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https://www.q-files.com/geography/europe/portugal.
Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
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Geography, Europe, s.v. "Portugal," accessed March 19, 2024.
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Portugal
Portugal lies on the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula, which it shares with Spain. It the westernmost country of mainland Europe. The northern part of the country is rugged and mountainous with a coastal plain. In the south there are low plateaus separated by wide valleys sloping down to lowlands along the coast. Portugal has a Mediterranean climate; summers are long, hot and dry, while winters are warm and rainy. In the northern uplands, the climate can be cooler and wetter; snow falls regularly on the mountains in winter. Portugal once ruled over a vast overseas empire, including Brazil, several African territories and parts of India. During the 20th century, wars within these overseas territories, along with the rule of a harsh dictatorship at home, caused the fortunes of the empire to decline. Today, all of Portugal's former territories are independent countries. Portugal still holds sovereignty over the Azores and Madeira, island archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean. Both are autonomous regions: they have their own governments.
People
The Portuguese are mostly descendants of people who have lived in the area for tens of thousands of years. Nearly everyone is Roman Catholic; religious feasts, saints' days and festivals are important celebrations in Portugal. The coastal plain is the most-populated part of the country: around one third of the population lives in and around the big cities of Lisbon and Porto. Portugal has long been a country of emigration, notably to Brazil and its African and Far Eastern territories. Nowadays, there has been a reverse trend, with more people coming to live in Portugal than leaving.
Economy
Like its neighbour, Spain, Portugal has a thriving tourist industry: over 10 million tourists visit each year. Sandy beaches stretch along its Atlantic coastline and its climate is warm and sunny nearly all year round. The Atlantic surf is strong off the coast of Portugal and it has become popular with surfers. Portugal has long held close ties with the sea. Shellfish, anchovies and sardines are caught in coastal waters. Vines grow in the river valleys of northern and central Portugal. Some of the grapes are used for making port, a sweet wine that is the speciality of the region near Porto.
Cork
One of Portugal’s major exports is cork, which comes from the bark of the cork oak tree. Cork trees are stripped of their bark every nine years; this allows them time to recover so they can be harvested again. The bark is processed and used to make stoppers for bottles as well as floor tiles and mats.
Azores
The Azores are a group of nine rugged, volcanic islands and several tiny islets, scattered over a distance of 600 kilometres (370 miles) in the Atlantic Ocean. Tourism and dairy farming are the islands' main industries.
Madeira
The mountainous islands of Madeira and Porto Santo lie to the southwest of the Portuguese mainland. Madeira (whose name means "wood" in Portuguese) is wet in the northwest but dry in the southeast. In the 16th century, the Portuguese started building levadas (aqueducts) to carry water to the agricultural regions in the south. Today, Madeira is a year-round tourist resort, with its capital Funchal a popular port for cruise liners. The island is also noted for its wine and flowers.
Consultant: Nicholas Harris
Facts about Portugal
Population 10,291,196
Area 91,470 sq km
Highest point Serra de Estrela 1991 m (6540 ft)
Capital Lisbon, population 2,821,700
Other major cities Porto (pop. 1,758,531), Braga (814,0830), Aveiro (461,8190), Faro (451,005), Coimbra (422,708)
Language Portuguese
Religions Christian (Roman Catholic) 81%, other Christian 3%, others and none 16%
Ethnicity Portuguese
Currency Euro (EUR)
Chief exports wine, oil, chemicals, plastics and rubber, leather, wood and cork, paper, textiles and clothing, shoes
History of Portugal
1000 BC
Celts arrive from Central Europe and settle in the region
219 BC
Romans begin to invade the Iberian peninsula and conquer it for the Roman Empire
5th century
Roman rule collapses; Germanic peoples invade the Iberian Peninsula
500–711
Visigothic Kingdom rules the peninsula
711
Umayyad Muslims invade from North Africa and claim the peninsula for the Umayyad Caliphate’s vast empire
Early 1200s
Christians recapture the Iberian peninsula
1400s
Portuguese explorers begin exploring the oceans, finding trading routes in Africa and Asia
1498
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reaches India; trade with the East make Portugal wealthy
1500
Pedro Alvares Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal
1580–1640
Portugal is ruled by Spain until the Portuguese Restoration War, after which King John IV assumes the crown
1755
Great Lisbon Earthquake destroys Lisbon and much of central and southern Portugal
1822
Brazil declares independence from Portugal
1910
King Manuel II abdicates (stands down); Portugal loses its monarchy and becomes a republic
1916–18
Portugal fights in World War I on the side of the Allies
1932–68
António de Oliveira Salazar rules Portugal as a dictatorship
1974
Government is overthrown by a revolution; two years later, women are given the right to vote
1975
All Portuguese overseas territories, including Angola and Mozambique, become independent
1986
Portugal joins the European Union (EU)
2011
Portugal’s debt reaches such high levels that it appeals to the EU for financial help