The country and the city of Porto

Portugal, takes its name from the Roman-Celtic site at the mouth of the river Douro called Portus Cale, where portus is a Latin word, while cale is (probably) an ethnonym derived from the peoples who occupied the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula.

A semi-presidential republic, Portugal is a member of the European Union, as well as a member of the United Nations. It is also a member of NATO, the Eurozone, the OECD, and the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries.

Located in south-western Europe, it is bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north and east by Spain. Its territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, which are statutorily autonomous regions with their own regional governments.
With a well-differentiated and very appealing physical landscape, the north/south heterogeneity stands out throughout its 92,000 km2, the most significant in terms of relief, but complemented by the also notable differentiation when travelling from the coast to inland Portugal. To summarise, the territory is more mountainous in the north and centre, intersected by rivers with a predominantly W-E orientation, such as the Minho, Lima and Douro rivers, for example, although inland there are vast plateau areas. Moving southwards and past the Ribatejo sedimentary basins, there are the southern regions where the undulating plains / peneplains dominate. The coastline is around 940 kilometres long.

With a long history, Portugal is one of the oldest states in Europe, although it has suffered several invasions throughout its history, since its current territory has been disputed since prehistoric times, even before its autonomy. In fact, it was inhabited by pre-Celtic and Celtic peoples, invaded by Phoenicians-Carthaginians and Greeks, as well as being ruled by the Romans. This was followed by invasions by the Suevi, Visigoth Germanic peoples, and the Moors.
Despite becoming independent in 1143, it was only recognised in 1297 by the Treaty of Alcañices, making it one of the oldest countries in the world.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, a period known as the ‘Age of Discovery’, Portugal focussed on maritime discoveries, establishing the first global empire. During this period of maritime expansion, various maritime and commercial routes were discovered, such as the sea route to India and the discovery of Brazil, enabling Portugal to become one of the greatest economic, political, and military powers in the world during this period.

Surviving dramatic periods such as the earthquake in 1755 that destroyed part of the city of Lisbon, or the French invasions at the beginning of the 19th century, there followed a period of strong political and economic instability and, consequently, successive popular uprisings, such as that of 1820, which led to Portugal’s first constitution, the constitutional monarchy that was inextricably linked to Brazil’s independence and its repercussions in both Portugal and Brazil.
After a problematic 19th century, at the beginning of the 20th century, following the 1910 revolution, the monarchy was overthrown, and the first Portuguese republic was established. However, with the instability and problems of a country immersed in social conflicts, corruption and clashes with the Church, there was a coup d'état in 1926, which gave way to a dictatorship that lasted until 1974. After a troubled revolutionary period, a pluralist democracy was established in a semi-presidential republic, a framework that still exists.
From 1986 onwards, Portugal strengthened its modernisation following its integration into the European space, joining the European Economic Community, now the European Union.

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