PORTUGAL: Useful Info

Portugal, a country with a rich history of seafaring and discovery, looks out from the Iberian peninsula into the Atlantic Ocean.
When it handed over its last overseas territory, Macau, to Chinese administration in 1999, it brought to an end a long and sometimes turbulent era as a colonial power.

OVERVIEW

The roots of that era stretch back to the 15th century when Portuguese explorers such as Vasco da Gama put to sea in search of a passage to India. By the 16th century these sailors had helped build a huge empire embracing Brazil as well as swathes of Africa and Asia. There are still some 200 million Portuguese speakers around the world today.

Portugal's history has had a lasting impact on the culture of the country with Moorish and Oriental influences in architecture and the arts. Traditional folk dance and music, particularly the melancholy fado, remain vibrant.

For almost half of the 20th century Portugal was a dictatorship in which for decades Antonio de Oliveira Salazar was the key figure. The dictatorship's stubborn refusal to relinquish its grip on the former colonies as demands for independence gained momentum there resulted in expensive wars in Africa.

This period was brought to an end in 1974 in a bloodless coup, picturesquely known as the Revolution of the Carnations, which ushered in a new democracy.

By the end of 1975 all of Portugal's former colonies in Africa were independent of Lisbon.

FACTS

Population: 10.1 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Lisbon
Area: 92,345 sq km (35,655 sq miles)
Major language: Portuguese
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 73 years (men), 80 years (women) (UN)
1 Euro = 100 cents
Main exports: Textiles and clothing, wood products, electrical equipment
GNI per capita: US $14,350 (World Bank, 2005)
Internet domain: .pt
International dialling code: +351

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