Portugal, one of Europe's poorest countries and Britain's oldest ally, entered the Common Market on 1 January 1986.
Anibal Cavaco Silva, a British-educated professor of economics and leader of the Social
Democratic Party, has been Prime Minister since last October.
Like Britain, Portugal has seen its overseas territories gaining independence, although in Macao she still has an enclave on Chinese soil. Portuguese is one of the world's most widely spoken languages, with more than 100 million speakers in countries as widely separated as Brazil, Angola and Mozambique.
Sue MacGregor chairs this international phone-in which is open to callers across the world. Produced for Radio 4 by PAT TAYLOR and ANNE BOLSOVER and for the BBC World Service by JANET DAVEY (A simultaneous broadcast with BBC World Service)
Lines open from 10.30am
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