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• Portugal, officially known as the Portuguese Republic, is a nation located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. It is bordered on the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean, and Spain on the north and east.

• Fast Facts

  1. Capital: Lisbon
  2. Government: Parliamentary Republic President: Anibal Cavaco e Silva; Prime-...
  3. Population: 10,848,692 est.(July 2007)
  4. Currency: Euro (EUR)
  5. Official language: Portuguese
  6. Population: 10,062,000 (2003)Nations Encyclopedia: Portugal Population
  7. Airport code: LIS
  8. Achieved independence: 1139 Recognized in 1143
  9. Joined [European Union] in 1986
  10. Founding member of NATO

• Old World Portugal

  The Iberian Peninsula was hotly-contested territory between the early Christian and Muslim empires. Portugal became an official kingdom in 1139, after Christian armies drove our the Muslims and their Moorish allies.

• Portuguese Exploration

  In following centuries under the leadership of Prince Henry the Navigator, Portugal would lead the European Age of Discovery. Not only were they the financiers of Christopher Columbus' expedition which inadvertently discovered North America, but Portugal also made progress along the western coast of Africa, discovered and colonized Brazil (which still uses Portuguese as its official language), and established a strong presence in the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific.

• Portugal in the Modern World

  The Portuguese monarchy was deposed by a popular revolution in 1910. The following decades saw the country plagued by both internal conflicts, including two military coups, and revolutions in its former colonies. It joined the European Union in 1986.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Lisbon | Portugal Hotels | Lisbon Vacation | Atlantic Ocean | Spain | Prince Henry the Navigator

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