PORTUGAL

Portugal, a country with a rich history of seafaring and discovery, looks out from the Iberian peninsula into the Atlantic Ocean.

When it handed over its last overseas territory, Macau, to Chinese adminstration in 1999, it brought to an end a long and sometimes turbulent era as a colonial power

• Capital City: Lisbon
  
• Population: 10 million (UN, 2003)
  
• Major language: Portuguese
  
• Major religion: Christianity
  
• Life expectancy: 73 years (men), 80 years (women) (UN)
  
• 1 Euro = 100 cents
  
• Main exports: Textiles and clothing, wood products, electrical equipment
  
• Average annual income: US $10,900 (World Bank, 2001)
  
• Internet domain: .pt
  
• International dialling code: +351
  

THE MEDIA

Public radio networks are operated by RDP. The Roman Catholic Church owns the widely-listened-to Radio Renascenca. There are some 300 local and regional commercial radio stations.

• The press
  
  • Diario de Noticias - daily
    
  • Publico - daily
    
  • Correio da Manha - daily
    
  • Jornal de Noticias - daily
    
  • Expresso - weekly
    
    
    
    
• Television
  
  • RTP - public, operates two domestic channels and external services RTP Africa and RTP Internacional
    
  • SIC - commercial
    
  • TVI - commercial
    
  • TV Cabo - main pay-TV operator
    
    
    
• Radio
  
  • RDP - public, operates three national networks, regional and external services
    
  • Radio Comercial - national, commercial
    
  • TSF - national, commercial
    
  • Radio Renascenca - church-run
    
    

     

• News agency
  
  • Lusa News Agency