Its cold, rocky northern coast and mountainous interior are sparsely settled, scenic, and wild, while the country’s south, the Algarve, is warm and fertile.
The rugged Estrela Mountains (Serra da Estrela, or “Star Mountain Range”), which lie between the Tagus and Mondego rivers, contain the highest point of mainland Portugal.
Portugal is a fascinating and varied country with vibrant cities, glorious beaches, and a wonderful climate. The country is diversified with landscapes, historical beauties, culture, and people.
It is famous for great food, romantic music, dance, and sports.
Brief History of Portugal:
ANCIENT PORTUGAL
Human beings have lived in Portugal since about 30,000 BC when the world was in the grip of an ice age.
The first Portuguese were hunters and fishermen. They also
gathered plants for food. They wore leather clothes and they made stone tools.
In about 5,000 BC farming was introduced to Portugal. However, the farmers
continued to use stone tools. Bronze was introduced to Portugal in about 2,000
BC. About 700 BC Celtic tribes entered Portugal from the north. They introduced
iron to Portugal.
Meanwhile, by 800 BC, the Phoenicians from what is now Lebanon had begun trading with the Portuguese. (They wanted Portuguese tin for making bronze). By about 600 BC the Greeks were also trading with Portugal.
In 210 BC the Romans invaded the Iberian Peninsula. They soon conquered the south but the central part was a different matter. Here a Celtic tribe called the Lusitania lived. In 193 BC, led by their ruler Viriatus, they rebelled against Roman rule. They fought the Romans for decades and they were only defeated in 139 BC when Viriatus was captured. Afterward, resistance collapsed.
However, the Celtic tribe gave their name to the Roman province of Lusitania. In time the south of the Iberian peninsula became fully integrated into the Roman world. Wheat, olives, and wine from what is now Portugal were exported to Rome.
However, by the middle
of the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire was in decline. In the 5th century
Roman rule in Portugal collapsed. In 409 Germanic people invaded the Iberian
peninsula. A race called the Suevi invaded Portugal.
However, in the 6th century, another race called the Visigoths ruled Spain and they attacked the Suevi. By 585 the Visigoths had conquered the Suevi. The Germanic invaders became the new upper class. They were landowners and warriors who despised trade. Under their rule trade was dominated by the Jews.
PORTUGAL IN THE MIDDLE AGES
In
711 Moors from North Africa invaded the Iberian peninsula. They quickly
conquered what is now southern Portugal and they ruled it for centuries.
However, they were unable to permanently subdue northern Portugal.
A little Visigoth statelet slowly grew in the north. By the 11th century, it was known as Portugal.
The Counts of Portugal were vassals of the king of Leon
but culturally the area was quite different from Leon. In 1095 the king of Leon
granted Portugal to his daughter Dona Teresa and her husband. When her husband
died Dona Teresa ruled as regent for her son. She married a Galician noble.
However, the Portuguese nobles were alarmed at the prospect of a union with
Galicia. They rebelled and were led by her son Dom Alfonso Henriques they defeated
Teresa at the battle of Sao Mamede.
Afterward, Alfonso
Henriques became ruler of Portugal. Portugal gradually became independent of
Leon. By 1140 Alfonso called himself king of Portugal and asserted his
country’s independence. From 1179 Papal diplomats also called him king.
Meanwhile, trade continued to thrive in Portugal. Jews continued to be important in the towns. The first parliament or Cortes met in 1211. At first only clergy and nobility were represented.
In the mid-13th century, Lisbon became the capital of Portugal. In 1290 Portugal’s first university was founded in Lisbon. (Although it soon moved to Coimbra). Also, pine forests were planted and marshland was drained for farming. Agriculture flourished.
Then in the late 14th century, Portugal was drawn into a war. When King Fernando (1367-1383) died, his daughter Beatriz became queen. However, she was married to Juan of Castile. Some Portuguese feared that Portugal would become united with Castile and cease to be independent. They rose in rebellion. The king of Castile invaded Portugal to support his wife. The war went on for 2 years. Finally, the Castilians were routed by a Portuguese army (supported by English archers) at the battle of Aljubarrota. Dom Joao then became king and Portugal remained independent.
In 1386 Portugal made an
alliance with England. Then in the 15th century, Portugal became a great
maritime nation. In 1415 the Portuguese captured Ceuta in Morocco. Madeira was
discovered in 1419. The Azores followed in 1427.
At that time Prince
Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) made navigation into fine art. he also provided
ships and money to Portuguese captains. Portuguese mariners ventured further
and further afield. By the time Prince Henry died the Portuguese had sailed as
far as Sierra Leone. Then Tangiers was captured in 1471. Finally in 1488
Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope.
In 1492 Columbus discovered the West Indies. Since the new lands were south of the Canaries the Portuguese king claimed they were his. However, the argument with the Spanish was ended by the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494.
Portugal and Spain agreed that
all new land west of a line 370 degrees west of the Cape Verde Islands would
belong to Spain. Any land east of the line belonged to Portugal. Following the
treaty in 1498 an expedition led by Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa and
reached India.
PORTUGAL IN THE 20TH
CENTURY
In the 20th century, many poor Portuguese had high hopes for the revolution
but afterward, they saw no improvement in their living standards. Soon many
Portuguese became disillusioned.
Finally, in 1926 the army took power. In 1928 Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, a lecturer at Coimbra University was made finance minister.
In 1932 Salazar became prime
minister. He drew up a new constitution, which was accepted in a referendum.
Salazar became a virtual dictator. A secret police force, the PIDE (Policia
Internacional e de Defensa do Estado) was formed. The press was censored and
political parties were banned.
Salazar
spent money on public works such as roads, bridges, and public buildings.
Portuguese industries grew steadily and the urban population rose. However,
poverty remained widespread. Furthermore in the early 1960s guerrilla warfare
began in Portugal’s African colonies. Fighting the rebels proved a great strain
on Portugal’s resources.
In
1968 Salazar was forced to resign through ill health. He was replaced by
Marcelo Caetano. Meanwhile increasing discontent in the army led officers to
form the Movimento das Forcas Armadas (MFA).
On 25 April 1974, the army staged a coup. People wore red and
white carnations to show their support for the revolution. So it became known
as the Carnation Revolution. Democracy was restored in Portugal. In 1986
Portugal joined the EU. In 1999 Portugal joined the Euro.
PORTUGAL IN THE 21ST CENTURY
By the end of the 20th century, Portugal’s democracy had become solidified. With the military’s withdrawal from politics and several revisions of the constitution, Portugal adopted what could be called a semi-presidential system, which limited the president’s powers by investing significant authority in the prime minister. Portugal developed a multiparty system in which two major parties (the Socialists and the Social Democrats) and several minor parties emerged.
By the beginning of the 21st century, Portugal had benefited from substantial improvements in health, communications, transportation, welfare, and education. The new pluralist democracy provided citizens with historically unprecedented civil liberties. Nevertheless, the country’s empire had vanished, and Portugal was highly dependent on imports of energy, capital, and food. During the 1990s, as a partner in further European integration, Portugal was under great pressure to conform to rigorous EU standards, procedures, and rules. New layers of administration were established, and trade, travel, employment, and other barriers started to fall in 1993 when Portugal began preparing for full economic and monetary union with other EU members.
However, Portugal eventually recovered and its economy began
growing again.
Long among the poorest countries of Europe, Portugal modernized in the last decades of the 20th century, expanding its economy
Today Portugal is known for olives, wheat, wine, and cork. Tourism is also an important industry in Portugal. Like the rest of Europe Portugal suffered in the recession of 2009.
Places to relish in Portugal:
Portugal is an amazing place for holidays, and this guide will tell you about 23 places to visit:
a) Lisbon
- Alfama
- Belem Tower
- The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery.
- Castelo de Sao Jorge
- Rossio – Praça Dom Pedro IV
- Faro
- Vila Real de Santo António
- Alcoutim
- Tavira
- Palácio Nacional de Sintra (Sintra National Palace)
- Quinta da Regaleira
- palácio nacional da pena (Pena National Palace)
- Queluz National Palace and Gardens (Palácio Nacional e Jardins de Queluz)
Monserrate Park and Palace (Parque e Palácio de Monserrate)
- The Sanctuary of Fátima ( Santuário de Fátima)
- Casa De Francisco & Jacinta Marto
- Chapel of the Apparitions.
- Castle of Ourem
- Caves Mira de Aire
- Sao Francisco Church
- Dom Luis Bridge
- Palacio da Bolsa
- Port Wine Cellars.
