es:
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.3%
male: 95.5%
female: 91.3% (2003 est.)

Government Portugal

Country name:
conventional long form: Portuguese Republic
conventional short form: Portugal
local long form: Republica Portuguesa
local short form: Portugal

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Lisbon

Administrative divisions:
18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous
regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Aveiro,
Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra,
Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa, Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto,
Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu

Independence:
1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (independent
republic proclaimed)

National holiday:
Portugal Day, 10 June (1580); note - also called Camoes Day, the
day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes (1524-80) died

Constitution:
25 April 1976; revised 30 October 1982, 1 June 1989, 5 November
1992, 3 September 1997, 12 December 2001, and 24 July 2004

Legal system:
civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the
constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jorge SAMPAIO (since 9 March 1996)
note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative
body to the president
head of government: Prime Minister Pedro SANTANA LOPES (since 17
July 2004); note - Prime Minister Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO resigned
5 July 2004 to take over the Presidency of the European Commission;
Prime Minister Pedro SANTANA LOPES and his government resigned 11
December 2004, but will stay on in a caretaker capacity until
February 2005 elections
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 14 January 2001 (next to be held NA January
2006); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority
party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime
minister by the president
election results: Jorge SAMPAIO reelected president; percent of vote
- Jorg