Conventional Long Form of Country: Portuguese Republic
Capital City: Lisbon
Type of Government:Republic; Parliamentary democracy
Date of Independence: 1143(Kingdom of Portugal recognized), October 5, 1910(republic proclaimed)
National Holidays: Portugal Day (10 June)- the day that the revered national poet Luis de Camoes died
Description of Executive Branch/Powers:Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister.There is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president. President elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president
Description of Legislative Branch/Powers:unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Description of Judicial Branch/Powers:Supreme Court or (consists of 12 justices) and Constitutional Court(consists of 13 judges) are the two highest courts. Supreme Court justices nominated by the president and appointed by the Assembly of the Republic; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Court judges - 10 elected by the Assembly and 3 elected by the other Constitutional Court judges; judges elected for 6-year non-renewable terms.
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Name of Ambassador to the U.S.:Ambassador Nuno Filipe Alves Salvador a Brito
Location of Embassy in the U.S.: 2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
Location of consulates in the U.S.: Boston, New York, Newark, San Francisco, New Bedford, Providence
Name of U.S. Ambassador to them: Robert A. Sherman
Location of U.S. embassy there: AVenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon
Location of U.S. consulate there: Ponta Delgada
Name of representative to UN: Alvaro José de Mendonça e Moura
Description of the Symbolism of the flag: explanations for the color meanings are ambiguous, but a popular interpretation has green symbolizing hope and red the blood of those defending the nation
National Symbols: armillary sphere
Description of Internal Disputes:Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz
Quantity of refugees inside country: NA
Country of origin of refugees: NA
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: NA
Quantity of Stateless Persons:553
Description of current human trafficking issues: NA
Description of Illicit Drug trafficking/use:seizing record amounts of Latin American cocaine destined for Europe; a European gateway for Southwest Asian heroin; transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin
Chief of State: President Anibal Cavaco Silva
Head of Government: Prime Minister Pedro Manuel Coelho Mamede