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Portugal The visit by Fernando Teixeira dos Santos comes as Portugal continues to try to sort out its finances without needing a European Union-led bail-out. > According to the United Nations, in 2000 remittances from citizens working abroad totaled $3.179 billion or about $317 per capita and accounted for approximately 3% of GDP. Worker remittances in 2001 totaled $3.337 billion. > The World Bank reports that in 2001 per capita household consumption (in constant 1995 US dollars) was $8,223. Household consumption includes expenditures of individuals, households, and nongovernmental organizations on goods and services, excluding purchases of dwellings. It was estimated that for the same period private consumption grew at an annual rate of 1%. Approximately 29% of household consumption was spent on food, 7% on fuel, 2% on health care, and 19% on education. The richest 10% of the population accounted for approximately 28.4% of household consumption and the poorest 10% approximately 3.1%.
 * **Major Government**
 * Portugal’s finance minister is in Beijing to try to persuade Chinese authorities to buy Portuguese government bonds.
 * Mr Teixeira dos Santos made a similar trip to Brazil in recent days.
 * China is already a major buyer of European government bonds and has vowed to continue to do so.
 * Portugal has an extensive public deficit. So much so that many economic commentators continue to say it will likely have to follow Greece and the Republic of Ireland and seek emergency loans from the European Union and International Monetary Fund.
 * **Major Religions**
 * Although most Portuguese are Roman Catholic, other religions enjoy freedom of worship. In 2002, about 80% of the population aged 12 or older identified themselves as Roman Catholic; though many claimed that they are not active participants in the church. Protestants constituted about 4% of the populace; and various other groups made up about 1%. Nearly 3% claim no religious affiliation.
 * **Languages Spoken**
 * portuguese
 * **Current leader or president**
 * =Aníbal Cavaco Silva=
 * **Brief history of the country including any important people and major wars**
 * Human beings have lived in Portugal since about 30,000 BC when the world was in the grip of an ice age. The first Portuguese were hunters and fishermen. They also gathered plants for food. They wore leather clothes and they made stone tools.
 * **Currency**
 * **Euro**
 * **Major cultural traditions (holidays/foods etc..)**
 * Most Portuguese holidays are centered around the Christian calendar (Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life, 1998, 312). Many include Easter, Good Friday, All Saints’ Day and New Year’s; only a handful are the most important to mention. June 13th is recognized as St. Anthony’s Day, St. Anthony representing those who lose things, or a patron of animals. St. Anthony was born in Portugal in 1195 and the Portuguese celebrate him by allowing the young members of the community to dance in the streets and decorating the town with flowers, candles and images of him to represent his life. The children also run through the streets on the eve of this day begging for coins in his name (The Folklore of World Holidays, 1998, 387).
 * **Climate**
 * ** There are two fundamental aspects to the pleasant Portuguese climate : the Atlantic felt more in the North, the continental and the Mediterranean, which dominates the south. Portugal experiences similar temperatures to Spain though the effect of the climate on the vegetation.  **** During winter average daytime maxim is about 16°C (61°F) approximately 5-6 hours of sunshine per day. Spring months gradually warm up with average maximum temperatures reaching up to 22°C (72°F) for approximately 10 hours of sunshine per day. During the summer temperatures around 25°C (78°F) and 11 or 12 hours of sunshine per day. **** The northern region benefits from the Atlantic cyclones while South and East are dominated by the subtropical anticyclone that allows temperatures to rise up to 40°C during the summer. **** Generally the climate in Portugal is neither too hot nor too cold. It all depends on the area and the time of the year you choose to visit Portugal. **
 * **Population**
 * 10,707,924
 * **Geography**
 * [[image:http://countrystudies.us/portugal/geography.gif width="320" height="657" align="right"]]Portugal shares the Iberian Peninsula with Spain, although it is only about one-sixth as large as its neighbor. Including the Azores (Açores in Portuguese) and Madeira, the country has a total area of 92,080 square kilometers. Portugal lies on the westernmost promontory of continental Europe. The rugged Pyrenees Mountains separate Iberia from the heart of the European continent, and Portugal is even further distant across the vastness of Spain. Distance and isolation have created in Portugal a sense that it is a part of Europe geographically but apart from it culturally, socially, economically, politically, and even psychologically. Even in the early 1990s, Lisbon (Lisboa in Portuguese) was a two-to-three-day drive from [|Paris].
 * **Major Resources**
 * **[|Portugal]** is a coastal nation in southwestern [|Europe]. Its [|mainland] is located on the [|Iberian Peninsula] and borders only [|Spain], to the east and north, with a total of 1,214 km (754 mi) of borders. Despite this total of km for the border with Spain, Portugal does not recognise the border from the delta of the River Caia to the delta of the River Cuncos since 1801's occupation of the Olivença territory by the Spanish Kingdom. This territory, though under Spanish occupation remains part of Portugal and no border is henceforth recognised in this area. It is bordered on the west with a 1,793 km (1,114 mi) [|coastline] along the [|North Atlantic Ocean]. Portugal also controls the Atlantic islands of [|Azores] and [|Madeira Islands], which are strategic locations along western sea approaches to the [|Strait of Gibraltar] between the Atlantic and [|Mediterranean Sea]. In total, the country has an area of 92,090 km2 (35,560 sq mi) of which 91,470 km2 (35,320 sq mi) is land and 620 km2 (240 sq mi) water.[|[][|1][|]]
 * **Major tourist attractions and or historical sights**
 * **Median Family Income**
 * The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reports that in 2002 Portugal's gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at $182 billion. The per capita GDP was estimated at $18,000. The annual growth rate of GDP was estimated at 0.8%. The average inflation rate in 2002 was 3.7%. The CIA defines GDP as the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year and computed on the basis of purchasing power parity (PPP) rather than value as measured on the basis of the rate of exchange. Agriculture accounted for an estimated 4% of GDP, industry 29%, and services 68%.
 * The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reports that in 2002 Portugal's gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at $182 billion. The per capita GDP was estimated at $18,000. The annual growth rate of GDP was estimated at 0.8%. The average inflation rate in 2002 was 3.7%. The CIA defines GDP as the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year and computed on the basis of purchasing power parity (PPP) rather than value as measured on the basis of the rate of exchange. Agriculture accounted for an estimated 4% of GDP, industry 29%, and services 68%.
 * **Must include a __Work Cited Page__ with a minimum of 4 resources (1 book 3 websites)**