Portugal Portugal Population 11,655,200 SINless Population (est.) 22% Per Capita Income 24,600 Below Poverty Level 34% Megacorporate Affiliation 45% Education: Less than 12 years 25% GED 45% 4 year degree 22% Masters or higher 8% Major Language Portuguese (80%) Currency Euro Capital Lisbon The atmosphere in Portugal harkens back to the 1940s, when the country was a playground for Axis and Allied spies, resistance fighters on the run, Moroccan fixers and Jewish refugees. Lisbon remains the undisputed heart of the country and hosts the headquarters of the national corporation, Lusiada. It is also a focal point for a number of trade and smuggling routes, considered a neutral harbor for pirates and is disputably the largest hub of mercenary activity and related weapons commerce in the world. The city thrives on its edgy reputation, legal prostitution, gambling dens and debaucherous nightlife. It has a distinct cultural flavor, blending Latin European, Brazilian, African and pseudo-Arabic lifestyles and rhythms. The presence of such a large number of meres could be a powder keg elsewhere, but Lisbon is easy-going and racial and ethnic tensions are diluted by the cultural melting pot. Lisbon, Europe's second port and a gateway for illegal goods from Africa and South America. A major transport hub with a reputation appreciated by sailors, smugglers, pirates and other underworld types, Lisbon is also major tourist center. The wild and edgy nightlife and many legal vices draw a steady flow of people and information, making it a hotbed for intelligence activity. Imagine a hyperactive World War II Casablanca - that's the atmosphere underlying Lisbon's open culture. The mercs, the tourists and the underworld combine to provide the perfect backdrop for espionage of all sorts, from data-snatches to old fashioned "listening posts." Intrigue trickles down from Lusiada's boardrooms to the streets, meres blab about contracts and missions, and drunken tourists drop hints of the boss's affairs or their latest projects to impress the joygirls. Lisbon is brimming with information for those that know how to tap it, and is a regular setting for covert deals and trades among spies and info-brokers.