Social and economic typology of the continental municipalities through the analysis of correspondence

Abstract

This article includes a study on the continental Portugal, described by 25 social and ecocnomic variables, using the technique of data analysis known as the factorial analysis of correspondence. The observation unities are the 274 «concelhos» (municipalities) of the continental Portugal. The indicators used describe the social classes, the economic organization and some sanitary aspects concerning each concelho. In spite of the fact that those data are all previous as to the processus of politico-economic and social charges on the 25^th April 1974, the analysis shows clearly the presente main economic structures and their distribution through the country, as wel as the distribution of the different social classes and strata along the continental territory. And the 25 variables give place to two factors that, only by themselves, explain 63% of the total information: the accumulation of social wealth and the production relations in agriculture. As a function of these factors one may define some homogeneous regions, resulting from, the grouping of the concelhos and distinguished among them by the relative importance of the economic structures. It is, at last, an exploratory study in which one has considered the methodologie aspects as essential. The results achieved and the importance of the problem under discussion justify the ulterior pursuit of the study presented here.