Portugal

Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa), is a country in the extreme southwest of Europe. It forms the western part of the Iberian Peninsula. In the east and north it borders on Spain, the only neighboring country, and in the south and west on the Atlantic Ocean. The country has an unmistakably maritime character. Portugal also includes the Azores and Madeira, two island groups in this ocean. On a territory of 92,212 km² - three times the area of ​​Belgium and more than twice the area of ​​the Netherlands - 10.8 million inhabitants live. The capital and the largest city in the country is Lisbon.

The history of the state of Portugal goes back to the Middle Ages: 1139, during the Reconquista, is seen as the year in which the country became independent. In the early modern times the country grew into the Portuguese Empire, a world power that included overseas territories in Africa, Asia and South America. In the following centuries the empire declined again in size; in 1999, the transfer of Macao to China put an end to colonial possessions. In the 20th century, Portugal was a dictatorship for several decades.

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