Portugal: Geography, Demography, Resources and Development

60 question-and-answer flashcards summarising key geographical, demographic, environmental, agricultural and socio-economic concepts from the lecture notes on Portugal. They cover territorial organization, EU integration, population trends, regional disparities, resource management, rural and urban dynamics, and challenges from EU enlargement.

Where is Portugal located within Europe and what dual positional characteristics does it have?

It lies in the south-west of Europe with a peripheral position relative to main European centers but a privileged Atlantic position as a crossroads of oceanic routes and a bridge between Europe and the world.

Which two archipelagos make up Portugal’s insular territory?

The Azores (nine islands, ~2300 km²) and Madeira (two main islands plus islets, ~800 km²).

How is Portugal administratively organized on the mainland?

By 18 districts subdivided into municipalities (concelhos) and parishes (freguesias).

Name Portugal’s two autonomous regions.

The Azores and Madeira.

What European statistical divisions apply to Portugal?

NUTS II and NUTS III regions defined by the European Union.

In what year did Portugal join the European Union?

1986.

Which treaty introduced free movement within many EU countries that Portugal signed?

The Schengen Agreements.

What currency did Portugal adopt in 2002?

The euro.

Give two ways Portuguese culture is globally diffused.

Historical colonisation and continued emigration creating diaspora communities.

What organisation unites Portuguese-speaking countries?

The Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP).

Describe Portugal’s demographic trend in the 1960s.

Lower natural growth due to falling birth rates and a negative migration balance from heavy emigration to Western Europe.

What caused a positive migration balance in the 1970s?

Reduced emigration and the return of Portuguese from former colonies.

Which Portuguese regions currently have the highest birth rates?

The Autonomous Regions, followed by the North.

Why is mortality higher in Alentejo, Algarve and Centro?

Because of a higher proportion of elderly residents.

What has happened to infant mortality in Portugal and why?

It has declined thanks to improved maternal and child healthcare.

Define Portugal’s ‘double ageing’.

Simultaneous fall in the proportion of young people and rise in the share of elderly.

List two social factors explaining fertility decline in Portugal.

Widespread family planning and delayed marriage/first child.

How is the ageing index regionally contrasted?

Higher in interior regions, lower on the coast and in the autonomous regions.

What trend has the activity rate followed and why?

It has risen due to greater female labour participation and recent immigration.

Which economic sector now employs the most Portuguese workers?

The tertiary (services) sector.

Where is primary-sector employment still relatively significant?

The Centro region.

Which region shows highest secondary-sector employment share?

The North.

Identify two persistent literacy problems in Portugal.

Regional disparities and higher female illiteracy in most regions.

What are the four main sociodemographic problems highlighted for Portugal?

Ageing, fertility decline, low educational level and employment challenges.

Name two policy measures to encourage higher birth rates.

Increased family allowances and longer maternity/paternity leave.

How can immigration help Portugal’s demographic situation?

By supplying positive migration balances and rejuvenating the workforce.

What are two key goals for valuing the active population?

Raising education/qualifications and improving the school–business linkage.

Describe ‘litoralização’ of Portugal’s population.

Concentration of inhabitants along the western and southern coasts with interior depopulation.

What is ‘bipolarização’ in Portuguese settlement?

Population concentration around two poles: Lisbon and Porto.

Name two human factors intensifying coastal population concentration.

Urban attraction and location of industry & services plus good transport links.

Give one economic and one environmental cost of heavy coastal pressure.

Economic: overloaded infrastructure; Environmental: coastal ecosystem degradation.

What territorial planning measures help interior regions?

Improved accessibility, essential services, job-creating activities and incentives for firms/qualified professionals to settle inland.

Which sector consumes most water in Portugal?

Agriculture.

Why is Portuguese precipitation highly irregular?

A dry summer season and marked inter-annual variability.

List three atmospheric factors influencing Portugal’s climate.

Azores High, polar fronts/low-pressure systems, and prevailing westerlies.

What are the three broad climatic sets in mainland Portugal?

Atlantic-influenced temperate Mediterranean (wet north coast), continental-influenced temperate Mediterranean (drier interior north), and general Mediterranean climate in the south.

Explain why Portugal’s coast has significant fishing potential despite a narrow shelf.

Upwelling and intersecting currents (e.g., Portugal Current) enrich nutrients on the continental shelf.

What makes Portugal’s ZEE notable in the EU?

It is the largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the European Union.

State two major problems affecting Portugal’s maritime environment.

Overfishing reducing stocks and coastal water pollution.

Mention one management solution for fisheries sustainability.

Setting fishing quotas and capture restrictions.

Give two alternative maritime resources Portugal seeks to exploit.

Wave/tidal renewable energy and offshore hydrocarbons/minerals.

Contrast typical field patterns between northern litoral and Alentejo.

Northern litoral: closed small fields, intensive; Alentejo: open large fields, extensive.

What structural land problem hampers Portuguese agriculture in some regions?

Small fragmented holdings (parcelamento) limiting economies of scale.

Why is labour ageing a barrier to agricultural innovation?

Older farmers often have lower education and are slower to adopt new practices and EU standards.

How has the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) aided Portuguese farming?

Providing funds for land improvements, technology, and professional training.

Name the two main EU funds now supporting Portuguese agriculture.

FEADER and FEAGA.

Define ‘multifunctionality’ of rural space.

Diversification beyond farming into tourism, industry, renewable energy, quality regional products, etc., to sustain rural communities.

What EU initiative specifically supports integrated rural development at local level?

The LEADER programme.

What is the CBD in urban geography?

Central Business District – the urban core with high-order tertiary activities and highest land values.

Why has industry moved to city peripheries in Portugal?

High central land costs, congestion, pollution concerns, and dedicated industrial zones in planning.

Differentiate suburbanization from periurbanization.

Suburbanization: spread of housing/activities to immediate outskirts; Periurbanization: further diffusion into rural fringe, blending urban and rural traits.

List two demographic traits of Portugal’s metropolitan areas.

Generally younger populations and higher educational/skill levels.

Give one economic advantage for industries locating in Lisbon or Porto metropolitan areas.

Access to complementary sectors, infrastructure, large labour pools, and nearby markets.

Identify three typical urban problems stemming from rapid growth.

Infrastructure saturation, housing degradation, and increased environmental pollution.

Provide two urban planning measures that can improve life quality.

Rehabilitating degraded areas and expanding green spaces & traffic management.

Which three Copenhagen criteria must candidate states meet to join the EU?

Political (democracy, institutions), economic (functioning market economy), and legal (adopt EU acquis communautaire).

What pre-accession program assisted Central and Eastern European candidates before 2004?

PHARE.

Name one specific rural and one agricultural EU pre-accession instrument for those countries.

SAPARD (rural/agricultural) and ISPA/IEPA (infrastructure/environment).

What main challenge does Portugal face from EU enlargement?

Competing with new members that often have lower labour costs and improving its own competitiveness.

State one opportunity for Portugal arising from EU enlargement.

Access to a larger consumer market within the world’s biggest single market.