Country Map and Facts 

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FACTS & FIGURES

POPULATION

• Portugal has the 76th largest population in the world, with around 10.52m people.
• The population is currently growing at 0.41% per year.
• The metropolitan area around Lisbon is the most populous, with around 2.65m people.
• Almost two-thirds of the population live in rural areas, and coastal districts remain the most densely populated.
• The median age in Portugal is 37.9 years.
• The population is fairly homogeneous by European standards, with relatively small numbers of immigrants from Portugal’s extensive colonial past.

GEOGRAPHY

• Mainland Portugal covers 92,391km2 in total and is situated on the Iberian peninsula.
• The only land border, with Spain, is 1,214km long.
• The coastline of mainland Portugal is 837km long.
• Portugal is mountainous north of the Tagus river, with rolling plains in the south.
• The highest point in Portuguese territory is Ponta do Pico Alto, on Ilha do Pico in the Azores, at 2,351m.
• Whilst much of the coastline is rocky, Portugal also boasts a large number of sandy beaches.
• The Rio Tejo is the longest river, and includes the vast estuary on which Lisbon is located.

CLIMATE

• The northern mountainous region is the coldest part of the country, experiencing the majority of Portugal’s snow.
• Weather in the centre and on the northern coast is milder.
• Southern Portugal is much warmer and drier than the rest of the country, and the summer drought lasts longer.
• Portugal’s weather is influenced by the Atlantic, which tempers summer heat on the coast to a high of 27ºC in Lisbon; inland summer highs can reach a painful 40ºC.
• Most rain falls in winter.
• Most of Portugal is sunny, with even the north having 10 or 11 hours of sunshine a day in the summer.

ECONOMY

• Portugal has an average unemployment rate of 6.4%.
• The comparative GDP per capita of Portugal is only 70% of that of leading EU economies, at US$18,000.
• Tourism employs around 10% of the workforce, and Portugal attracts over 15 million visitors a year.
• Portugal accounts for one-third of the world’s cork supplies, and 10% are employed in the agricultural sector.
• The service sector employs 60% of the workforce.
• Recent privatisations and EU membership have boosted investment in the country.
• With a growth rate of -1.3%, Portugal has the lowest GDP growth rate in Europe.
• Over three-quarters of exports are to EU countries.