Long-form name: Portuguese Republic

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 area: Macau (scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China in 1999)

Independence: 1140; independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910

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

National holiday: Day of Portugal, 10 June

Executive branch: president, Council of State, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da Republica)

Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de Justica)

Leaders: Chief of State--President Dr. Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES (since 9 March 1986); Head of Government--Prime Minister Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 6 November 1985)

Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party (PSD), Anibal CAVACO Silva; Portuguese Socialist Party (PS), Jorge SAMPAIO; Party of Democratic Renewal (PRD), Herminio MARTINHO; Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), Alvaro CUNHAL; Social Democratic Center (CDS), Andriano MORREIRA (interim); National Solidarity Party, Manuel SERGIO

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: President--last held 13 February 1991 (next to be held February 1996); results--Dr. Mario Lopes SOARES 70%, Basilio HORTA 14%, Carlos CARVALHAS 13%, Carlos MARQUES 3%; Assembly of the Republic--last held 6 October 1991 (next to be held October 1995); results--Social Democrats 50.4%, Socialists 29.3%, United Democratic Coalition (CDU; Communists) 8.8%, Christian Democrats 4.4%, National Solidarity Party 1.7%, Democratic Renewal 0.6%, other 4.8%; seats--(230 total) Social Democrats 132, Socialists 70, United Democratic Coalition (CDU; Communists) 17, Christian Democrats 5, National Solidarity Party 1; after absentee ballots counted five seats to be allocated

Communists: Portuguese Communist Party claims membership of 200,753 (December 1983)

Member of: AfDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Joao Eduardo M. PEREIRA BASTOS; Chancery at 2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 328-8610; there are Portuguese Consulates General in Boston, New York, and San Francisco, and Consulates in Los Angeles, Newark (New Jersey), New Bedford (Massachusetts), and Providence (Rhode Island); US--Ambassador Everett E. BRIGGS; Embassy at Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600 Lisbon (mailing address is APO New York 09678-0002); telephone [351] (1) 726-6600 or 6659, 8670, 8880; there is a US Consulate in Ponta Delgada (Azores)

Flag: two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the dividing line

NOTE: The information regarding Portugal on this page is re-published from the 1991 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Portugal Government 1991 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Portugal Government 1991 should be addressed to the CIA.