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Posted by on Feb 2, 2015 in Uncategorized | 2 comments

Facts about Portugal that will blow your mind

Facts about Portugal that will blow your mind

Facts about Portugal, one of the most beautiful countries in Europe.

Portugal is my birth place, a country with a long History and rich cultural heritage. Here are some of the most interesting facts about Portugal that will teach you more about this coastal country, in the westerner part of Europe.

 

FACTS ABOUT PORTUGAL

 

  • The name Portugal first appears in 868, during the Reconquista over the Muslims. A county was formed around the city of Porto (Portus Cale in Latin), from which “Portugal” is derived.

 

  • The kingdom of Portugal lasted for nearly 800 years, from 1139 to 1910. Since 1910, the country has been a republic. The modern democratic republic was founded in 1976.

 

facts about Portugal

Azores Island

 

 

  • Portugal was one of the earliest colonising nation of Europe, starting with Ceuta (1410), Madeira (1419), the Azores (1439), then establishing trading posts along the coast of Africa later in the 15th century. In 1498, Vasco da Gama reached India, and in 1500 Pedro Álvares Cabral, en route to India, discovered Brazil and claimed it for Portugal. The Portuguese Empire would rule, among others, over Brazil, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Mozambique, Goa, Daman, Diu, Kochi, Malacca, and Macau. Most of the African colonies were granted independence in 1975. Macau, the last Portuguese colony, was handed over to China in 1999.

 

  • Portugal abolished slavery all the way back in 1761 – that’s half a century before Britain, France, Spain, or the United States.

 

  • The Portuguese Empire was the longest-lived of the modern European colonial empires, spanning almost 600 years, from the capture of Ceuta in 1415 to the handover of Macau to the People’s Republic of China in 1999 (de facto) or the granting of sovereignty to East Timor in 2002 (de jure) after occupation by Indonesiasince 1975.

 

  • The first Pirate code was invented in the 17th century by the Portuguese buccaneer Bartolomeu Português.

 

  • The Vasco da Gama Bridge in Lisbon is the longest bridge in Europe with 17,185 m (56,381 feet).

 

  • Until 1986, when Portugal and Spain both joined the European Economic Community, border crossing between the two countries was discouraged. Buses stopped just before the border and were not coordinated with the other side. As recently as 1991, when a Guadiana International Bridge was inaugurated, the only way to travel from southern Portugal to Spain was by boat.

 

facts about Portugal

Belem – Lisbon

 

 

  • Portugal has had the same defined borders since 1139, making it the oldest nation-state in Europe

 

  • Portugal produces 70% of the world’s cork exports. Main importers of Portuguese cork are: Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. The country also has the largest cork forest.

 

  • Portugal’s Exclusive Economic Zone, a sea zone 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 Exclusive Economic Zone of the European Union and the 11th largest in the world.

 

  • Over 236 million people world-wide are native Portuguese speakers. Portuguese is the official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Principe, Sao Tome, and Equatorial Guinea. Portuguese is also spoken in Goa (India), Macao, and East Timor.

 

  • Portugal has the oldest bookstore in the whole world. You can find it in the heart of Lisbon.

 

  • The University of Coimbra was established in 1290, making it one of the oldest universities on the European continent.

 

  • Most people live along the coast, with a third of the population living in the large metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto.

 

  • Portugal has a coastline that spans 497 miles (800 kilometers) and it’s known to have 364 days of surf!

 

  • Portugal is the westernmost point of Europe and lies on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The long Atlantic coastline is popular with visitors and locals alike. Surfers are drawn to the strong surf in the west, and the warm, sandy beaches in the south are a haven for tourists.

 

facts about Portugal

River Tagus – Lisbon

 

 

  • Laurisilva is a unique type of subtropical rainforest found in few areas of Europe and the world: in the Azores, and in particular on the island of Madeira, there are large forests of endemic Laurisilva forests (the latter protected as a natural heritage preserve).

 

  • Portugal has arguably the most liberal laws concerning possession of illicit drugs in the Western world. In 2001, Portugal decriminalized possession of effectively all drugs that are still illegal in other developed nations including, but not limited to, cannabis, cocaine, heroin, and LSD. The use among teenagers dropped, along with the number of HIV infection cases, which had dropped 50 percent by 2009

 

  • On 31 May 2010, Portugal became the sixth country in Europe and the eighth country in the world to legally recognize same-sex marriage on the national level. The law came into force on 5 June 2010

 

These are some of the fascinating facts about Portugal. For more info about Portugal, check out these articles:

Portugal: 7 natural wonders

Madeira Island – A complete tourist guide

Evora: Medieval UNESCO city

Eco-tourism in Lisbon

10 reasons why you should travel to Lisbon

Lisbon travel tips

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