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General information [add image]
Portugal, nation in southwestern Europe, occupying the western portion of the Iberian Peninsula. It is bordered on the north and east by Spain, with which it shares the Iberian Peninsula, and to the south and west by the Atlantic Ocean. The Azores (Açores) and the Madeira Islands, both located in the Atlantic, are autonomous regions of Portugal.
The area that is now Portugal became part of the Roman Empire in the 2nd century bc. The name Portugal is derived from Portus Cale, a former Roman settlement at the mouth of the Douro River. After the collapse of Roman rule in the 5th century ad, Portugal was colonized by Germanic tribes, who came overland from Europe. Portugal was then conquered by Muslims from North Africa, before coming under the control of Spanish kings. Portugal became an independent kingdom in the 12th century. In the 15th century Portugal, aided by its location on the western edge of continental Europe, emerged as the foremost center of maritime navigation in Europe. Over the next century Portugal built the first great European overseas empire, with holdings in Africa, Asia, and South America. By the late 16th century Portugal’s power and resources were exhausted, and most of the country’s Asian colonies were lost. Portugal kept its largest colony, Brazil, until the 19th century and its vast African empire until the late 20th century. Despite its extensive possessions, Portugal remained one of Europe’s least developed nations.
Portugal was a monarchy until 1910, when the first Portuguese republic was proclaimed. A period of great instability followed. In 1926 a coup d’état installed a dictatorship that ruled Portugal for nearly five decades. A series of costly colonial wars in Africa beginning in the 1960s drained Portuguese resources and weakened the national economy. Partly as a result of these wars, a revolution occurred in Portugal in 1974, and a military junta came to power. The next year Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. A new constitution in 1976 established a democratic system of government. Macao, the last remnant of Portugal’s colonial empire in Asia, was returned to China in 1999.
Climate
The climate, through its effect on vegetation, divides Portugal. Such as in Spain, three sets of influences are involved: Atlantic, continental and Mediterranean. The former predominates overall, putting most of the country into the humid zone of the Iberian Peninsula, but is especially true in the Northwest, where it gives a mild, rainy climate.
The maritime winds certainly influence Portugal, especially through its long 700 km coastline.
As long as we move away from the coast, the humidity diminishes, the interior areas being quite 'fair', with the exception of the Tagus North valley, where the climate is wet and soft.
The Northern region benefits from the Atlantic cyclones, while South and East are dominated by the subtropical anticyclone, that allows temperatures to rise up to 40º C during the Summer.
The climate varies according to the altitude and the highest temperatures are more likely in the lower regions of the South.
So, the climate in Portugal is neither too hot nor too cold. It all depends on the area and the time of the year that you choose to visit Portugal. (southtravels.com)
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| Portugal |
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Native Name: Portugal
Capital: Lisbon
Population: 10,100,000
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Phone Perfix: +351
Voltage: 230 V, 50 Hz
Emergency: Police, Ambulance and Fire: 112
Official Site: External Site
Vaccination: None required
Abb.:
DT = Diptheria (10yr+)
P = Polio (10yr+)
MP = Malaria Prophylaxis
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