Portugal

Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (: República Portuguesa ; ), is a country in southwestern, on the. Being the westernmost country of mainland Europe, Portugal is bordered by the to the west and south and by  to the north and east. The s of the  and  are also part of Portugal.

The land within the borders of today's Portuguese Republic has been constantly settled since. Some of the earliest s include ic societies, followed by incorporation into the dominions in the 2nd century BC, and subsequently into  Kingdoms, such as the  and the, from the 5th to the 8th century. The occupied most of the Iberian Peninsula from the early 8th century when they first arrived and conquered the  Kingdoms of Germanic background. After the starting of the , in the early 1100s Portugal appeared as a kingdom independent of its Christian neighbours, and. In little over a century Portugal had nearly established its modern-day borders by conquering territory from the.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, with its which included possessions in,  and , Portugal was one of the world's major economic, political, and cultural powers. In the 19th century, armed conflict with French and Spanish invading forces at mainland, and the loss of its largest territorial possession abroad,, which declared independence unilaterally, disrupted political stability and potential economic growth. After the 's in 1974, its  was deposed in Lisbon and the country lost its last overseas provinces in Africa.

Portugal is a, and although having one of the lowest of an countries, it has a high  and one of the highest  ratings in the world. It is a member of the (since 1986) and the  (since 1955); as well as a founding member of, ,  (Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa — Community of Portuguese Language Countries), and the European Union's.

History
The early history of Portugal, whose name probably derives from the Roman name, is shared with the rest of the. The region was settled by Pre- and Celts, giving origin to peoples like the, visited by and , incorporated in the  dominions (as  in 138 BC), settled again by , , and , and conquered by. In 868, during the (by which Christians reconquered the Iberian peninsula from the Muslim and Moorish domination), the  was formed. A victory over the Muslims at in 1139 is traditionally taken as the occasion when Portugal is transformed from a county into an.

Portugal traces its national origin to  with the. At the, , Count of Portugal, defeated his mother, , and her lover, , in battle - thereby establishing himself as sole leader. Afonso Henriques proclaimed himself on, , after the  and was recognized as such in 1143 by , king of León and Castile, and in 1179 by.

Afonso Henriques and his successors, aided by military, pushed southward to drive out the Moors, as the size of Portugal covered about half of its present area. In 1249, this ended with the capture of the  on the southern coast, giving Portugal its present day borders, with minor exceptions. In 1373, Portugal made an, which is the longest-standing alliance in the world.

In 1383, the king of Castile, husband of the daughter of the Portuguese king who had died without a male heir, claimed his throne. An ensuing popular revolt led to the. A faction of petty noblemen and commoners, led by John of Aviz (later ), seconded by General defeated the Castilians in the. This celebrated battle is still a symbol of glory and the struggle for independence from neighboring Spain.

In the following decades, Portugal spearheaded the exploration of the world and undertook the. Prince, son of King João I, became the main sponsor and patron of this endeavor.

In 1415, Portugal gained the first of its overseas colonies when a fleet conquered, a prosperous Islamic trade center in North. There followed the first discoveries in the Atlantic: and the, which led to the first  movements. Throughout the 15th century, Portuguese explorers sailed the coast of Africa, establishing trading posts for and gold as they looked for a route to India and its spices, which were coveted in Europe. In 1498, finally reached India and brought economic prosperity to Portugal and its then population of one million residents.

In 1500,, en route to India, discovered and claimed it for Portugal. Ten years later, conquered, in ,  in the Persian Strait, and  in what is now a  in. Thus, the Portuguese empire held dominion over commerce in the and South Atlantic. It may also have been Portuguese sailors that were the first Europeans to discover Australia.

Portugal's independence was interrupted between 1580 and 1640. Because the heirless King died in battle in Morocco,  claimed his throne and so became Philip I of Portugal. Although Portugal did not lose its formal independence, it was governed by the same monarch who governed Spain, briefly forming a of kingdoms; in 1640,  spearheaded an uprising backed by disgruntled nobles and was proclaimed king. This was the beginning of the, which was to reign until 1910. On, , the largest city and capital of the Portuguese Empire, was strongly shaken by  which killed between 60,000 and 90,000 people and destroyed eighty-five percent of the city.

By this time, however, the was already under attack from other countries, specifically Britain and the Netherlands. Portugal began a slow but inexorable decline until the 20th century. This decline was hastened by the independence in 1822 of the country's largest colonial possession,. At the height of European in the 19th century, Portugal had lost its territory in  and all but a few bases in Asia. During this phase, Portuguese colonialism focused on expanding its outposts in Africa into nation-sized territories to compete with other European powers there. Portuguese territories eventually included the modern nations of, , , , and.

In 1910, a revolution deposed the, but chaos continued and considerable economic problems were aggravated by the , which led to a. This in turn led to the establishment of a right-wing dictatorship by.

In December 1961, the Portuguese army was involved in armed action in its colony of against an. The operations resulted in the defeat of the isolated and relatively small Portuguese defense force which was not able to resist a much larger enemy. The outcome was the loss of the Portuguese territories in the.

Also in the early 1960s, independence movements in the Portuguese overseas provinces of, , and , in Africa, resulted in the (1961-1974). In 1974, a bloodless left-wing military in, known as the , led the way for a modern democracy as well as the independence of the last colonies in Africa shortly after.

Portugal joined the in 1986, and ever since it has engaged in a process of convergence with its.

Government and politics


Portugal is a democratic republic ruled by the with, the nation's largest city, as its capital. The four main governing components are the, the , the , and the courts. The constitution grants the division or separation of powers among legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Portugal like most European countries has no, making it a.

The president, who is elected to a five-year term, has a supervising, nonexecutive role. The current President is. The Assembly of the Republic is a parliament composed of 230 deputies elected for four-year terms.

The government is headed by the (currently ), who chooses the Council of Ministers, comprising all the ministers and the respective state secretaries. The national and regional governments, and the, are dominated by two political parties, the and the. Minority parties ( plus ),  (Left Bloc) and  (People's Party) are also represented in the  and local governments.

The are organized into categories, including judicial, administrative, and fiscal. The s are the courts of last appeal. A thirteen-member oversees the constitutionality of legislation.

Foreign relations
Portugal is a founding member of (1949),  and ; it left the former in 1986 to join the. In 1996 it co-founded the. It has a friendship alliance and treaty with Brazil. Portugal is part of the world's oldest active alliance through its.

The only international dispute concerns the municipality of (Olivenza in Spanish). Under Portuguese sovereignty since 1297, the municipality of Olivença was ceded to Spain under the Treaty of Badajoz in 1801, after the. Portugal claimed it back in 1815 under the. Nevertheless, bilateral diplomatic relations between the two neighbouring countries are cordial, as well as within the.

Military of Portugal
The armed forces have three branches:, , and. The military of Portugal serves primarily as a self-defense force whose mission is to protect the territorial integrity of the country and providing humanitarian assistance and security at home and abroad. Since the early 2000s, compulsory military service is no longer practised. The changes also turned the forces' focus towards professional military engagements. The age for voluntary recruitment is set at 18. In the 20th century, Portugal engaged in two major military interventions: the and the  (1961-1974). Portugal has participated in peacekeeping missions in, , , , , and.

Administrative divisions


Portugal has an administrative structure of 308 (Portuguese singular/plural: concelho/concelhos), which are subdivided into more than 4,000 parishes (freguesia/freguesias). Municipalities are grouped for administrative purposes into superior units. For continental Portugal the municipalities are gathered in 18 Districts, while the Islands have a Regional Government directly above them. Thus, the largest unit of classification is the one established since 1976 into either (Portugal Continental) or the  ( and ).

Geography and climate


The climate can be classified as in the north and  in the south. Portugal is one of the warmest European countries, the annual temperature averages in are 13 °C (55 °F) in the north and 18 °C (64 °F) in the south. The and  Atlantic archipelagos have a narrower temperature range. Generally, spring and summer are sunny, whereas autumn and winter are rainy and windy. Extreme temperatures occur in Northeastern parts of the country in winter (where they may fall to -15 °C) and Southeastern parts in summer (where they can soar up to 45 °C). Sea coastal areas are milder, temperatures varying between -2 °C in the coldest winter mornings and 37 °C in the hottest summer afternoons. Absolute extremes registered so far have been -23 °C in and 48 °C in the  region. is split by its main river, the. The northern landscape is mountainous in the interior areas, with plateaus indented by river valleys. The south, between the and the  (the ), features mostly rolling plains and a climate somewhat warmer and drier than in the cooler and rainier north. The, separated from the by mountains, enjoys a  much like southern Spain. falls occasionally (on some cold winter days) in the northern interior of the country, from October to May. However, it is a very rare event in the south. The coast registers snow usually once in five or six years.

The islands of the Azores are located in the whilst the Madeira islands were formed by the activity of an , much like the. Some islands have had volcanic activity as recently as 1957. Portugal's highest point is on. It is an ancient volcano measuring 2,351 m (7,713 ft). 's highest point is, measuring 1993 m (6,558 ft).

, a seazone over which the Portuguese have special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, has 1,727,408 km². This is the 3rd largest of the  and the 11th in the world.

include one national park (Parque Nacional), 12 natural parks (Parque Natural), 9 natural reserves (Reserva Natural), 5 natural monuments (Monumento Natural), and 7 protected landscapes (Paisagem Protegida), ranging from the to the  to the.

Economy


Portugal joined the in 1986 and started a process of modernization within the framework of a stable environment. It has achieved a healthy level of growth. Successive governments have implemented reforms and privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy. Portugal was one of the founding countries of the in 1999, and therefore is integrated into the.

Major industries include, , production, , , , , and  (of which Portugal is the world's leading producer). Agriculture and Fishing (see ) no longer represents the bulk of the economy, but, namely (named after the country's second largest city, ) and  (named after ), are exported worldwide. is also important, especially in mainland Portugal's southernmost region of the and in the Atlantic.

The Global Competitiveness Report for 2005, published by the, places Portugal on the 22nd position, ahead of countries such as , , , and. This represents an increase of two places from the 2004 ranking. Portugal was ranked 20th on the Technology index and 15th on the Public Institutions index.

Research about by the 's (EIU) Quality-of-life Survey places Portugal as the country with the 19th-best quality of life in the world, ahead of other economically and technologically advanced countries like, , the  and.

,, , , and  are among the largest corporations of Portugal by both number of employees and.

The major is the  which is part of the, the first global stock exchange. The is Portugal's most selective and widely known.

Energy, transportation and communications


In 2006 the world's largest plant began operating in the nation's sunny south while the world's first commercial  farm opened in October 2006 in the. As of 2006, 55% of electricity production was from coal and fuel power plants. The other 40% was produced by s and 5% by. The government is channeling $3.8 billion into developing sources over the next five years.

Portugal wants sources like solar, wind and wave power to account for nearly half of the electricity consumed in the country by 2010. "This new goal will place Portugal in the frontline of renewable energy and make it, along with and, one of the three nations that most invest in this sector", Prime Minister  said. Transportation was seen as a priority in the 1990s, pushed by the growing use of automobiles and industrialization. The country has a 68,732 km (42,708 mi) network of roads, of which almost 3,000 km (1,864 mi) are part of a 44 s system.

The two principal metropolitan areas have subway systems: and Metro Sul do Tejo in Lisbon  and  in Porto, each with more than 35 km (22 mi) of lines. Construction of a high-speed line connecting Porto with Lisbon and Lisbon with Madrid will begin in 2008; it will replace the s. Lisbon's geographical position makes it a stopover point for many foreign airlines at airports all over the country. The government is currently studying two locations ( and Alcochete) to replace the present Lisbon airport. Currently, the most important airports are in, , , , and.

Portugal has one of the highest penetration rates in the  (the number of operative mobile phones already exceeds the population). This network also provides wireless mobile Internet connections as well, and covers the entire territory. As of October 2006, 36.8% of households had high-speed Internet services and 78% of companies had Internet access. Most Portuguese watch television through cable (June 2004: 73.6% of households). Paid Internet connections are available at many cafés, as well as many post offices. One can also surf on the Internet at hotels, conference centres and shopping centres, where special areas are reserved for this purpose. Free internet access is also available to Portuguese residents at "Espaços de Internet" across the country.

Demographics


The country is fairly homogeneous linguistically and religiously. Native are ethnically a combination of pre-Roman  and  along with some other minor contributions by,  , s and  (mostly s and some s).

In the 2001 census, the population was 10,356,117, of which 51.7% was female, 48.2% was male and 0.1% was undefined or mixed. Portugal, long a country of emigration, has now become a country of net immigration, and not just from the former n and n ; by the end of 2003, legal represented about 5% of the population, and the largest communities were from, , , , , ,  and  with other immigrants from parts of ,  and. The great majority of Portuguese are, though a large percentage consider themselves non-practicing, especially in urban areas. The biggest metropolitan areas are, , , , and.

Education, science and technology


The educational system is divided into preschool (for those under age 6), basic education (9 years, in three stages, ), (3 years), and  ( and ).

Portuguese universities have existed since 1290. The was first established in  before moving to. Universities are usually organized into. Institutes and schools are also common designations for autonomous subdivisions of, and are always used in the polytechnical system. The has been adopted since 2006 by Portuguese universities and polytechnical institutes.

Scientific and technological activities in Portugal are mainly conducted within a network of  units belonging to  and state-managed autonomous research institutions like the. The funding of this research system is mainly conducted under the authority of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education. The largest R&D units of the public universities by number of publications which achieved significant international recognition, include research institutions like the, the  and the , among others. Among the largest non-state-run research institutions in Portugal are the and the  which yearly awards one of the highest monetary prizes of any science prize in the world. A number of both national and multinational high-tech and industrial companies, are also responsible for research and development projects.

Portugal have entered into in order to further develop and increase the effectiveness of Portuguese higher education.

Law
The is part of the civil law legal system, also called the continental family legal system. Until the end of the 19th century, law was the main influence. Since then the major influence has been. The main laws include the (1976, as amended), the  (1966, as amended) and the  (1982, as amended). Other relevant laws are the Commercial Code (1888, as amended) and the Civil Procedure Code (1961, as amended). Portuguese law applied in the former and continues to be the major influence for those countries.

Religion
Portuguese society is overwhelmingly. 84% of the population are nominally Roman Catholic, but only about 19% attend mass and take the sacraments regularly. A larger number wish to be baptized, married in the church, and receive last rites.

Culture
Portugal has developed a specific culture while being influenced by various civilizations that have crossed the Mediterranean and the European continent, or were introduced when it played an active role during the. , one of the earliest Western literatures, developed through text and song. Until 1350, the s spread their literary influence to most of the Iberian Peninsula. (ca. 1465 - ca. 1536), was one of the founders of both Portuguese and Spanish dramatic traditions. Adventurer and poet (ca. 1524-1580) wrote the epic poem , with 's  as his main influence. Modern Portuguese poetry is rooted in neoclassic and contemporary styles, as exemplified by (1888–1935). Modern Portuguese literature is represented by authors such as, , , , and. Particularly popular and distinguished is, winner of the 1998.

encompasses a wide variety of genres. The most renowned is, a melancholy urban music, usually associated with the and saudade, or longing. , a unique type of fado, is also noteworthy. Internationally notable performers include, , , , , , and. One of the most notable Portuguese musical groups outside the country, and specially in, is the goth-metal band. In addition to fado and folk, the Portuguese listen to pop and other types of modern music, particularly from and the, as well as a wide range of Portuguese and Brazilian artists and bands. Bands with international recognition include and, both of which were nominated for an. Portugal has several summer music festivals, such as ' in, ' in , ' near , and ' and  in. Out of the summer season, Portugal has a large number of festivals, designed more to an urban audience, like Flowfest or Hip Hop Porto. Furthermore, one of the largest international festivals takes place in northern Portugal every two years, and the student festivals of  are major events in a number of cities across Portugal. In the Classical music domain, Portugal is represented by names as the pianist Maria João Pires, the violinist Carlos Damas and in the past by the great cellist Guilhermina Suggia. It has also a rich history as far as painting is concerned. The first well-known painters date back to the XV century – like - were part of the Gothic painting period. , known for his work Fado, and (who painted the portraits of  and ) were both references in naturalist painting. The 20th century saw the arrival of, and along with it came the most prominent Portuguese painters: , who was heavily influenced by French painters, particularly by the. Among his best known works is Canção Popular a Russa e o Fígaro. Another great modernist painter/writer was, friend to the poet , who painted his (Pessoa’s) portrait. He was deeply influenced by both and  trends. Prominent international figures in visual arts nowadays include painters, , and. Traditional architecture is distinctive. Modern Portugal has given the world renowned architects like, and. Internally, is also noteworthy.

Since the 1990s, Portugal has increased the number of public cultural facilities, in addition to the established in 1956 in Lisbon. These include the in Lisbon,  and the, both in , as well as new public cultural facilities like municipal libraries and concert halls which were built or renovated in many municipalities across the country.

Cuisine


Portuguese cuisine is diverse. The Portuguese love dry ( in Portuguese), for which there are hundreds of. There are more than enough  dishes for each day of the year. Two other popular fish recipes are grilled and. Typical Portuguese meat recipes, that may take, , , or , include , , , and. Typical dishes include the  from Porto, and bifanas (grilled pork), prego (grilled beef) or leitão (let)  which are well known around the country. The Portuguese art of has its origins in ancient recipes of which  (or pastéis de nata) originally from Lisbon, and  from Aveiro are good examples.

Portuguese wines have deserved international recognition since the times of the Roman Empire, which associated Portugal with their God. Today the country is known by wine lovers and its wines have won several international prizes. Some of the best Portuguese wines are:, , , , , and the sweet: ,  and the  from  and. Port Wine is well known around the world and the most widely exported Portuguese wine.

Sports and games
is the most known, loved and practiced sport. The legendary is still a major symbol of Portuguese football history and  and   are among the numerous examples of other world class footballers born in Portugal and noted worldwide.

The s, have titles in the and in the  youth championships. The main national team - Selecção Nacional - finished second in, and reached the third place in the , their best results in major competitions to date. , and  are the largest  by popularity and in terms of trophies won, often known as "os três grandes". They have a number of titles won in the European club competitions, were present in many finals and have been regular contenders in the last stages almost every season. Other than football, many Portuguese sports clubs, including the "big three", compete in several other sports events with a varying level of success and popularity.

Portugal has a successful team, with 15  and 20, making it the country with the most wins in both competitions. The most successful Portuguese rink hockey clubs in the history of European championships are, , , and. The made a dramatic qualification into the  and become the first all amateur team to qualify for the World Cup since the dawn of the professional era. The Portuguese national team of has performed well, becoming one of the strongest teams in Europe, and proved their status as European champions in several occasions.

, in men's athletics, has won several gold, silver and bronze medals in the European, World and Olympic Games competitions. in the 100 m and the 200 m, had silver in the. in and, is another Portuguese elite athlete. In the, , has won a large number of medals and major competitions across the world and in 2007 became the world champion both in and. In, is European champion in the women's under-52 kg category. is world champion in.

, with being the most important race, is also a popular sports event and include professional cycling teams such as, , , and. Noted Portuguese cyclists include, among others, names as, , and.

The country has also achieved notable performances in sports like, , , , , and , among other. The athletes have also conquered many medals in sports like,  and. Portugal has its own original, , in which the fighters use staffs to confront one or several opponents.

Political and economic rankings

 * ratings - Free; political rights and civil liberties both rated 1 (the highest score available)
 * - 8th freest, at 2.00
 * - 34th highest, at I$22,677
 * - 29th highest, at 0.897
 * - 59th most equal, at 38.5
 * - 98th lowest, at 8.30% 98
 * - 28th least corrupt, at 6.5 on index
 * - 30th freest, at 2.29 on index

Health rankings

 * - 188th most fertile, at 1.48 per woman
 * - 167th most births, at 10.50 per 1000 people
 * - 52nd highest death rate, at 10.60 per 1000 people
 * - 39th highest, at 78.1 years
 * - 41st highest suicide rate, at 18.9 for males and 4.9 for females
 * - 73rd most cases, at 0.40%

Other rankings

 * - 9th highest, out of 121 countries
 * - 68th highest emissions, at 5.63 tonnes per capita
 * - 44th highest consumption of electricity, at 44,010,000,000 kWh
 * - 21st highest uptake in, at 11.5%
 * - 20th highest, at 59.6 litres per capita

Facts and figures

 * Official : YYYY/MM/DD (ex. 2006/09/08)
 * Common : DD/MM/YYYY (ex. 06/09/2006), dates are written out as DD de MM de YYYY (ex. 18 de Agosto de 2005)
 * separator is a comma: 123,45
 * Thousands are officially separated by a space — 10 000 — although the point is still used — 10.000.


 * The euro sign is commonly placed either before or after the amount, with the separator either a comma or a point: 10,95 € - € 10,95 - € 10.95 - 10.95 €