Portugal
The Republic of Portugal (Portuguese: República Portuguesa) is a democratic republic located on the west and southwest parts of the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, and is the westernmost country in continental Europe. Portugal is bordered by Spain to the north and east and by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south. In addition, Portugal includes several island territories in the Atlantic, such as the Azores (Açores) and Madeira and Porto Santo (including the Savage Islands).
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| National motto: None | ||||
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| Official language | Portuguese [1] | |||
| Capital | Lisbon | |||
| Largest City | Lisbon | |||
| President: | Jorge Sampaio | |||
| Prime Minister: | José Sócrates | |||
| Foundation Independence |
868 1128, 1143 | |||
| Area - Total - % water |
92,391 km² (109th) 0.5% | |||
| Population - Total (2005) - Density |
10,566,212 (76th) 114/km² (91st) | |||
| GDP - Total (2005) - Per capita |
$203,947 million (41st) $19,949 (36th) | |||
| Currency | Euro (€)1 | |||
| Time zone - in summer |
WET2, UTC EST (UTC+1) | |||
| National anthem | A Portuguesa | |||
| Internet TLD | .pt | |||
| Calling Code | +351 | |||
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1 Prior to 1999: Portuguese escudo. | ||||
Portugal has witnessed a constant flow of different civilizations during the past 3100 years. Phoenician, Celtic, Carthaginian, Roman, Germanic and Arab cultures have all made an imprint on the country. The naming of Portugal itself reveals most of the country's early history, stemming as it does from the Roman name Portus Cale, a possibly mixed Greek and Latin name meaning "Beautiful Port". During the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal was a major economic, political, and cultural power. The Portuguese Empire stretched across the world. After the rise of other colonial powers, Portugal declined.
Modern Portugal has its roots in the revolution that overthrew a non-democratic regime in 1974. Democratic Portugal made significant social and economical progress in the subsequent decades, becoming part of the EEC (today's European Union) in 1986.
History
In the early first millennium BC, several waves of Celts invaded Portugal from Central Europe and intermarried with local peoples, the Iberians, forming the Celt-Iberians. Early Greek explorers named the region "Ophiussa" (Greek for "land of serpents") because the natives worshipped serpents. In 238 BC, the Carthaginians occupied the Iberian coasts. In this period several small tribes occupied the territory, the main were the Lusitanians, who lived between the Douro and Tagus rivers, and the Callaeci who lived north of the Douro river among some other tribes. A Phoenician colony was established in southern Portugal, the Conii. The Celtics, a later wave of Celts, settled in Alentejo.
In 219 BC, the first Roman troops invaded the Iberian Peninsula, driving the Carthaginians out in the Punic Wars. The Roman conquest of Portugal started from the south, where they found friendly natives, the Conii. Over decades, the Romans increased their sphere of control. But in 194 BC a rebellion began in the north, the Lusitanians successfully held off the Romans, took back land and ransacked Conistorgis, the Conii capital, because of their alliance with Rome. Viriathus, the Lusitanian leader, drove the Roman forces out of Portugal. Rome sent numerous legions, but success was only achieved by bribing Lusitanian officials to kill their own leader. During this period, a process of Romanization was carried out, leading Lusitania to gain Latin Right in 73 CE.Template:Inote
In the 5th century, Germanic tribes, known as Barbarians, invaded the peninsula. One of these, the Suevi, founded a kingdom whose domains were approximately coextensive with modern-day Portugal. They fixed their capital in Bracara Augusta (now Braga). Later, the Visigoths conquered this kingdom, unifying the peninsula.
An Islamic invasion took place in 711, destroying the Visigoth Kingdom. Many of the ousted nobles took refuge in the unconquered north Asturian highlands. From there they aimed to reconquer their lands from the Moors. In 868, Count Vímara Peres reconquers and governs the region between the Minho and Douro Rivers, including the city of Portucale (today's Porto). The county became known as Portucale (i.e. Portugal). Occasionally, Portugal gained factual independence during weak Leonese reigns. And, in 1065 the Kingdom of Galicia and Portugal became independent, shortly after a war among brothers, made all the Christian Iberian domains back in one.
At the end of the 11th century, a knight from Burgundy named Henry became count of Portugal as a payment for military services to Leon. Henry declared Portugal independent[2] while a civil war raged between Leon and Castile. Henry died and his son, Afonso Henriques (Afonso I), took control of the county. The city of Braga, the Catholic center of the Iberian Peninsula, faced new competition from other regions. The lords of the cities of Coimbra and Porto with the Braga's clergy demanded the independence of the county.
Portugal traces its emergence as a nation to June 24, 1128, with the Battle of São Mamede by Afonso I. On October 5, 1143, Portugal was formally recognized. Afonso, aided by the Templar Knights, continued to conquer southern lands to the Moors. In 1250, the Portuguese Reconquista ended when it reached the southern coast of Algarve.
In an era of several wars for the rule of Iberia by Portugal and Castile, King Ferdinand was dying with no male heirs, his single daughter married John I of Castile that would be the King after Fernando's death, but the loss of the independence to Castile was not accepted by the majority of the Portuguese people, which led to the 1383-1385 Crisis. A loyalist faction led by John of Aviz (later John I), with the help of Nuno Álvares Pereira, finally defeated the Castilians in the most historical battle of Portugal, the battle of Aljubarrota. John was acclaimed has king by the people. In the meantime, the Black Death reached Portugal.
In the following decades, Portugal created the objective conditions that would make it be the pioneer in the exploration of the World, helped by European and Arabic acquaintance and a peaceful internal environment. On July 25, 1415, the Portuguese Empire began when a Portuguese fleet, with King John I and his sons Duarte (later king), Pedro, Henry the Navigator, and Afonso, along with the Portuguese supreme constable and hero Nuno Álvares Pereira departed to siege and conquer Ceuta in North Africa, a rich Islamic trade center. On August 21, the city was conquered. Henry the Navigator's interest in exploration, together with some technological developments in navigation, made Portugal's expansion possible and led to great advances in geographic knowledge. The discoveries were financed by the wealth of the Order of Christ. Order founded by King Denis for the Templar knights, who found refuge in Portugal after being pursued all over Europe. The Templars had their own objective, finding the lost Christian Kingdom of Prester John.
In 1418 two captains of Prince Henry the Navigator, were driven by a storm to an island which they called Porto Santo, or Holy Port, in gratitude for their rescue from the shipwreck. Also in early 15th century, Madeira Island and the Azorean islands were discovered.
In 1434, Gil Eanes rounded the Cape Bojador, South of Morocco. The trip marked the beginning of the Portuguese exploration of Africa. Before this voyage very little information was known in Europe about what lay beyond it. At the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th centuries, those who tried to venture there became lost, giving birth to legends of sea monsters. Fourteen years later, on a small island known as Arguim off the coast of Mauritania a castle was built, working as a feitoria (a trading post) for commerce with inland Africa thus circumventing the Arabic caravans that crossed the Sahara. Some time later, the caravels explored the Gulf of Guinea leading to the discovery of several uninhabited islands and reaching the Congo River.
A remarkable achievement was the rounding of the Cape of Good Hope by Bartholomew Dias in 1487. By then the spices of India were nearby, hence the name of the cape. In 1489, the King of Bemobi gave his realms to the Portuguese King and converted to Christianity. Template:Inote In the last decade of the 15th century, Pêro de Barcelos and João Fernandes Lavrador explored North America Template:Inote, Pêro da Covilhã reached Ethiopia, searching for the mythical kingdom of Prester John and Vasco da Gama sailed to India, and arrived at Calicut on May 20 1498, returning in triumph to Portugal the next year. In 1500, Pedro Álvares Cabral landed on the Brazilian coast. Ten years later, Alfonso d'Albuquerque conquered Goa, in India.
In 1578, a very young King Sebastian died in battle, leaving no heir. Because Philip II of Spain was the son of a Portuguese princess, the Spanish ruler became Philip I of Portugal in 1580. Some men claimed to be King Sebastian between 1584 and 1598. Sebastianism, a myth that the king would return on a foggy day has prevailed until modern times. Portugal maintained an independent law, currency and government. New empires had emerged and started to assault the Portuguese Empire. The third Spanish king, Philip III tried to eliminate the Portuguese nobility. Because of this, in December 1 1640, the Duke of Bragança, of the Portuguese Royal Family, John IV, was acclaimed after a revolutionary tumult, and a Restoration War was fought.
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami, which killed more than a third of the capital's population and devastated the Algarve as well, had a profound effect on domestic politics and on European philosophical thought. From 1801, the country was occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, and lost Olivença (part of the national territory) to Spain (ally of France). Shortly after, Brazil proclaimed its independence, under the rule of the son and heir of the Portuguese king, Emperor Pedro I.
A 1910 revolution deposed the Portuguese monarchy starting the First Republic. Although it promised a lot, the First Republic never achieved what it was meant to give. Political chaos, several strikes, harsh relations with the Church, and huge economical problems aggravated by a disastrous military intervention in the 1st World War led to the nationalist military coup d'état in 1926 that would later become the Fascist Estado Novo after 1933, led by António de Oliveira Salazar. India invaded and annexed Portuguese India in 1961. Independence movements also became active in Angola, Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea.
Discontent about the war, along with the non-democratic rule and harsh living conditions of the Portuguese people were the main factors leading to the Carnation Revolution in April 25 of 1974, an effectively bloodless left-wing military coup, that installed a new Democratic regime. In 1975, Portugal had the first free elections and granted independence to its colonies in Africa, and Indonesia invaded and annexed the Portuguese province of Timor in Asia before legal recognition of independence by Portugal. In 1986, Portugal entered the EEC, today's European Union. In 1999, the Asian dependency of Macau, was returned to Chinese sovereignty, today seen has a success by China and Portugal. After a referendum in 1999, East Timor voted for independence and Portugal recognized it in 2002.
In 2005, Portugal will hold a referendum to ratify the European Constitution, the constitutionality of question and the summer months are the main obstacles.
Politics
The four main organs of Portuguese politics are the President of the Republic, the Parliament, the Council of Ministers (Government), and the Judiciary.
The President of the Republic, elected to a 5-year term by universal suffrage is also commander in chief of the armed forces. Presidential powers include appointing the Prime Minister, as advised by the Parliament which elects the Prime Minister, and the Council of Ministers, named by the Prime Minister. Some other major powers include dismissing the Government, dissolving the Parliament, and declaring war or peace. These have several constitutional restrictions, namely the need to previously consult the presidential advisory body. This is the Council of State, composed of six senior civilian officers, all former presidents elected since 1976, and ten citizens, five chosen by the President and other five by the Parliament. The most commonly used power is that of approving or vetoing any legislation.
The Parliament, or Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da República in Portuguese) is a unicameral body composed of 230 deputies. It is elected by universal suffrage according to a system of proportional representation to multi-member constituencies. Deputies serve terms of office of 4 years. The Assembly of the Republic is the main legislative body. The President of Parliament substitutes the President of the Republic in the event of his absence.
The Government is headed by the Prime Minister, who names the Council of Ministers.
The Courts have several categories, including judicial, administrative and fiscal. The national Supreme Court is the court of last appeal. A nine-member Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation.
The national and regional governments are dominated by two political parties, the PSD (Partido Social Democrata) - Conservative and the PS (Partido Socialista) – Social Democratic. Within the Portuguese political culture, the PSD is described as center-right and the PS is described as center-left. Other parties with seat in the parliament are the PCP (Partido Comunista Português – Communists), PP (Partido Popular – Popular Party), BE (Bloco de Esquerda – Left Block) and PEV (Partido Ecologista Os Verdes – Ecologists). PCP, BE, and Os Verdes are left wing and the PP right wing. As of 2005, José Sócrates is the prime minister for the Socialists, the party also has the absolute majority in the parliament (121 MPs).
Portuguese public opinion and media tend to be Europhile, in the EuroBarometer's 2004 Spring survey, 60% of the Portuguese trusted the European Union.
Foreign relations were essential to Portugal throughout its history and it established an alliance with England, the oldest in Europe. This English–Portuguese alliance was renewed in 1386 with the Treaty of Windsor. The treaty, which remains valid at the present time, established a pact of mutual support between the countries. This alliance was used in the successive expulsion of the Spanish kings and break England's isolation from continental Europe during Napoleon's era. The alliance is kept throw NATO, a military organisation in which both countries are founders along with other 10 countries including the United States of America. Beyond the EU, the country has established a community with its former colonies, the CPLP to which today has very close and prosperous relations with all of them. It has a extremely close relation with Cape Verde in a various fields, and almost in the same extent with East Timor and it has a friendship alliance and dual citizenship treaty with Brazil, relations with Angola are also notable. The new government has also prioritized relations with neighbouring Spain. For instance, it also has very good relations with countries like China, due to Macau, a meeting-point of both nations, and secular diplomatic ties with Morocco.
Portugal considers Olivença (Olivenza in Spanish, Administrated by Spain) Portuguese territory de facto and de jure, based on agreements of both nations in the Vienna Treaty of 1815 Template:Inote, but there are not strong diplomatic actions to take it back. Yet, this issue has been discussed at the Portuguese Parliament as recently as 2004.
The Portuguese Armed Forces are divided into three branches: Army, Navy, and Air Force. In the 20th century, Portugal had only two major military interventions, the first one in the 1st World War and the other between 1961 and 1974 in the former colonial territories of Africa. Portugal was involved in several peacekeeping missions abroad, namely in East Timor, Bosnia, and Kosovo. The government of Durão Barroso by its Minister of Defense attained new submarines, professionalized the Armed Forces and, since 2003, military service became non-obligatory.
Sub-divisions
Portugal has a complicated administrative structure. The base is composed by 308 municipalities (concelho - singular, concelhos - plural), and these are divided into more than 4,000 parishes (freguesias, singular - freguesia). All these are grouped into several superior divisions, some purely administrative, some specify a given activity (i.e. tourist regions or judicial areas), others have a more technical feature, while other have historical or cultural backgrounds: Alentejo, Algarve, Beira, Douro Litoral, Estremadura, Minho, Ribatejo, and Trás-os-Montes.
The most important division, is from 1976, dividing the continental territory (Portugal continental) and the two island groups (Portugal insular), the Azores and Madeira Islands - the Autonomous regions (regiões autónomas, singular - região autónoma).
The districts (distritos, singular - distrito), are being dismantled, but they keep as the most relevant sub-division of the mainland, serving several purposes: electoral areas or regional football championships. In 1976, the districts were dismantled in the islands.
There was made a referendum in Portugal to create administrative regional autonomies in continental Portugal, but the population refused it. The need for a better organisation lead to a newer and urbanized administrative division, in direction to the Portuguese local cultural characteristics. Thus they are continuous territorial units made by groups of municipalities.
There are three types of Urban areas:
- Grandes Áreas Metropolitanas - Greater Metropolitan Areas (more than 350,000 inhabitants)
- There are 7 Metropolitan Areas in Portugal, their population in 2001 census follows with their name, and the name of the city in the cases where it diverges the name of the metropolitan area:
- Lisbon 2,547,665
- Porto 1,509,958
- Minho (Braga) 754,830
- Aveiro 460,157
- Coimbra 430,845
- Algarve (Faro) 391,819
- Viseu 354,162
- Comunidades Urbanas - Urban Communities (more than 150,000 inhabitants)
- Comunidades Intermunicipais - Intermunicipal Communities (less than 150,000 inhabitants)
- Pinhal, and Vale do Minho.
Geography, climate and environment
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Continental Portugal is split in two by its main river, the Tagus (Tejo). To the north the landscape is mountainous in the interior areas with plateaus, cut by four breaking lines that allow the development of relevant agricultural areas. The south down as far as the Algarve features mostly rolling plains with a climate somewhat warmer and drier than the cooler and rainier north. Other major rivers include the Douro, the Minho and the Guadiana, similar to the Tagus in that all originate in Spain. Another important river, the Mondego, originates in the Serra da Estrela (the highest mountains in mainland Portugal - 1,991 m).
The islands of the Azores and Madeira are located in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, some of the islands had recent volcanic activity. Originally two islands, São Miguel Island was joined by a volcanic eruption in 1563. The last volcano to erupt was the Vulcão dos Capelinhos (Capelinhos Volcano) in 1957, in western part of Faial Island, increasing the size of that island. Dom João de Castro Bank is a large submarine volcano that lies midway between the islands of Terceira and São Miguel and rises 14 m bellow the sea surface. It last erupted in 1720 and formed an island of 1.5 km in length and 250 metres in altitude, it remained above the water for several years. Scientists predict a new island can be formed in a not so distant future. Portugal's highest point is Mount Pico, an ancient volcano, with 2,351 metres.
The Portuguese coast is extensive, it has 943 km at continental Portugal, 667 km at the Azores, 250 km at Madeira and the Savage Islands Template:Inote. The Portuguese coast developed fine beaches, the Algarve ones are worldwide famous. In Porto Santo Island, a dune formation is appealing to many tourists. An important feature in its coast is the Ria de Aveiro (near Aveiro), a delta with 45 km in length and a maximum of 11 km width, rich in fish and sea birds. There are four main channels, between them several islands and islets, and it is where four rivers meet the ocean. A sort of narrow headlands formed a lagoon, seen has one of the most remarkable hydrographic features of the Portuguese coast.
There are also several lakes in Portugal, in Serra da Estrela the Comprida and Escura lagoons were formed from ancient glaciers. Some lagoons have the ocean or a river has origin; for instance, the Albufeira and Óbidos lagoons. While others are originated between dunes like the lagoons of Braças and Vela. Template:Inote
In mainland Portugal, average temperatures are 13ºC in the North and 18ºC in the South. Madeira and Azores, due to their location in the Atlantic, are rainy and wet, and have a narrower range of temperatures.
Portugal is one of the warmest European countries. Spring and Summer months are usually sunny and the temperatures very high during July and August, with highs in the centre of the country between 30°C and 35°C, reaching sometimes highs of 45°C in the southern interior. Autumn and Winter are typically rainy and windy, yet sunny days are not rare either, the temperatures rarely fall below 5°C, usually staying at an average of 10°C. Snow is common in the mountainous areas of the north, especially in Serra da Estrela. Portugal's climate is classified as Atlantic-Mediterranean.
The action of man, the diversity of the climate, and the geographical diversity has shaped the Portuguese Flora. There are almost 2,800 autochthonous species. Template:Inote Due to economical reasons the pines tries (especially the Pinus pinaster and Pinus pinea species), the chestnut tree and the eucalyptus are very widespread.
The Peneda-Gerês National Park (mostly known has Gerês) is located in the extreme northwest of Portugal. The park has a wide variety of oaken and mixed forests, groves, peat bogs, and diverse bushes, including autochthonous and rare species. It is one of the last Iberian harbours of wolves, golden eagles and Honey Buzzards amongst many others. The Natural parks of Serra da Estrela, with its broad valleys and turf soils and the Arrábida with is Mediterranean character and the sand varieties of its beaches unveil the ecological variety of Portugal.
The Tapada Nacional de Mafra is conspicuous, due to its rich flora and fauna. The Tapada was created in the reign of King John V for royal delight, in an area of 800 hectares with stags, boars, foxes, rapine birds and several other species. Today, the Tapada is classified as an area of national hunting (Zona de Caça Nacional).
Economy
Economic growth has been above the EU average for much of the past decade, but GDP per capita stands at just 75% of that of the leading EU economies. As of 2005, Portuguese GDP grew 1% in real terms in 2004 it is expected to grow 1.8% (IMF) in 2005. In the last quarter of 2004 the unemployment rate was 7.1%.
The country still has a 6.7 percent illiteracy rate, almost exclusively among the elderly. In the technology area, Portugal has one of the higher rates in the world when possessing a mobile phone (over 100%). Third generation mobile phones, UMTS, are being largely commercialized by operators since early 2004. Considering that 41% of the homes in Portugal had a computer in the first quarter of 2004, only 26% of the population had Internet; an additional 4% also used it.
Historically, The 19th century was a failure to Portugal as it was for Spain and other countries in southern Europe, and in the end of that century, Portugal entered a serious economical and financial crisis, thus it turned to colonial expansion in Africa, careless of internal reforms. Template:Inote
Industrialization boomed in the 1950s with Salazar's regime, leading to an average of 6% annual growth of the GDP between 1959 and 1963, 7% between 1965 and 1967, after a lowering to 5,2% in 1964. Due to international crisis, the growth decrease largely. Since 1985, the country started its modernization in a very stable environment (1985 - to the present day) and it join the European Economic Community in 1986. Template:Inote Successive governments have done various reforms and privatised many state-controlled firms and liberalised key areas of the economy, including the financial and telecommunications sectors. Portugal developed an increasingly service-based economy and it was one of the eleven founding countries of the Euro in 1999, with very restrictive criteria, and began circulating its new currency on January 1, 2002 along with 12 other EU members.
More than half (50,8%) of continental Portugal is dedicated to agriculture.Template:Inote The north has a miscellaneous agricultural type (except for the Douro Valley), while the south has developed an extensive monoculture on cereals and Olive trees. Wheat (300,000 ha) and corn (268,000 ha) are produced in vast areas, followed by barley, potato, and rice. Larger plantations are the vineyard with 375,000 ha, but the olive trees have the larger area of about 400,000 ha, namely in Estremadura and the Algarve, mostly for production of olive oil.Template:Inote Portuguese olive oil is specially appraised by nationals. Portugal also has a significant production of fruits, namely oranges (the Algarve ones are very appreciated), pears ("Pera Rocha" is a notable pear from the Oeste region), apples, almonds and walnuts. Among other productions such has horticulture, floriculture, beet sugar, sunflower oil, and tobacco.
Natural resources, such has copses cover about 34% of the country, namely pine trees (1,350,000 ha), cork oak (680,000 ha), holm oak (534,000 ha), and the eucalyptus (243,000 ha). Cork is a major production, Portugal produces half of the world's cork.Template:Inote Significant mining resources are tungsten, tin, and uranium.Template:Inote
The major industries are the textile, footwear, leather, furniture, ceramics (highlighting the international popularity of Vista Alegre), and cork. Mostly located in Setúbal, Lisbon, Porto, and Aveiro, modern industries had developed significantly: oil refineries, petrochemistry, cement production, car and ship industries, electrical and electronics industries, machinery and paper industries.Template:Inote
Transportation was seen has a priority in the 1990s, pushed by the growing use of automobiles and industries. The country has a 70,000 km network of highways. 1,300 km are expressways connecting all the coastline, and the Northern and Southern boarders with Spain. Template:Inote
The main Portuguese ports are Lisbon, Leixões (Porto), Setúbal and Sines in the south, Funchal (Madeira) and Ponta Delgada (Azores) in the islands. The most important airports are those of Lisbon, Faro and Porto, these last two had great development recently. There are also important airports in the islands, such has the airport of Funchal (Madeira Island), Porto Santo (Porto Santo Island), and Ponta Delgada (Azores).Template:Inote Lisbon has Metro system since 1959, today Lisbon Metro has a length of 36.9 km. Porto Metro system has being developing since the beginning of the 21st century, will have, by the end of 2005 and early 2006, 70 km of line connecting, for instance, the airport to trains to Lisbon. TGV trains are projected, it will connect Porto and Lisbon, and these with Spanish cities, and works will start in a couple of years.
Demographics
As of 2004 Portugal has 10.5 million inhabitants. In the 2001 Census it had 10,356,117 inhabitants (51,7% female).
Portugal is a fairly homogeneous country linguistically and religiously. Ethnically, Portuguese are a combination of several ethnicities: pre-Roman tribes (primarily Lusitanians, Callaeci, Celts, Conii, and Turduli; but also Bracari, Coelerni, Equaesi, Grovii, Interamici, Leuni, Luanqui, Limici, Narbasi, Nemetati, Paesuri, Quaquerni, Seurbi, Tamagani, Tapoli, and Zoelae) with Romans, Visigoths, and Suebi. Moors are a small influence, due to these being expelled during the Reconquista, basically Berber nomads with some Arabic component. Lesser influences are Greeks, Phoenician-Carthaginian, Vandals, and Alans. Today, Portuguese people are ethnically homogenous. The country is characterized by city, town or village cultural differentiation and there is virtually no regional affiliation, unlike other European countries. Portuguese is spoken throughout the country, with only the villages of Miranda de Douro's Leonese dialect recognised as a locally co-official language. It is known as Mirandese.
Almost ten percent of Portugal's citizens are immigrants, half of them being legal. Since the decolonization period, Portugal has received immigrants from the former African colonies, and from Europe (especially the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain - the climate, culture, and relatively low cost of living are the main attractions). Today, many Eastern Europeans (especially Ukrainians, Moldavans, Romanians and Russians), as well as Brazilians, are making Portugal their home in search of a better life. There is a rapidly growing community of Chinese. Portugal, long a country of emigration, has now become a country of immigration. Most of Eastern Europe immigrants came between 1999 and 2002, through Germany, after this country opened the Euroland's borders. After the initial shock with a so massive number, immigrants are well accepted in the Portuguese society when comparing to other European countries. After 2002, most of the migrational pressure comes from Angola and Brazil. The biggest community is the Cape Verdean, part of it is considered as Portuguese, and do not count as immigrants. Although being rapidly surpassed by Brazilians, who number approximately 1% of the population in Portugal.
The great majority of the Portuguese population belongs to the Roman Catholic Church. Religious observance remains very strong in northern areas, with the population of Lisbon and southern areas generally less devout. Religious minorities include a little over 300,000 Protestants. There are also about 50,000 Muslims and 10,000 Hindus. Most of them came from Goa, a former Portuguese colony on the west coast of India. There are also about 1,000 Jews, but a large number of people have some Jewish heritage.
Culture
Portugal is one of the oldest countries in Europe, thus it has a strong and unique culture. The country is known for its traditional architecture and modern architects, its wines, its food, fado, and its literature.
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Portuguese literature has developed very early in the Middle Ages. Poetry in Portuguese-Galician was widely popular in most Christian Iberian Peninsula. Template:InoteThere are excellent works of both lyrical and epic poetry. The best-known Portuguese poets internationally are Luís de Camões and Fernando Pessoa. Modern Portuguese poetry, since the 19th century, has its roots in a handful of relevant poets, from neo-classicism to contemporary.
Prose developed later than verse and first appeared in the 14th century. The line of the chroniclers, which is one of the boasts of Portuguese literature, began with Fernão Lopes. Gil Vicente and the priest António Vieira are some pre-modern Portuguese writers. It is the modern Portuguese literature that is more internationally known, mostly the works of Almeida Garrett, Alexandre Herculano, Eça de Queirós, Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, António Lobo Antunes and the 1998 Nobel Prize for literature winner, José Saramago.
The most renowned Portuguese music is Fado (from fate or destiny in Portuguese) is a form of melancholic music. The music is usually linked to the Portuguese word saudade (a word with no accurate equivalent in English; being a type of longing, it conveys a complex mixture of sadness, pain, nostalgia, happiness and love), and its origins are probably from a mixture of African slave rhythms with traditional music of Portuguese sailors, with Arabic influence.
There are two varieties of Fado: Lisbon and Coimbra. The Lisbon style is the popular, while the Coimbra's is the refined style; both are seen as ethnic music for sophisticated audience. Amália Rodrigues introduced the most well-known variety of fado. After her disappearance, a new wave of performers added stylistic changes and brought more international popularity to the traditional Portuguese music. There are also some successful experiences with fado, namely mixing it with electronic music. Mariza and Mísia brought with them a new look to the traditional song, occasionally reviving 19th century fado. While Dulce Pontes mixed it with popular and traditional Portuguese music. Madredeus and Cristina Branco added with new instruments and themes - all that they kept from the original Fado is its looks and the concept of "saudade". All varieties of Fado are sorrowful; although some can also be joyful songs. António Chaínho and Carlos Paredes are the most notable masters on the Portuguese guitar.
During the Fascist Regime music was used by the left-wing resistance as a way to say what could not be said, singing about freedom, equality and democracy. Many composers and singers became famous and persecuted by the political police. Zeca Afonso's Grândola, Vila Morena was used has call sign to break out the Carnation Revolution in 1974.
Portuguese pop-rock has grown particularly after the 1974 revolution. Other genres include Hip Hop Tuga (often a mixture of Hip-Hop, African music, and Reggae), mostly performed by the African-Portuguese (descendants of immigrants from former Portuguese colonies in Africa). Hip Hop Tuga is very popular among the younger and urban population in Portugal, while Pimba, the Portuguese soft-pop music, is popular in the rural areas and among Portuguese immigrants.
As for dancing, Portugal has the traditional folklore (Ranchos Folclóricos), with many varieties from each region: Fandango, Corridinho and O Vira are some of them. Portugal shares with Angola a shared rhythm known as "Kuduro", a sort of 'hard hass' with fast movements and extreme sensuality and strong African rhythm.
Eating in Portugal is often a visitor's most remembered characteristic of the country. Each region of Portugal has its own traditional dishes, including various kinds of meat, sea-food, diverse and fresh fish. Portuguese have a reputation for loving cod dishes (bacalhau in Portuguese), for which it is said that there are 365 ways of cooking it. Bacalhau à Brás and Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá are some of the most popular recipes. Also very appreciated are the traditional desert sweets, Lisbon's Pastéis de Nata are very popular, best eaten with a strong coffee. The Portuguese has their own version of fast food, one of the most popular is Porto's Francesinha.
Portuguese wines are exported since to Roman times. The Romans associated Portugal with Bacchus, their God of Winery and Feast. Today the country is known by wine lovers, and its wines had won several international prizes. Many famous Portuguese wines are known as some of the world's best: Vinho Verde, Vinho Alvarinho, Vinho do Douro, Vinho do Alentejo, Vinho do Dão, Vinho da Bairrada and the sweet: Port Wine, Madeira wine and the Moscatels of Setúbal and Favaios (Douro). Port Wine is largely exported, now followed by Vinho Verde. Exports of Vinho Verde are largely increasing, in response to the growing international demand.
Sports and games
European football is the most popular and practiced sport in Portugal. As of November 2004, the country is ranked 8th in 205 countries by FIFA. Luís Figo is one of the world's top players, but the legendary Eusébio, Rui Costa and Cristiano Ronaldo are also noteworthy. FC Porto crowned its international success by winning the UEFA Cup in 2003 and UEFA Champions League in 2004 as well as local cups. The team also won the Intercontinental Cup in Japan last December, by defeating Colombian champions Once Caldas in the penalty shootouts. Portugal is also very well represented in other sports, such has Rink hockey, being the country with most world titles. Golf is also worth mentioning, since its greatest players play in the sunny region of the Algarve during the "Algarve Open".
The country has an ancient martial art known as "Jogo do Pau" (Portuguese Stick Combat), used for self-protection and for duels between young men in dispute over a young women. Having its origin in the middle ages, Jogo do Pau uses wooden sticks as a combat weapon. Other sports are the "Jogos Populares", a wide variety of traditional sports used for fun.
Festivals and holidays
Festivals play a major role in Portugal's summers. Even thought they have religious connotations, most of these celebrations are, in fact, everything but religious. Every city and town has its own or several festivals. The June Festivities are extremely popular, these festivities are dedicated to three saints known as Santos Populares (Popular saints) and take place all over Portugal. Why the populace associated the saints with these pagan festivities is not known. The practice is possibly related to Roman or local deities before Christianity spread in the region. The three saints are Saint Anthony, Saint John and Saint Peter. A common denominator in these festivities are the wine and água-pé (a watered kind of wine), traditional bread along with sardines, marriages, traditional street dances, fire, fireworks and joy.
Saint Anthony is celebrated on the nights of the 12th and 13th, especially in Lisbon (where that saint was born and lived most of his life), with Marchas Populares (a sort of street carnival) and festivities. In the meantime, several marriages known as Casamentos de Santo António (Marriages of Saint Anthony) are celebrated at the same time. But the most popular saint is Saint John. He is celebrated in many cities and towns throughout the country on the nights of the 23rd and 24th, especially in Porto and Braga, where the sardines, Caldo Verde (traditional soup) and plastic hammers to hammer on other peoples' heads for luck are indispensable. The final Saint is Saint Peter, celebrated on the nights of the 28th and 29th, especially in Póvoa de Varzim and Barcelos, festivities are similar to the others, but mostly dedicated to the sea and extensive use of fire (fogueiras). In Póvoa de Varzim, there is the Rusgas in the night, another sort of street carnival. Each festivity is a municipal holiday in the cities and towns where it occurs.
Carnival is also widely celebrated in Portugal, some traditional carnivals dates back several centuries. In January 6, Epiphany is celebrated in some families, especially in the North, where the family gathers to eat "Bolo-Rei" (King Cake); this is also the time for the traditional street songs - "As Janeiras" (The January ones). Monday after Easter, Pascolea (also known has Dia do Anjo, Angel Day), is used in some areas, usually in the North of the country, to do a picnic, some people work on the Good Friday holiday to have this day off. Saint Martin Day, is celebrated in some countries in Europe, Portugal included, it is in November 11. This day is the peak of three days, often with very good weather, it is known has Verão de São Martinho ("saint Martin summer"), the Portuguese celebrate it with gerupiga (an alcoholic drink) and roasted Portuguese chestnuts (castanhas assadas). and it is called Magusto.
- National Holidays
| Date | Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Ano Novo | New Year's Day. Beginning of the year, marks the traditional end of "holiday season." |
| Tuesday, date varies | Carnaval | Carnival. Not an "official" holiday, but usually declared by the government as a non-working day. Very ancient festivity celebrating the end of the winter. It gained Christian connotations, and now marks the first day of a period of 40 days before Easter Week (Semana Santa, Holy Week), thus also known has Entrudo. |
| Friday, date varies | Sexta-Feira Santa | Good Friday. |
| Sunday, date varies | Páscoa | Easter. Used for family gathering to eat Pão-de-Ló (an Easter cake) and easter eggs. In the North, a sort of church members processions (compasso) visits and blesses every home with an open door, thus meaning they are catholics. Traditionally, this is the second visit of children and non-married youngsters to their godparents, receiving an Easter gift. The first visit is on Palm Sunday, 7 days before, where children give flowers and palms to their godparents. |
| April 25 | Dia da Liberdade | Literally, "Freedom Day". Celebrates the Carnation Revolution, marking the end of the dictatorial regime. Event of 1974. |
| May 1 | Dia do Trabalhador | Labour Day. |
| June 10 | Dia de Portugal | Portugal Day. Marks the date of Camões death. Camões wrote The Lusiad, Portugal's national epic. Event of 1580 |
| Thursday, date varies | Corpo de Deus | Ascension Day. 40 days after Easter. |
| August 15 | Assunção | Assumption of Mary. |
| October 5 | Implantação da República | Implantation of the Republic. Event of 1910. |
| November 1 | Todos os Santos | All Saints Day. Day used for visiting deceased relatives. |
| December 1 | Restauração da Independência | Restoration of Independence. Event of 1640. |
| December 8 | Imaculada Conceição | Immaculate Conception. Patron Saint of Portugal. |
| December 25 | Natal | Christmas Day. Celebrated in the 24th to the 25th in a family gather to eat codfish with potatoes; seasonal sweets and dry fruits; drink Port wine; and share gifts. |
- Main local holidays (Popular Saints Festivities)
| Date | Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| June 13 | Dia de Santo António | Saint Anthony Day. Celebrated in Lisbon among others. |
| June 24 | Dia de São João | Saint John Day. This is the most popular festivity in Portugal. It is celebrated in Porto, Braga, Angra do Heroísmo, Horta, and Vila do Conde among others |
| June 29 | Dia de São Pedro | Saint Peter Day. Celebrated in Évora, Setúbal, Póvoa de Varzim, and Barcelos among others. |
See also
Notes
- ^ The concept of a declaration of independence did not exist at the time. Portugal was recognized as a kingdom with its own king by Leon in 1143 and by the Pope in 1179.
- ^ Portuguese has been the official language of Portugal since 1296, replacing Classical Latin, the official language since independence. Portuguese does not descend from Classical Latin but rather from Vulgar Latin. In Portugal, the local Vulgar Latin was known as Vulgar Language before it was renamed Portuguese. Mirandese, a related Romance language, is officially recognized in the municipality of Miranda do Douro, and spoken in the villages of the municipality.
References
- Ribeiro, Ângelo & Saraiva, José Hermano História de Portugal I - A Formação do Território QuidNovi, 2004 (ISBN 9895541066).
- Ribeiro, Ângelo & Saraiva, José Hermano História de Portugal II - A Afirmação do País QuidNovi, 2004 (ISBN 9895541074).
- de Macedo, Newton & Saraiva, José Hermano História de Portugal III - A Epopeia dos Descobrimentos QuidNovi, 2004 (ISBN 9895541082).
- de Macedo, Newton & Saraiva, José Hermano História de Portugal IV - Glória e Declínio do Império QuidNovi, 2004 (ISBN 9895541090).
- Ribeiro, Ângelo & Saraiva, José Hermano História de Portugal V - A Restauração da Indepêndencia QuidNovi, 2004 (ISBN 9895541104).
- Saraiva, José Hermano História de Portugal X - A Terceira República QuidNovi, 2004 (ISBN 9895541155).
- Loução, Paulo Alexandre: Portugal, Terra de Mistérios Ésquilo, 2000 (third edition; ISBN 9728605048).
- Muñoz, Mauricio Pasto: Viriato, A Luta pela Liberdade Ésquilo, 2003 (third edition; ISBN 9728605234).
- Grande Enciclopédia Universal Durclub, 2004.
External links
- Portal do Governo - Main governmental portal
- Presidência da República - Official presidential site
- Assembleia da República - Official parliamentary site
- Visit Portugal - Portugal's official travel and tourism website
- Welcome to Portugal - All about Portugal
- Contemporary Portuguese Political History Research Centre - History and politics
- IPPAR - Monuments of Portugal
- Travel guide and directory Everything about travelling to Portugal
- PortugalTravelGuide - Tourism and holidays
- Portugalia - Photos from Portugal
- Images of Portugal
- Folclore de Portugal - Portuguese folklore
- Portuguese Stick Combat - Martial Art
- Portugal for Beginners - Controversial Guide to Portugal (should not be taken very seriously)
- Pictures and travelogue from a backpacker's trip to Portugal
- - 25th of April 1974 Revolution Historic Documents
- GULBENKIAN FOUNDATION - Lisbon
- GULBENKIAN FOUNDATION - London Branch
- Dutch Portuguese Colonial HistoryDutch Portuguese Colonial History: history of the Portuguese and the Dutch in Ceylon, India, Malacca, Bengal, Formosa, Africa, Brazil. Language Heritage, lists of remains, maps.
- Reporters without borders Press Report - 2002 Report
- 2004 Amnesty International Report on Portugal
- Portuguese Corruption report- 2004 - Country Ranking - 27
- UNICEF - Statistics on Portugal
- Sex Trade & AIDS in Portugal - Report
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