Portugal

The Portugal (officially the Portuguese Republic ) is a State of the European Union being located at the south-west of the Europe, in the Western zone of the Iberian peninsula, delimited in north and the east by the Spain, and in the south and the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The territory of Portugal includes/understands the autonomous regions of the the Azores and Madeira, located in the northern hemisphere of the Atlantic Ocean, which makes of them the most Western country of the Europe.

The name of Portugal comes from its original name at the 9th century, where the first county in north was named Terra Portucalensis , i.e. ground of Portus Cale , of the name of two cities to the mouth of the Douro, with on the Right Bank Portus (current the Oporto), and on the left bank Cale (current the Vila Nova de Gaia).

During the 15th century and the 16th century, Portugal was one of the greatest economic, social and cultural capacities of the world, with vast a colonial Empire in Africa, Asia, and with the Brésil. In 1974, the Révolution of the eyelets puts an end to the colonial empire, at the same time as it democratizes the country. It is a developed country today, economically thrives, social and politically stable. Founding member of NATO in 1949, member of UNO since 1955, the European Union since 1986, it is also one of the countries founders of the Euro area in 1999.

Although the country is of small size, and from the dictatorship founded into 1926 which lasted until 1974-75 and the loss of its colonies, the country knew its economic advancement only after 1975, and thus nearly 1,5 million Portuguese had to go to work apart from the country to flee misery and the colonial wars. " strong zones of immigration" are the Brésil, the France (nearly 1 million), the Luxembourg (22% of the total population of the country), the Suisse, the the United States, the Argentine, the Venezuela, the Canada… (given: Service immigration) Aujourd´hui the topic of the decline becomes increasingly present. However l´entrée in l´ EU allowed redynamiser l economy (assistance at SME, with the farmers, new technologies), stopped l emigration s´est and the country tends to become a country d immmigration. In 1801, Madrid managed to occupy the district of Olivença located at the south of Badajoz. This territorial claim is not extinct, the Portuguese regard a little this territory as " their Gibraltar" .

Portugal is also a large wine country in particular for Oporto which is produced in vallé of Douro and around the town of Oporto or Douro throws itself in the Atlantic Ocean. Although Douro takes its source in Spain, Portuguese regards it as if it took its source in Portugal.

History

See also: History of Portugal, List of the kings de Portugal, Chronology of the history of Portugal

One finds rupestral engravings of Paleolithic the to the free air in the valley of the Côa, in the north of Portugal, near of the river Douro. Classified world heritage, they date from the XVIIIe front millenium J. - C..

During Antiquity, the Portuguese territory is called Lusitanie with the south and Gallécie in north, is populated Celte S and of Ibère S, become Roman with then occupied by the Suèves after the collapse of Rome at the 5th century, then by the Visigoths. After the invasion Moor of, the history of Portugal follows the history of the peninsula.

In 1095, the king Alphonse VI of Castille and León, sovereign of the Galicia, gives of it the southern part, the county of Portucale - a territory limited to north by the river Minho and to the south by the river Mondego - to the knight capétien Henri of Burgundy, his son-in-law.

The son of this last, Alphonse I {{er}}, known as the Conqueror , is proclaimed king in 1139 after the legendary battle of Ourique. During its reign, it will conquer most of contemporary Portugal (Santarém (Portugal), Lisbon, Évora). Its successors complete the Reconquête south of the country on the Moslems in 1249.

As from the 15th century, Portugal knows an age of commercial and colonial expansion planetary: with the Morocco (Ceuta, Tangier, Mogador, Mazagan…), on the African coast (Arguin, Elmina, Mombasa, Luanda…), in India (Goa, Daman, Diu, Bombay…), in Southeast Asia (Malacca, Moluques…), in China (Macao), with the Japan (Nagasaki), with the Brésil… They will be the bases of the colonial Empire Portuguese which will be maintained until in 1961 with Goa, occupied by India this year, until in 1975 in Africa (Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Divide into volumes-and-Principle, Angola, Mozambique) and with Timor, and until in 1999 with Macao which will then be reassigned in China.

After the defeat against the Sultan saadien Abu Marwan Abd Al-Malik with Ksar to el-Kébir, where the young king Sebastien dies, the country becomes, in 1580, one of the kingdoms of Philippe II of Spain, but recovers its independence in 1640, under Jean IV, of the Dynastie of Bragance. The relation of dependence with respect to the England, caused by strategic and economic requirements, will be an element dominating of the Portuguese policy during the S, at the same time as Portugal knows a second golden age thanks to the colonization and to the exploitation of the mineral and agricultural richnesses of Brazil. In 1801, Madrid managed to occupy the district of Olivença located at the south of Badajoz. This territorial claim is not extinct.

Following the French invasion of 1807, the Portuguese government moves with Rio de Janeiro. The Brésil becomes independent, under Pierre I {{er}}, in 1822. Almost about thirty years of political instability follow, with a civil war and interventions of foreign troops. It is only in 1852 that interior peace is completed and that the development efforts industrialist can start.

Monarchy is abolished by the revolution of the October 5th 1910, but the I {{Re}} République does not manage to face the problems of the country which takes part in the First World War in France and Africa and suffers from serious economic and financial problems. It is in this context that arrives at the capacity Salazar, installed with the government by the soldiers who made the revolution of the May 28th 1926.

Salazar succeeds in restoring financial balance and the law and order, under the military dictatorship which will last until in 1933. A new constitution will institute the Estado Novo, authoritarian regime traditionalist, having affinities with the Fascisme. Portugal helps the Allies during the Second world war and the mode survives. In 1961 begins the colonial war in Angola, in 1963 in Guinea and 1964 with the Mozambique. Salazar will leave the capacity only in 1968, replaced by Marcelo Caetano.

The Révolution of the eyelets (April 25th 1974) restores the democracy and grants at once independence to the African territories without to have organized elections there. The Portuguese colonists driven out by the war between rival factions independence leave abruptly for the metropolis in what will be the largest airlift of the world.

In 1986, Portugal becomes member of the EEC and, in 1999, adopts the Euro.

Policy

Subdivisions

Geography

See also: Geography of Portugal, Cities of Portugal, List of the municipalities of Portugal

The continental geography of Portugal is divided into two parts separated by the Tage with its Archipelagoes from the the Azores and Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean. In north mountainous regions and the south plains. The Portuguese relief all the same is not very accentuated; the highest point (on the continent) culminates only with 1 993 m (da Estrela Tightened).

Superficie : 92 906 km ² for the continent, 2 355 km ² for the Azores and 741 km ² for Madeira),
no. of habitants : approximately 10 600 000 inhabitants is 114 hab. /km ²,
Capitale : Lisbon (in Portuguese Lisboa),
Principal villes : Oporto, Braga, Coimbra, Faro, Funchal, Leiria, Setubal, Viseu
Not culminant : has Torre , in the solid mass of the Serra da Estrela (1 993 m),
Specificity géographique : Cabo da Roca, the most Western end of the continental Europe, Melgaço, end more in north of Portugal
Principal tourist places: Nazaré (Portugal), Albufeira, Algarve, Costa da Caparica, Fátima, Figueira da Foz, Oporto, Lisbon, Estoril/Cascais, Sintra, Coimbra, Funchal/Madeira, Evora, Vilamoura/Quarteira, Aveiro.

Climate

Le Climat of Portugal is a climate rather the Mediterranean N moderated by the influence of the Atlantique. Apart from some areas of the interior, great colds and crushing heats are rare: soft winters and sunny summers are the rule almost everywhere. The most cold months are generally January and February, the hottest months and driest, July and August.

One generally divides the country into four great climatic zones:

Of Minho to Lisbon, the North-West also knows a soft climate of oceanic type, relatively wet all the year but very sunny in summer thanks to the southernmost position of Portugal.
Although moderate at the same time by the oceanic influence in the west and the Mediterranean influence in the south, the mountain North-East (interior of north and the center) undergoes a relatively hard climate of continental , cold and wet type in winter and very heat in summer.
From the valley of Tage, the southern half of the country profits from a climate of the Mediterranean type, very soft in winter, dryness and heat in summer, particularly pleasant on the southern part (Algarve), harder in the interior (Alentejo) influenced by the continental climate . In Algarve, spring starts as of January and the off-season (be of the Saint Martin) remains sunny until November.
Lastly, located on the open ocean Atlantic, the islands (the Azores and Madeira) profit from a oceanic climate subtropical at the constant temperatures all the year.

The pallet of beaches available is varied: if one finds small splits with calm water which points out the Corsica , the majority of the beaches, on the contrary, long and are bordered of dunes, with sometimes impressive waves. Principal cities: Lisboa, Oporto, Gaia, Braga, Coimbra, Funchal, Bridged Delgada, Aveiro, Viseu, Guarda, Guimaraes, Almada, Setubal, Evora, Faro, Queluz, Agualva-Cacem, Amadora, Odivelas, Barreiro, Maia.

See also: Economy of Portugal, List of Portuguese companies

The economy of Portugal is based on a capitalist system .

National currency : the Euro (1 euro = 200,482 Portuguese escudos)
average Net salary per year and : 15 829,81 euros
Produces Rough Intern : 135.035 million euros (2004)
Active population : 5.523.000 (2004)
Distribution according to the three branches of industry : primary education; secondary; tertiary sector
female Activity ratio : 59,6%
Unemployment rate (source Eurostat July 2006) : 7,2%

Man: 6,2%
Woman: 8,4%

lawful Age to work : 16 years
primary Productions (world rank) : wine, copper, fishing…
Principal imports : food products… The imports come from the European Union to 76%,4% of the North America and 1% of the Portuguese-speaking countries. Tourism is a very important sector cash for 8% of the GNP. The Spain (49%) is the independent source of tourists followed by the the United Kingdom (14%).
Principal exports : textile, cars, manufactured goods, data processing, electronics, material construction.

The foreign trade of Portugal concentrates primarily in the European Union. Today, 80% of Portuguese exports are bound for the countries of the European Union, 5% for the North America, the Portuguese-speaking countries accounting for 4% of exports.

Exports of goods manufactured like the textile, clothing, shoes, cork (world leader), machineries, transport facilities, paste and derived from paper and the chemicals account for 70% of total exports.

Composition of principal exports :

textile and clothing: 22% automobile
and other transport facilities: 16%
paper and derivative products: 9,4%
cars: 25 %

Demography

Culture

The artistic and architectural inheritance

The prints of art and the Portuguese history appear a little everywhere, witnesses of a glorious past preserved thanks to the many monuments, vestiges of the Roman art - the temple of Diane with Évora; examples of the Gothic art - Monastery of Batalha; expressions of the Rebirth - the convent of Christ with Tomar - or illustrations of the baroque as it is the case of the church and the tower of Clérigos, Ex-libris of the town of Oporto (Portugal), Catedral de Braga, Torre of Belem, Castelo de Sao Jorge…

But it is in the architectural style that one agreed to indicate “manuelin” that Portugal found a style which is very clean for him and which translates Portuguese passion for the things of the sea.

On all sides appear buildings decorated with ropes, nodes, anchors, spheres and spheres armillaires, pearls, shells, sheets of trees, pinks, poppies and the crosses ubiquists of the order of Christ. The columns manuélines cease having this static appearance that the Gothic had printed to them to be drawn up in spiral, like the climbing vine.

The monument representative of the Style manuélin is the Monastère of Hiéronymites, one of the religious monuments most notorious where are the tombs of Luís de Camões and of Vasco de Gama.

With regard to decorative arts, “Talha dourada” (woodcarving gilded) with the Marquetry, of the tapestry to the sculpture or goldsmithery to painting, the Azulejaria (the art of the enamelled earthenware squares), present of North in the South of Portugal, represent a quite specific style of Portuguese art, recovering various times, on the palates, in the poor dead ends, a hidden corner of a street, on each side of the worn steps of a public fountain.

Portugal, country of inheritance very vast has in particular the greatest shopping malls of Europe like the Colombo or Amoreiras.

But also the largest bridge of Europe Bridge Vasco de Gama long of 18km.

Literature

See also: Portuguese-speaking Literature

Shine of Camões
Fernando Pessoa
Eugénio de Andrade
Jose Saramago
Eça de Queiroz
Almeida Garrett
António Lobo Antunes
Maria Judite de Carvalho
Sophia of Mello Breyner Andresen
Florbela Espanca
Antonio Nobre
Miguel Torga

Music

See also: Portuguese Rock'n'roll, Portuguese Music, Fado

Portugal abounds in various musical styles: The Fado is the musical style characteristic of the country, but there is also the Folklore, Transfered it… The Music Pimba is a musical genre very appreciated in the Portuguese campaigns and by the Portuguese communities residing abroad.

The music with success in Portugal is mainly the Rock and the Pop: Paulo de Carvalho, Jose Cid, Tonicha, Paco Bandeira The majority of the groups of Portuguese music are mainly of kind Rock or Punk. Fado: Amalia Rodrigues, Dulce Big shots, Mariza, Misia. Since the beginning of the years 2000, an important scene of Punk hardcore developed.

Media

Televisions:

Portugal has four national television channels:

RTP1
RTP2
SIC
TVI

But Portugal has many chains cabled by TVCabo and SmarTV.

Radios:

Principal Portuguese radio stations:

Altominho FM
RFM
Radio operator Renascença
Mega FM
Cidade FM
Best Rock'n'roll FM
Antena 1
Antena 2
Antena 3
TSF
Radio operator Clube Portugues
Commercial * Radio operator Santiago ===Gastronomie===