Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$3.5 billion (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.71% (2002)
Transnational Issues Poland
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
major illicit producer of synthetic drugs for the international
market; minor transshipment point for Asian and Latin American
illicit drugs to Western Europe
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@Portugal
Introduction Portugal
Background:
Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th
centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the
destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the
Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony.
A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six
decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a
left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The
following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African
colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC
(now the EU) in 1986.
Geography Portugal
Location:
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of
Spain
Geographic coordinates:
39 30 N, 8 00 W
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 92,391 sq km
land: 91,951 sq km
note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands
water: 440 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries:
total: 1,214 km
border countries: Spain 1,214 km
Coastline:
1,793 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in
south
Terrain:
mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in
the Azores 2,351 m
Natural resources:
fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten,
silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land,
hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 21.75%
permanent crops: 7.81%
other: 70.44% (2001)
Irrigated land:
6,320 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Azores subj
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