ABSTRACT
Portugal has many social, political and geographical similarities with its Iberian neighbour, Spain. Portugal has a relatively recent history of democratic rule, which was formalized by the New Constitution of 1976. The fact that the Portuguese constitution is only relatively young means that the process of legislating, and also the process of consolidating existing legislation, has been relatively short lived. In keeping with many democracies in Europe, the Portuguese system is Presidential with the balance of power lying somewhere between the President and the Prime Minister and his/her government. There is developing in Portugal a geographical and informational incompatibility and inconsistency of administration from National government. The changes in emphasis only came with the new constitution and more recently, with Portugal's entry of the European Community. The Portuguese National Park designation also allows human settlements and some tourist developments. The catalogue of types of designation is as comprehensive in Portugal as it is anywhere in Europe.
