The republic of Portugal is located in the southwestern part of Europe, situated in the western portion of the Iberian Peninsula, bordered by Spain on the north and east and by the Atlantic Ocean on the south and west. The Azores and Madeira Islands in the Atlantic are independent regions of Portugal, considered integral parts of the republic. Portugal administers one overseas territory, Macau (Macao) in eastern Asia near Hong Kong. Macau is scheduled to return to Chinese administration in 1999. The total area of metropolitan Portugal, including the Azores (2247 sq. km.
/868 sq. mi. ) and the Madeira Islands (794 sq. km.
/307 sq. mi. ), is 92, 345 sq. km. (35, 655 sq. mi.
). The capital and the largest city is Lisbon. Climate varies in Portugal according to the altitude in which you are located. Low temperatures occur only in the comparatively low regions of the south. The mean annual temperature north of the Douro River is about 10 C (about 50 F). Between Tajo and Douro the temperature is about 16 C (about 60 F).
The temperatures in the valley of the Guadiana are at about 18 C (about 65 F). Rainfall is very heavy, especially in the north. Minerals are the most valuable natural resources in Portugal. Much of these resources were developed until after World War 2 (1939-1945).
Some of the mineral resources are coal, copper, gold, iron ore, kaolin, tin, and wolframite, which is Acosta 2 source of tungsten. The most sufficient trees are the evergreen oak, cork, poplar, and olive. Portugal is also a home of many kinds of wild animals. some of these wild animals include the wolf, lynx, wildcat, fox, wild boar, wild goat, deer, and hare. Portugal also has big waterpower resources in its rivers and mountain streams. The Portuguese are a combination of several ethnic elements, principally Iberians, Romans, Visigoths, and later Moors.
The people still live for the most part, in rural villages. The population of Portugal, including the Azores and Madeira Islands, is 9, 931, 045. The overall population density is 108 people per sq. km. (280 per sq. mi.
). Mainland Portugal is divided into 18 districts for administrative causes: Aveiro, Beja, Braga, Branca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, ‘Evora, Faro, Guarda, Lei ria, Lisbon, Porto, Port alegre, Santa ” em, Set’u bal, Viana do Castelo, Villa Real, and Vise u. The Azores and the Madeira Islands each constitute an autonomous region. Roman Catholicism is the faith of more than 94 percent of the Portuguese people. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and some Protestant churches have been established. The official language of the country is Portuguese.
Portuguese culture is closely related to the Spanish culture and has been influenced by the three primary cultures from which Acosta 3 it derives: the Latin, the Visigoth, and the Muslim. Lisbon has a number of important libraries, including the Library of the Academy of Sciences, the Ajuda Library, the National Library, and the Military Historical Archives. Museums of archaeology, art, ethnography are found in the principal cities and towns of each district. The art museum in Coimbra is famous for its collection of 16 th-century sculptures. The museum in ‘Evora is known for Roman sculpture and 16 th-century paintings. The National Museum of Ancient Art, in Lisbon, decorative art and painting from the 12 th to the 19 th-century.
Portugal is governed under a constitution promulgated in 1976 and revised in 1982. Although the constitution initially called for the creation of a ‘classless’s tate based on public ownership of land, natural resources, and the principal means of production, this socialist language was stricken in 1989. The right to strike and the right of assembly are guaranteed, and censorship and the death penalty are proscribed. Portugal is a republic with a president, popularly elected to a five-year term, as head of state. The president of the republic appoints the prime minister, who is the country’s chief administrative official.
The prime minister presides over a cabinet of about 15 ministers. Legislative power is vested in a unicameral parliament, the Assembly of the Republic. Members of the Acosta 4 Assembly are elected under a system of proportional representation and serve four-year terms. The Assembly had a total of 230 seats in the early 1990 s. The judicial system in Portugal is headed by the Supreme Court, which is made up of a president and 29 judges. Below the Supreme Court are courts of appeal and ordinary and special district courts..