Portugal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the country. For other uses, see Portugal (disambiguation).
Portuguese Republic
Repblica Portuguesa[note 1]

Flag

Coat of arms

Anthem: "A Portuguesa"

"The Portuguese"
0:00
Location of Portugal (dark green) in Europe (green & dark grey) in the
European Union (green)
Location of Portugal (dark green)
in Europe (green & dark grey)
in the European Union (green)
Capital
and largest city

Lisbon

3846N 99W
Official languages Portuguese
Recognised regional languages Mirandese[a]
Ethnic groups (2011)
96.3% Portuguese
3.7% others
Religion

Secular state[b]

Demonym

Portuguese

Government Unitary semi-presidential republic

President

Prime Minister

President of the National Assembly

Legislature

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa

Assembly of the Republic

Formation

Antnio Costa

Foundation 868

Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues

Re-founding 1095

Sovereignty 24 June 1128

Kingdom

Recognized 5 October 1143

Papal recognition

Restored

1 December 1640

Republic

5 October 1910

Redemocratization 25 April 1974

Present Constitution[c]

Joined the EEC

26 July 1139

23 May 1179

25 April 1976

(now the EU)1 January 1986

Area

Total 92,212[1] km2 (111th)

35,603 sq mi

Water (%)

0.5

Population

2014 estimate

10,427,301[2] (83rd)

2011 census 10,562,178[3]

Density

115/km2 (97th)

298/sq mi
GDP (PPP)

2016 estimate

Total $296 billion[4] (50th)

Per capita

GDP (nominal)

$28,476[4] (40th)
2016 estimate

Total $204.186 billion[4] (43th)

Per capita

Gini (2013)

$19,611[4] (36th)

34.2[5]

medium
HDI (2014)

Increase 0.830[6]

very high 43rd

Currency

Euro ()[d] (EUR)

Time zone

WET (UTC)

AZOT (UTC1)

Summer (DST)

WEST (UTC+1)

AZOST (UTC)
Note: Mainland Portugal and Madeira use WET/WEST, the Azores use
AZOT/AZOST
Antipodes

New Zealand and

Pacific Ocean
Date format dd/mm/yyyy
Drives on the

right

Calling code +351

ISO 3166 code

PT

Internet TLD .pt

a.
^ Mirandese, spoken in some villages of the municipality of Miranda do
Douro, was officially recognized in 1999 (Lei n. 7/99 de 29 de Janeiro),[7]
awarding it an official right-of-use.[8]
Portuguese Sign Language is also recognized.
b.

^ Roman Catholicism is predominant among the population (81.0%).

c.
^ Portuguese Constitution adopted in 1976 with several subsequent minor
revisions, between 1982 and 2005.
d.

^ Before 2002, the escudo.

Portugal (Portuguese: [putua]), officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese:

Repblica Portuguesa), is a country on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern
Europe. It is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, being bordered by the
Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east. The
PortugalSpain border is 1,214 km (754 mi) long and considered the longest
uninterrupted border within the European Union. The republic also includes the
Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both autonomous regions with
their own regional governments.

The territory of modern Portugal has been continuously settled, invaded and
fought over since prehistoric times. The Iberians, Celts, Phoenicians,
Carthaginians and the Romans were followed by the invasions of the Visigothic
and the Suebi Germanic peoples, who were themselves later invaded by the
Moors. These Muslim peoples were eventually expelled during the Christian
Reconquista. Portuguese nationality can be traced back to the creation of the
First County of Portugal, in 868. In 1139, Afonso Henriques was proclaimed King
of Portugal, thus firmly establishing Portuguese independence, under the
Portuguese House of Burgundy.[9]

In the 15th and 16th centuries, under the House of Aviz, which took power
following the 1383-85 Crisis, Portugal expanded Western influence and
established the first global empire, becoming one of the world's major economic,
political and military powers.[10][11][12] During this time, Portuguese explorers
pioneered maritime exploration in the Age of Discovery, notably under royal
patronage of Prince Henry the Navigator and King Joo II, with such notable
discoveries as Vasco da Gama's sea route to India (149798), Pedro lvares
Cabral's discovery of Brazil (1500), and Bartolomeu Dias's reaching of the Cape
of Good Hope. Portugal monopolized the spice trade during this time, under royal
command of the Casa da ndia, and the Portuguese Empire expanded with
military campaigns led in Asia, notably under Afonso de Albuquerque, who was
known as the "Caesar of the East".

The destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, the country's occupation during

the Napoleonic Wars, the independence of Brazil (1822), and the Liberal Wars
(1828-1834), all left Portugal crippled from war and diminished in its world
power.[13] After the 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy, the democratic but
unstable Portuguese First Republic was established, later being superseded by
the "Estado Novo" right-wing authoritarian regime. Democracy was restored after
the Portuguese Colonial War and the Carnation Revolution in 1974. Shortly after,
independence was granted to all its colonies and East Timor, with the exception
of Macau, which was handed over to China in 1999.[14] This marked the end of
the longest-lived European colonial empire, leaving a profound cultural and
architectural influence across the globe and a legacy of over 250 million
Portuguese speakers today.

Portugal is a developed country with a high-income advanced economy and high

living standards.[15][16][17] It is the 5th most peaceful country in the world,
maintaining a unitary semi-presidential republican form of government.[18][19]
[20][21][22][23] It has the 18th highest Social Progress in the world, putting it
ahead of other Western European countries like France, Spain and Italy.[24] It is a
member of numerous international organizations, including the United Nations,
the European Union, the eurozone, OECD, NATO and the Community of
Portuguese Language Countries. Portugal is also known for having decriminalized
the usage of all common drugs in 2001, the first country in the world to do so.
However, the sale and distribution of these drugs is still illegal in Portugal.[25]

Contents [hide]
1

History

1.1

Early history: Pre-Celts and Celts

1.2

Roman Lusitania and Gallaecia

1.3

Germanic kingdoms: Suebi and Visigoths

1.4

Middle Ages and the Reconquista

1.5

From County to Country

1.6

Joanine era

1.7

Iberian Union and Restoration

1.8

Early Brigantine and Pombaline era

1.9

National and Imperial change

1.10

Colonial restoration

1.11

Republic and turmoil

1.12

Revolution and imperial end

1.13

European integration

Geography

2.1

Climate

2.2

Biodiversity

Government and administration

3.1

Head of State

3.2

Government

3.3

Parliament

3.4

Law and criminal justice

3.5

Administrative divisions

3.6

Foreign relations

3.7

Military

3.8

Government finance

Economy

4.1

Sectors

4.1.1 Primary sector

4.1.2 Secondary sector
4.1.3 Tertiary sector
4.2

State-owned companies

4.3

Listed companies

4.4

Performance

4.4.1 Public sector

4.4.2 Ongoing policies, reactions and consequences
4.5

Labour market

4.6

Tourism

4.6.1 Tourist regions

4.7

Transport

4.8

Science and technology

4.9

Energy

4.10

Water supply and sanitation

Demographics

5.1

Urbanization

5.2

Metropolitan areas

5.3

Immigration

5.4

Religion

5.5

Languages

5.6

Education

5.7

Health

Culture

6.1

Architecture

6.2

Cinema

6.3

Literature

6.4

Cuisine

6.5

Music

6.6

Visual arts

6.7

Sport

See also

Notes

References

10

External links