republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Independence date
7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
27 October 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Religions
Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Spiritualist 1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4% (2000 census)
Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%
Languages
Portuguese (official and most widely spoken language); note - less common languages include Spanish (border areas and schools), German, Italian, Japanese, English, and a large number of minor Amerindian languages
Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Exports
transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos
