61 Facts About Portugal

Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country in southwestern Europe that is mostly located on the Iberian Peninsula.

Portugal covers an area of 92,090 square kilometres.

Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal.

Portugal's official language is Portuguese.

Portugal's official currency is the Euro (€) (EUR).

Spain is Portugal's only land neighbour.

Portugal is also the westernmost country on the European continent.

In 1755, Lisbon was hit by an earthquake that killed an estimated 60,000 people.

Portugal was founded in 1128, making it one of Europe's oldest nations. Portugal is named after Porto, the country's second largest city.

Porto has the most bridges (6 bridges) crossing the same river in Europe.

Portugal is a developed nation. According to the Global Peace Index 2018, it is the world's fourth safest country.

To name a few, the Green Lane toll payment system and the pre-paid mobile phone card are both Portuguese inventions.

Portuguese, the national language of Portugal, is also spoken in nine other countries: Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Cape Verde, and So Tomé and Prncipe.

Portuguese is also the world's sixth most spoken language (232 million speakers), trailing only Bengali and Russian.

The Portuguese played an important role in the Age of Exploration. They aided in the discovery of previously unknown lands in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.

Rio de Janeiro has the largest Portuguese community outside of Portugal.

The Dolphin Interaction Program (the only one of its kind in Europe) allows you to interact with the dolphins up close and personal.

Sintra is considered the most romantic place in Portugal due to its charming streets, buildings, and misty climate.

Sintra is also known for its beautiful beaches, extensive woodland, and Europe's westernmost point (Cabo da Roca).

Portugal has 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, placing it eighth in Europe and seventeenth worldwide... and over 13 million tourists visit the country each year.

The Ocean Revival Underwater Park, the world's largest artificial underwater park, is located in Portugal.

With a total length of 17,185 metres, the VASCO DA GAMA BRIDGE in Lisbon is Europe's longest bridge.

Portugal has one of the most advanced ATM systems in the world. The system supports over 60 operations, including charitable donations, phone credit top-ups, and concert ticket purchases.

The University of Coimbra, founded in 1290 in Lisbon, is one of the world's oldest universities in continuous operation, the oldest university in Portugal, and one of the country's largest higher education and research institutions.

One of the university's oldest libraries (Joanina Library) contains over 30,000 books and is designed with marble walls and gold leaf floors.

Portugal's montado landscape produces roughly half of all cork harvested annually worldwide. Cork is impermeable, buoyant, elastomeric, and fire retardant. Its most common application is as a wine stopper.

Porto, Portugal holds the world record for the largest Santa Claus parade, with 14,963 participants.

Portugal is also known as the "Tile Country." For a long time, the Portuguese have used tiles to decorate their walls and floors.

Lisbon has the world's largest indoor aquarium. The oceanarium, located in the Parque das Naçes District, is home to a wide range of fishes, including sunfish, the largest bony fish, deep sea fish, sharks, and small tropical fishes. It holds approximately 5 million litres of seawater. While the aquarium is the main draw, visitors frequently take another tour to see exhibits of mammals, plants, invertebrates, and so on.

Portugal is the world leader in renewable energy production. It meets nearly 70% of its energy needs with hydro, wind, and solar power.

Portugal is also capable of converting ocean wave movement into electricity and energy.

Port (wine) is the country's national drink and its most famous export.

Women in Portugal outlive men by nearly six years, as their life expectancy is nearly six years higher.

Portugal has the lowest fertility rate in the EU, with 82,367 babies born in 2014.

Os Lusadas (by Lus de Cames) is Portugal's national epic.

The Portuguese brought chilli, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes to India. The Portuguese also invented piri-piri sauce.

Portugal holds the world record for the largest omelette. It weighed in at 6.466 tonnes.

The Portuguese value art, music, drama, and dance.

The majority of the country's towns have at least one cinema.

Portugal's national music is fado (it is characterised by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor).

The Portuguese believe in fate. They have a strong belief in their fates, which they believe cannot be changed.

Café culture is also an important aspect of Portuguese culture.

The country of Portugal is best known for its distinctive Late-Gothic Manueline architecture.

Portugal regained its freedom of expression following the Carnation Revolution in 1974.

In 1755, an earthquake that was considered to be one of the worst in Lisbon killed over 275,000 residents. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami and widespread fires in the capital.

In Portugal, the average age of first-time mothers is 29.2 years.

The largest wave ever surfed was in Portugal. Hawaiian Garret McNamara set a world record in 2011 by surfing a 90-foot-high wave.

Same-sex marriage became legal in Portugal on May 31, 2010. As a result, it became Europe's sixth country to do so.

The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance is the world's oldest still in force alliance.

Madeira, also known as "the floating garden of the Atlantic," is located in Portugal.

Because Portugal receives more than 300 days of sunshine per year, Christmas can be sunny and even warm!

Portugal was the first colonial power to abolish slavery in 1761, nearly 50 years before Britain, France, Spain, or the United States.

Lisbon is a city of book lovers, and it is home to the world's oldest operating library. Bertrand bookshop in Lisbon, Portugal, is the oldest still in operation. It has been in use since 1732 and was included in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2016.

Brazil was also discovered by the Portuguese.

Christiano Ronaldo (famous footballer) was born in 1985 in Santo António, Portugal. Football is, without a doubt, the most popular sport in the country.

Christiano Ronaldo became the most expensive footballer in the world after leaving Manchester United and signing for Real Madrid for €94 million in 2009. He has scored over 700 goals in his career.

Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama was the first European to reach India by sea.

Manoel de Oliveira, the world's oldest director, who continued to make films until his death on April 2, 2015, was also Portuguese. At the time of his death, he was 106 years old.

José Saramago was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998. The country has produced four Nobel Prize laureates. Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo (Peace 1996), José Ramos-Horta (Peace 1996), and António Caetano de Abreu Freire Egas Moniz are the other three (Physiology or Medicine, 1949).

Bartolomeu de Gusmo, a Brazilian-Portuguese priest, made the first documented balloon flight in Europe. In Lisbon, Portugal, on August 8, 1709.

Maria Joo Pires is a well-known pianist in the country.