Portugal

The Portuguese Republic lies in western Europe. It covers 92,212 square kilometres and has around 10.4 million inhabitants. On average, about 113 people live in each square kilometre. In Germany, the figure is 232. Many Portuguese people emigrated over the past centuries. They left the country because they were very poor and there were few opportunities to find work that paid enough to live on. Today, they live mainly in France, the United States of America (USA) and Brazil.

Almost everyone in Portugal speaks Portuguese. Nearly 90 percent of the population belongs to the Catholic Church. The country is also home to Protestants, Muslims and Jews.

The capital of Portugal is Lisbon. In Portuguese, the name is pronounced “Lishboa”. The city has a population of about 552,000.

Portugal is divided into 18 districts, most of which were formed around a large city, such as Lisbon, Porto or Braga. Portugal also includes the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira. They lie some distance from the mainland in the Atlantic Ocean. There are 308 municipalities and 3,091 cities and towns.

The second-largest city in Portugal is Porto. It is in the north of the country. The city's name means “harbor.” About 238,000 people live in Porto.

Other large cities include Vila Nova de Gaia, Amadora, Braga, Setubal, Funchal on the island of Madeira, and the old university city of Coimbra.

The longest river in Portugal is the Tagus, which is over 1,000 kilometres long. It rises in Spain, where it is called the Tajo, and flows into the Atlantic near Lisbon. Its estuary is very wide. The Douro also rises in Spain. It is almost 900 kilometres long and flows into the Atlantic near Porto. The Douro Valley is home to many vineyards, including those that produce the world-famous Port wine.

The Minho in the north and the Guadiana in the east form much of Portugal’s border with Spain. The Mondego is 234 kilometres long and is the longest river that flows entirely within Portugal.

There are more than 150 lakes in Portugal. As the country is very mountainous, the lakes are often quite small. Some are also man-made reservoirs, such as the Barragem de Santa Luzia in the Coimbra District.

Portugal includes around 60 islands, including Madeira. It has a long coastline along the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south. The Algarve coast in the south is especially popular with tourists. Here you’ll find well-known holiday resorts such as Faro, Portimao, Albufeira, Lagos and Silves. The Alentejo region lies north of the Algarve. It is very sparsely populated and is used mainly for agriculture. The highest mountain on the mainland is Torre, which reaches 1,993 metres. Portugal’s highest mountain is in the Azores. It is 2,351 metres high and is called Ponta do Pico.

On 1 November 1755, Lisbon was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake. Up to 100,000 people—more than a third of the population at the time—lost their lives. The disaster began at around 9:40 a.m. The first quake lasted about six minutes. Deep fissures tore open the ground, buildings collapsed and numerous fires broke out. In the harbour, the water initially receded, exposing the harbour basin floor. About 40 minutes after the earthquake, it surged back with great force. Three waves flooded the city, causing the water level of the Tagus to rise sharply. Although the waves extinguished many fires, they caused further extensive damage. Fires in the higher parts of the city continued to wreak destruction for many days. Traces of the earthquake can still be seen today. Coastal towns and villages in the Algarve, in southern Portugal, were also destroyed. Many people in Morocco, on the African continent, are also said to have been killed by the waves. The earthquake and the effects of the waves were felt throughout Europe. The rubble was cleared and the city began to be rebuilt immediately after the earthquake. Wide streets and avenues were laid out, and buildings were constructed to withstand earthquakes by the standards of the time.

Portugal is the westernmost country in Europe. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south. Spain is Portugal’s only neighboring country. It lies to the east.

Portugal has been a member of the European Union since 1986. Since then, its economic performance has improved considerably, but it is still below the average for other EU countries. On average, wages in Portugal are lower and working hours considerably longer than in most other EU countries. On the other hand, Portugal has made much greater progress in building motorways and installing fiber-optic cables. Its main exports are clothing and footwear, machinery, chemicals, cork, pulp and paper. The country imports machinery, vehicles, oil and petroleum products, as well as agricultural products. A high proportion of Portugal’s workforce still works in agriculture, although farming is often inefficient. The main crops are grapes, and cork oak is harvested and processed for its cork. Tourism has become increasingly important. Portugal’s currency is the euro.

Portugal was a kingdom from 1083 to 1910. For the 400 years before that, the country was ruled by Muslim Moors. The first kings, who lived in Guimaraes in the north of the country, fought the Moors and drove them out. The explorer Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India in 1498, and Portuguese merchants then grew very rich through the spice trade. Portugal also conquered several colonies in Africa, Asia and South America, including Angola, Mozambique, Macao and Brazil. Portugal ruled these countries for varying lengths of time; Macao was the last to be returned to China, in 1999. Portugal’s last king was deposed in 1910. The country has been a republic ever since.

Today, Portugal is headed by a president. The president is elected by eligible voters for a five-year term. The president appoints a prime minister and the ministers, taking the results of parliamentary elections into account. Portugal is a parliamentary democracy. All Portuguese citizens aged 18 and over can vote. Every four years, they elect the parliament, known as the Assembleia da República. The parliament has up to 230 members. The government is headed by the prime minister and the Council of Ministers, which includes the country’s ministers. The country’s Supreme Court ensures that the constitution, the country’s most important law, is properly applied.