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The warm and lovely country of Portugal
By Mark on December 1, 2008
This is my next post about the European country of Portugal. A west European country on the Atlantic west coast of the Iberian peninsula, flanked by Spain on the north and east. The Atlantic archipelago of the Azores and Madeira they belong to Portugal. Half of the country lies on the edge of ancient and high plateau’s in a region which is covered with rugged hills, lakes and deep gorges. In the winter it can be very cold and there is moderate rainfall, much of the region of Portugal is covered by forests of pine and cork-oak. There are three well known rivers named the Douro, Tagus and Guadiana and they water the flat and sandy coastal area’s. In this part of Portugal it is usually quite warm and dry and this is where many vineyards flourish, as do cereals and citrus fruits. Below are a mixture of satellite images and pictures taken from Google Earth and Panoramio of Portugal, Spain, the capital city Lisbon and the northern city of Porto.
This is a satellite image of Portugal within Europe taken from Google Earth.
This is a satellite image taken from Google Earth of Portugal and her neighbour Spain. Just below is Northern Africa.
This is a satellite image of Portugal, taken from Google Earth.
This is a satellite image taken from Google Earth of the capital city Lisbon, Portugal.
This is a satellite image taken from Google Earth of the northern city of Porto in Portugal.
The economy in Portugal is as much the same as many other European countries at the moment and it is possible that the country could be heading to a possible recession, but not certain. Agriculture is huge in Portugal, with fishing and forestry bringing up about 10% of the workforce. With minning and manufacturing being the major player in the economy. Portugal produces many minerals including Kaolin, copper, tin, zinc, tungsten and salt. The exports include, chemicals, clothing, cork, electrical machinery, footwear, transport equipment and wood products. The service industries for Portugal are mainly tourism and banking, but the country also relies on remittances from workers abroad. Plus the country mainly trades with the European nations.
This is a picture of a high street within Lisbon, taken from Panoramio.
This is a panoramio picture of the front of Lisbon Catherdral.
The history of Portugal starts way way back in time to 500 bc, when it was first occupied by the Celtic tribes. During the Roman domination it was then known as ‘Lusitania’. Moving through the periods of Gothic and Moorish control followed the collapse of the western Roman Empire. Portugal was struggling for her own identity, and it was not until papacy recognized the kingship of Alfonso I in 1179. In 1249 the Portuguese completed their reconquest of their country defeating the Moors. After a numerous amount of unsuccessful wars against the Castile, peace finally arrived in 1411.
There was a growing Empire over the years of 1385 to 1580. Many other historical moments occured with revolution in 1640, when Portugal became under her own power again from Spain.
In the 18th century Portugal began to have close ties with England.
In 1822 Brazil was created due to the Napoleonic Wars and the Portuguese Braganza Royal Family moving to Brazil.
In 1910 Portugal became a Republic.
In 1922 there was a military coup and the leader Salazar became Prime-Minister, Minister of Finance and virtual dictator.
During the war Portugal supported in allies in World War I and World War II.
In the 1960’s Portugal lost Goa, Diu and Damao countres to India.
In the 1970’s there were alot of Guerrilla wars within Portugal, Angola and Mozambique. The economy started to get better.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s things progressed, and different parties and prime-ministers came and went.
And much much more to learn please refer to Wikipedia for more information on the history of Portugal.
This is a panoramio picture of the town Nova de gaia, Porto.
This is a panoramio picture of a port within Oporto, Portugal.
This is a picture from Wikipedia of Saint George Castle in Lisbon.
This is a panoramio picture taken of the beach in Luz, south Portugal.
It is not always easy to find out information all of the time about these countries, but if there are people out there that are interested in these posts that I do. I really would like to hear your comments, so keep visiting and commenting.
This has been a fun post to do, but why spoil the fun of me teaching you the history, when you guys can find out more on Wikipedia, I just like to give you a taste. Thanks again for reading this post.
- Learn about Portugal on Wikipedia:
- Learn about Lisbon on Wikipedia:
- Learn about Porto on Wikipedia:
- Learn about Saint George Castle on Wikipedia:
- Learn about Lisbon Catherdral on Wikipedia:
- Learn about Nova de Gaia on Wikipedia:
- Find Portugal on Google Maps:
- Find Lisbon on Google Maps:
- Find Porto on Google Maps:
Posted in Europe | 2 Comments
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2 Responses to “The warm and lovely country of Portugal”
Comments
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Nick Ramsay, exploring the world from a zabuton in Japan.
7:27 pm on December 2nd, 2008
A ot of very interesting information Mark. This is very useful for anyone holidaying in Portugal. Well done
7:27 pm on December 2nd, 2008
A lot of very interesting information Mark. This is very useful for anyone holidaying in Portugal. Well done