Language
Of Latin origin, Portuguese is
the third most widely spoken European language in the world
and is mother tongue to about 200 million people.
Countries in which Portuguese
is the official language: Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau,
Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe in Africa,
Brazil in South America and East Timor in Asia. There are also
Portuguese-speaking communities in other countries: important
communities of recent immigrants in France, Luxembourg and
Germany, in Europe, in the United States, Canada and Venezuela,
in the Americas, in South Africa, in Africa, in Australia,
and small groups of people in old colonies in Asia.
In Portugal a considerable number
of the citizens can communicate easily in English, French and
Spanish.
International Relations
Portugal is a founding member
of the UN system since 1945, a founding member of NATO since
1949, of the Council of Europe since 1976, of the European
Union since 1986, and a founding member of the Community of
Portuguese Speaking Countries since 1996.
Portugal has diplomatic relations
with over 180 countries in all the continents and oceans.
Religion
The Portuguese people are mainly Roman Catholic, but the Portuguese Constitution
guarantees religious freedom, which results in the presence in Portugal of
various different religions: Christians ( Protestants of various denominations
and Orthodox), Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, etc.
In the Continente is located
Fátima, one of the greatest Roman Catholic sanctuaries
of the world.
Constitutional System -
A Republic ruled by a Constitution. The Constitutional System
includes the President of the Republic who represents the Portuguese
Republic, the Assembleia da República (Parliament) that
represents the Portuguese citizens, the Government and
the Courts of Law that administers justice in the name of the
people and are solely subject to the law and whose decisions
are binding for all public and private entities. With the exception
of the Law Courts, these sovereign organs (excepting the Government)
are elected by direct, secret and periodic vote by the people.
See Political System
Political Parties represented
in the Parliament - Social Democratic Party, Socialist
Party, Popular Party, Communist Party of Portugal, Left Block
and Ecologist Party, The Greens.
