Portugal Passport

[Country Name] Portuguese Republic (A Rep ú blica Portuguesa, The Portuguese Republic).

【 Area 】 92226 square kilometers.

【 Population 】 10.64 million (as of December 2023), mainly Portuguese. There are approximately 782000 legal foreign residents, mainly from Portuguese speaking and European countries such as Brazil, the United Kingdom, Cape Verde, India, Italy, Angola, etc. The official language is Portuguese. About 80.2% of the residents are Catholics.

Lisbon, the capital, has a population of 2.89 million (March 2024) (Lisbon Region). The hottest month (August) has a temperature of 17-28 ℃ (average daily minimum and maximum temperature), and the coldest month (January) has a temperature of 8-14 ℃. The driest month (July) has a precipitation of 3 millimeters (average monthly precipitation), and the wettest month (January) has a precipitation of 111 millimeters.

[Head of State] President: Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, elected in 2016 and re elected for a five-year term in 2021.

[Important Festival] April 25th: "4.25" Revolution Memorial Day; June 10th: National Day; October 5th: Republic Day; On December 1st, Independence Day will be restored.

【 Overview 】 Located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula in Europe. It connects Spain to the east and north, and borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south. The coastline is 832 kilometers long. The terrain is high in the north and low in the south, mostly consisting of mountains and hills. The northern region belongs to the oceanic temperate broad-leaved forest climate, while the southern region belongs to the subtropical Mediterranean climate.

One of the ancient European countries. In 1143, it became an independent kingdom. 15. In the 16th century, a large number of colonies were established in Africa, Asia, and America, becoming a maritime power. It was annexed by Spain in 1580 and freed from Spanish rule in 1640. At the end of the 18th century, Napoleon's army invaded Portugal, and in 1811 Portugal, with the help of Britain, drove out the French army. Constitutional monarchy was implemented from 1820 to 1910. The Republic was established in October 1910. In May 1926, a military government was established, marking the beginning of the 'New Deal'. In 1932, Salazar became the Prime Minister and implemented fascist dictatorship. On April 25, 1974, a group of middle and lower ranking military officers formed the "Armed Forces Movement" to overthrow the far right regime and begin the process of democratization. At the same time, Portugal abandoned its Portuguese colonies in Africa and officially became a Western democratic country. Joined the European Community on January 1, 1986, and became one of the first countries to join the Eurozone in 1999.

A parliamentary republic. The power organs include the President, the Parliament, and the Cabinet Government. The President appoints and dismisses the head of government according to the decisions of the Parliament. Member of the United Nations, European Union, NATO, and World Trade Organization.

The current Constitution was established in 1976 and has undergone seven revisions since then. The last revision was completed in 2005. The Constitution stipulates that the President, Parliament, Government, and Courts are the organs of state power; The President is the highest commander of the armed forces and appoints and dismisses the Chief of the General Staff and military commanders based on government nominations. The President can dissolve the parliament only after listening to the opinions of various parties and the State Council, and may dissolve the government and dismiss the Prime Minister "when necessary".

The parliament adopts a unicameral system, with members elected by universal suffrage for a term of four years. The current parliament will be elected in March 2024, with Social Democratic Party member Jos é Pedro Aguiar Blanco serving as the speaker. The four vice speakers are: Teresa Morais (female, Social Democratic Party), Marcos Perestrello (Socialist Party), Diogo Pacheco de Amorim (Enough Party), Rodrigo Saraiva (Free Cause Party). The distribution of seats for each party is as follows: 78 seats for the Social Democratic Party, 78 seats for the Socialist Party, 50 seats for the "Enough" Party, 8 seats for the Free Cause Party, 5 seats for the Left Group, 4 seats for the Communist Party, 4 seats for the Liberal Party, 2 seats for the People's Party, and 1 seat for the Human, Animal, and Natural Party.

The current government was established on April 2, 2024, and is the 24th government of Portugal after the 1974 Democratic Revolution. It is governed by the "Democratic Alliance" led by the Social Democratic Party. Prime Minister Lu í s Montenegro. The main members include: Paulo Rangel, Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Joaquim Miranda Sarento, Minister of State and Minister of Finance; Ant ó nio Leit ã o Amaro, Minister of the Council of Ministers; Manuel Castro Almeida, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Minister of National Integration; Pedro Duarte, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs; Nuno Melo, Minister of Defense; Rita J ú dice, Minister of Justice; Margarida Blasco, Minister of the Interior. Education, Science and Innovation Minister Fernando Alexandre, Health Minister Ana Paula Martins, Infrastructure and Housing Minister Miguel Pinto Luz, Economy Minister Pedro Reis, Labor, Solidarity and Social Security Minister Maria do Ros á rio Palma Ramalho, Environment and Energy Minister Maria da Gra ç a Carvalho, Youth and Modernization Minister Margarida Balseiro Lopes, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Jos é Manuel Fernandes, and Culture Minister Dalila Rodrigues.

There are 18 major regions in the country, including Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Viana Fort, Braga, Real City, Braganza, Guadalajara, Leiria, Aveiro, Viseu, Santar é n, Evora, Faro, Blancpurg, Potalegre, Beya, and Setubal. There are also two autonomous regions, the Azores and Madeira Islands.

The Supreme Court is the highest judicial institution, and its president is elected by judges. The President of the Supreme Court ranks fourth among national leaders, following the President, Speaker, and Prime Minister. If the first three leaders are absent from the country or unable to fulfill their duties, the President of the Supreme Court may act as the head of state on their behalf. The current President of the Supreme Court, Jo ã o Cura Mariano, took office on June 4, 2024. The General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic is the highest prosecutorial institution, with the Chief Prosecutor Amadeu Guerra taking office on October 12, 2024.

Political parties implement a multi-party system, with the main parties being:

(1) Social Democratic Party: a member party of the ruling coalition. Established in May 1974, formerly known as the People's Democratic Party, it was renamed to its current name in 1976. There are approximately 86000 party members. In March 2024, he led the Democratic Alliance to win the parliamentary elections. The current party chairman, Lu í s Montenegro.

(2) Partido Socialista: The opposition party. In April 1973, it was rebuilt on the basis of the "Portuguese Socialist Movement". There are about 80000 party members. He won three consecutive elections in 2015, 2019, and 2022. Becoming the largest opposition party in the parliamentary elections in March 2024. General Secretary Pedro Nuno Santos.

(3) Chega: The opposition party. Established in April 2019, with approximately 52000 party members. I won my first seat in the parliamentary elections in October 2019. Won 12 seats in the parliamentary elections in January 2022. Won 50 seats in the parliamentary elections in March 2024. Chairman Andr é Ventura.

(4) Iniciativa Liberal: an opposition party. Formerly known as the "Free Career Alliance" founded in September 2016, it was officially established in November 2017 with 4000 registered party members. Won 8 seats in the parliamentary elections in March 2024. Chairman Rui Rocha.

(5) Bloco de Esquerda: opposition party. Established in March 1999. There are about 10000 party members. Party leader Mariana Mort á gua.

(6) The Communist Party of Portugal (Partido Comunista Portugu ê s): an opposition party. Established in 1921. There are 58900 party members. General Secretary Paulo Raimundo

(7) The People's Party (CDS Partido Popular): a member party of the ruling coalition. Established in July 1974. Its predecessor was the Social Democratic Center Party, with approximately 30000 members. He co governed with the Social Democratic Party twice from 2002 to 2005 and from 2011 to 2015. The current party chairman, Nuno Melo.

Other political parties include Livre, Partido Pessoa Animais Natureza, Partido Popular Mon á rquico, and Os Verdes, among others.

[Important Person] President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, born in Lisbon in 1948. In 1971, he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Law from the University of Lisbon, followed by a Master's degree in Law and a Doctorate in Political Law. I have been teaching at the University of Lisbon for a long time and also serve as a visiting professor at the Portuguese Catholic University and the New University of Lisbon. Joined the Portuguese Social Democratic Party in 1974. Elected as a member of parliament in 1975. From 1981 to 1983, he successively served as Assistant Secretary of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. Served as the Chairman of the Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 1999. Established the "Express" and "Weekly" newspapers and served as the editor in chief. Served as a television political commentator from 2000 to 2015. From 2006 to 2015, served as a member of the Council of State, the highest advisory body to the President of Portugal. He won the presidential election in 2016 and was re elected for a 5-year term in 2021. Separated, with one son and one daughter.

Prime Minister Lu í s Montenegro was born in Porto in 1973. Obtained a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Law from the Catholic University of Portugal. From 1997 to 2001, he served as a councilor for the city of Espinio. From 2002 to 2018, he served as a national member of parliament, and from 2011 to 2017, he was the chairman of the Social Democratic Party parliamentary group. Elected as the Chairman of the Social Democratic Party with a support rate of 72.8% in May 2022. In March 2023, the Social Democratic Party, together with the People's Party and the People's Monarchy Party, formed the "Democratic Alliance" and won the national parliamentary elections. On April 2, 2024, he officially became the Prime Minister of the Portuguese government. Married with 2 children.

The EU is a moderately developed country with a relatively weak industrial foundation. Textile, shoemaking, brewing, tourism and other industries are the pillar industries of the national economy. Cork production accounts for more than half of the world's total production, and its exports rank first in the world. Mineral resources are relatively abundant, mainly including lithium, tungsten, copper, pyrite, uranium, hematite, magnetite, and marble. Lithium reserves rank first in Europe and eighth in the world, while tungsten reserves rank first in Western Europe. The forest area is 3.47 million hectares, with a coverage rate of 39%.

In June 2021, the European Union approved a 16.6 billion euro recovery fund for Portugal. In 2023, Portugal's gross domestic product reached 265.508 billion euros, with an economic growth rate of 2.3% year-on-year, ranking among the top in the European Union. The annual inflation rate is 4.3% and the unemployment rate is 6.5%. In 2023, the total import and export volume was 182.56 billion euros, of which the total import volume was 104.96 billion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 4.1%, and the total export volume was 77.6 billion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 1%.

Portuguese industry includes mining, processing, water, electricity, gas, and air conditioning production. The main industrial sectors include electricity, textiles, clothing, footwear, food, chemicals, papermaking, electronic equipment, ceramics, brewing, cork, etc.

The main crops in agriculture and fisheries include olives, grapes, corn, oats, etc. Annual production of 7.3585 million liters of wine and 2.2895 million liters of olive oil. In terms of fishery, more than 88% of aquatic products are marine fishing, mainly including sardine, mackerel and mackerel, while freshwater fish are mainly trout. About 15000 registered fishermen.

The service industry has developed rapidly since the 1990s. At the end of the last century, its proportion in the national economy and employment population basically reached the level of developed European countries. At present, the service industry has over 3 million employees, accounting for more than 70% of the total employed population.

The tourism industry is an important source of foreign exchange income for Portugal. Tourists mainly come from countries such as the UK, Germany, Spain, and France. The main tourist destinations include Lisbon, Porto, Algarve Region, Madeira Islands, etc. In 2023, Portugal received 30 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 13.3%. The total tourism revenue was 6 billion euros, a year-on-year increase of 20.1%, reaching a historic high.

Land transportation has a total mileage of over 80000 kilometers and is the main mode of transportation in Portugal.

Railway network: The total length of domestic operating railways is about 3600 kilometers. The annual passenger volume is about 200 million people and the freight volume is about 9 million tons.

Highway Network: The Portuguese highway network consists of expressways (AE), main roads (IP), auxiliary roads (IC), national roads (EN), and regional roads (ER). The total length of Portuguese highways is nearly 15000 kilometers. The annual freight volume is about 120 million tons.

Water transportation: The total length of inland river transportation is 210 kilometers, and water transportation is mainly by sea. The main ports are Lisbon, Aveiro, Setubal, Sinis, Funchal (located in the Madeira Islands), and Ponta Delgada (located in the Azores Islands). The annual passenger volume of inland river transportation is about 20 million people. The annual cargo throughput of the shipping terminal is about 90 million tons.  

Air freight: There are 15 large airports, 38 small airports, and 11 heliports in China. The main international airports in mainland China are located in coastal areas such as Lisbon, Porto, and Faroe. There are 9 airports in the Azores Autonomous Region and 2 airports in the Madeira Autonomous Region. The annual passenger volume of airports in China is about 60 million.

In 2023, Portugal achieved a fiscal surplus of 4.33 billion euros, accounting for 1.2% of the total economy.

As of June 2024, Portugal's foreign exchange reserves amounted to 4.82 billion euros. Remittance income is one of the important economic sources for Portugal, mainly from Portuguese expatriates living in countries such as France, Switzerland, the United States, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Angola, Canada, and Venezuela.

At the end of 2023, the total amount of Portuguese government bonds will be 263 billion euros, equivalent to 98.7% of the gross domestic product, marking the first time since 2009 that this proportion has fallen below 100%.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Portugal made significant investments in Spain and Brazil. Since 2001, there has been a significant increase in investment in EU member states. In 2023, Portugal will invest 6.8 billion euros in foreign direct investment. As of the end of 2023, Portugal's outward foreign direct investment stock is 64.4 billion euros, with main investment destinations including the Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, Angola, Luxembourg, the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, Mozambique, Denmark, Ireland, etc.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) from Portugal is divided into two categories: unilateral aid and multilateral aid. Unilateral aid mainly targets Portuguese speaking countries in Africa, Timor Leste, and a small number of underdeveloped countries, with the vast majority being interest free loans and a small portion being special loans. Multilateral aid is generally provided through international institutions such as the United Nations (5%), the European Union (65%), the World Bank (17%), and regional development banks (10%). The main areas of Portugal's foreign aid include education, health, industrial and agricultural production, infrastructure construction, debt reduction, and humanitarian assistance.

In recent years, the Portuguese government has implemented economic diplomacy to attract foreign investment, mainly in wholesale and retail trade, finance and insurance, processing, electricity, natural gas and tap water, information and communication, technology consulting, construction, real estate, etc. The main sources of investment are Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, etc. In 2023, Portugal will attract foreign direct investment of 6.8 billion euros. As of the end of 2023, the stock of foreign direct investment in Portugal reached 180.4 billion euros. (Source: Portuguese Central Bank, Portuguese National Bureau of Statistics, Portuguese Investment Promotion Agency)

The President is the supreme commander of the three armed forces, and the Minister of National Defense leads the armed forces through the General Staff and the staff departments of each branch. Chief of General Staff Jos é Nunes da Fonseca. The armed forces are composed of regular troops and national security forces. Implement a military service system that combines conscripts, volunteers, and contract soldiers. Service period: 4 months for conscripts, 8-10 months for volunteers, and at least one year for contract soldiers. The total strength of the regular army is 40000, including 22000 in the army, 11000 in the navy, and 7000 in the air force. In addition, there are over 200000 paramilitary and reserve forces, including the Republican Guard and Public Security Police.

Education: 12 years of compulsory education are implemented, including basic education (4 years of primary school, 2 years of secondary school preparatory class, 3 years of junior high school) and secondary education (3 years, equivalent to high school in China). Higher education lasts for 4-5 years. The proportion of science and education budget to the total government budget is about 4%. The main higher education institutions include the University of Lisbon, the University of Coimbra, the University of Porto, the Polytechnic University of Lisbon, the University of Minho, the University of Aveiro, the University of É vora, and the National School of Administration.

There are about 2000 journals in Portugal, of which nearly 500 have online versions. Since the 1990s, all newspapers in Portugal have been privately owned. At present, the main daily newspapers include: News Daily, Public Daily, News Daily, and Morning Post; The main weekly magazines are: The Express and The Sun. The main business and financial publications include Economic Daily, Business Daily, and Economic Weekly. Lusa News Agency is a national news agency formed by the merger of the Portuguese News Agency and the Portuguese News Agency in 1987.

At present, the main radio stations include Portugal Radio, Renaissance Radio, Commercial Radio, etc. The television stations include Portugal National Radio and Television, SIC Television, and Independent Television.

Advocate for the development of friendly and cooperative relations with countries around the world on the basis of equality and mutual benefit in foreign relations. The six main directions of Portugal's foreign policy are transatlantic relations, the European Union, the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, Portuguese diaspora, globalization and multilateralism, and emerging market countries. We firmly support the process of European integration and advocate for maintaining stability in the eurozone. Respect the EU's stance on issues such as counter-terrorism and the refugee crisis in Europe. Emphasize the development of transatlantic relations. Actively engage in exchanges with Portuguese speaking countries and actively promote the development of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries. We vigorously carry out economic diplomacy, expand cooperation with emerging market countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and other regions, and are a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. We have established diplomatic relations with 194 countries and regions around the world, and have a total of 134 embassies and consulates abroad. Among them, there are 77 embassies, 48 consulates, and 9 delegations to international organizations.