We offer Portugal real estate investment information for Lisbon, Barreiro, Setubal, Faro, Aveiro, Porto, Leixoes and Viana do Castelo. Scroll down for more information about Portugal.

No can find??? Try a Google Search for real estate in Portugal.

About Portugal

Portugal Population: 10,524,145 (July 2004 est.)
Languages: Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)
Capital: Lisbon
Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy.
Independence Day: 1143 (independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910).
Legal System: Civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations.
Currency: euro (EUR)

Executive Branch:

Chief of State: President Jorge SAMPAIO (since 9 March 1996).

Head of Government: Prime Minister Pedro SANTANA LOPES (since 17 July 2004); note - Prime Minister Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO resigned 5 July 2004 to take over the Presidency of the European Commission later this year.

American Embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon
Mailing Address: Apartado 4258, 1507 Lisboa Codex; PSC 83, APO AE 09726
Telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300 FAX: [351] (21) 726-9109

General Overview: Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.

Economic Overview: Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community in 1986. Over the past decade, successive governments have privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy, including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The country qualified for the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU member economies. Economic growth has been above the EU average for much of the past decade, but fell back in 2001-03. GDP per capita stands at 70% of that of the leading EU economies. A poor educational system, in particular, has been an obstacle to greater productivity and growth. Portugal has been increasingly overshadowed by lower-cost producers in Central Europe and Asia as a target for foreign direct investment. The coalition government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness and to keep the budget deficit within the 3% EU ceiling.

International Disputes: Some Portuguese groups assert dormant claims to territories ceded to Spain around the town of Olivenza.