births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.53 years
male: 72.11 years
female: 79.16 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.47 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Portuguese (singular and plural)
adjective: Portuguese

Ethnic divisions: homogeneous Mediterranean stock in mainland, Azores,
Madeira Islands; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to
mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000

Religions: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant denominations 1%, other 2%

Languages: Portuguese

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population: 85%
male: 89%
female: 82%

Labor force: 4.24 million (1994 est.)
by occupation: services 54.5%, manufacturing 24.4%, agriculture,
forestry, fisheries 11.2%, construction 8.3%, utilites 1.0%, mining
0.5% (1992)

@Portugal:Government

Names:
conventional long form: Portuguese Republic
conventional short form: Portugal
local long form: Republica Portuguesa
local short form: Portugal

Digraph: PO

Type: republic

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

Dependent areas: Macau (scheduled to become a Special Administrative
Region of China on 20 December 1999)

Independence: 1140 (independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910)

National holiday: Day of Portugal, 10 June (1580)

Constitution: 25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982 and 1 June 1989

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 Dr. Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES (since
9 March 1986); election last held 13 February 1991 (next to be held NA
February 1996); results - Dr. Mario Lopes SOARES 70%, Basilio HORTA
14%, Carlos CARVALHAS 13%, Carlos MARQUES 3%; note - SOARES is
finishing his second term and by law cannot run for a third
consecutive term
head of government: Prime Minister Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 6
November 1985); note - will be replaced in the Oc