicals. Economic Planning: Long-range development planning in abeyance pending establishment of new constitutional government. Foreign Trade: Large annual trade deficits usually offset through 1973 by tourist revenues and emigrant remittances; decline in latter virtually eliminated foreign currency reserve by 1976, but substantial gold reserves remained. Currency: Escudo-see Glossary. TRANSPORTATION Roads: 11,340 miles of national highways and 8,450 miles of rural and municipal roads handle bulk of passenger and freight traffic. Railroads: 1,750 miles of broad-gauge track incompatible with rest of Western Europe except Spain; 475 miles narrow gauge. Railroads handle about 10 percent of domestic passenger and freight traffic. Civil Aviation: Three international airfields (Lisbon, Porto, and Faro) served by Portuguese Air Transport (Transportes Aereos Portugueses-TAP), the national airline, and several foreign carriers. Ports: Lisbon (60 percent of traffic); Porto/Leixoes (30 percent); and Setubal (7 percent). NATIONAL SECURITY Armed Forces: Army, 26,000; navy, 12,000 (including 3,000 marines); and air force, 8,000. Reduced from combined strength of almost 220,000 in 1974. Service Requirements: Eighteen months compulsory national service, scheduled for reduction to fifteen months by late 1976. Inductions take only small fraction of manpower available. Tactical Units: Brigade-size force committed to NATO. Equipment: Inventory of mostly obsolete equipment supplied by United States, France, Great Britain, and Italy. Severe reduction in material under way in 1976. Military Budget: About 20 percent of government expenditures in fiscal year (FY) 1975. Police: Combined strength of paramilitary national police forces about 25,000.