Flags of the World > Portugal Flag
Brief History. Portugal was a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, but lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.
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Country Information
Local name: Portugal Capital: Lisbon Population: 10,605,870 Government: parliamentary democracy Currency: euro (EUR) Land size: 92,391 sq km Topography: mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south Typical foods: stockfish, Bacalhau Major exports: clothing and footwear, machinery, chemicals, cork and paper products, hides |
Information on the People
Official language: Portuguese, Mirandese Other languages spoken: E1MPTY1 Religions: Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant Literacy rate: 93.3% Male/Female Ratio: 0.95 male(s) to every 1 female Life expectancy: 77.7 years Ethnic groups: homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000; since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal Internet users: 6.09 million Famous people: Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan |
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