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Full country name: Portugal
Area: 92,389 sq km (35,672 sq mi)
Population: 10 million
Capital city: Lisbon (pop 808,000)
People: 99% Portuguese, 1% African
Language: Portuguese, Leonese, Galician
Religion: 97% Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant, 1% other
Government: Parliamentary democracy
President: Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio
Prime Minister: Antonio Guterres

GDP: US$144.8 billion
GDP per head: US$14,600
Annual growth: 4.2%
Inflation: 2.4%
Major industries: Textiles, footwear, wood products, metalworking, oil refining, chemicals, fish canning, wine, tourism and agriculture
Major trading partners: EU (esp. Spain, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands & the UK ), US
Member of EU: yes

Events

Portugal abounds with romarias (religious pilgrimages), festas (festivals) and feiras (fairs) which bring whole towns to a standstill. At the core of many are religious processions. The further north you go, the more traditional and less touristy these celebrations get. Carnival is one of the biggest events, featuring partying, parading and painted faces about six weeks before Easter. There are vast and colourful processions during Braga's Easter or Holy Week Festival. The Festa de São João in June is biggest in Porto where everyone dances through the streets, amicably hitting each other over the head with leeks. The Feira de São Martinho (Golegã; November) showcases all manner of horses, riding contests and bullfights.

Traveling Guidelines

Visas: Nationals of all EU countries, as well as those from Canada, Israel, New Zealand and the USA can stay up to three months in any half-year without a visa. As of July 1999, Australian citizens must obtain a visa from their nearest Portuguese consulate before entering the country.
Health risks: Sunburn in summer
Time: GMT/UTC
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

Ideal time to visit

Portugal's climate is temperate, and you'll find agreeable weather just about everywhere from April to October, and nearly year-round in the Algarve. Overall the wettest season is from November to March: the soggiest regions are in the extreme north and in the Serra da Estrela mountain region in the country's centre. The ski season is from January to March but February is best. Peak tourist season is roughly from mid-June to September, except in the Algarve where it really only quiets down in the dead of winter. Carnival and Easter are two holidays celebrated with gusto all over the country and are worth going out of your way for.