Interesting facts about Portugal
- Located in the southwestern part of Europe, Portugal is a developed country consisting of a total area of 92,090 sq km.
- The largest and also the capital city of Portugal is Lisbon, which has been recognized as an “Alpha World City.”
- The country claims to be the oldest European nation state.
- The first and most long lived Global Empire in the world was the Portugal´s Empire.
- Since 1910, Portugal has been a democratic republic. The country’s present President is Anibel Antonio Cavaco Silva and the Prime Minister is Jose Socrates.
- Portugal has the world’s 19th-highest quality of life.
- The country’s national flower is Lavender.
- Roman Catholic is the country’s official religion and Portuguese is its official language which is spoken by about 230 million people, all over the world.
- Europe’s longest and the world’s 9th longest bridge is the Vasco de Gama Bridge, which is located in Portugal.
- Since the start of the professional era, the national rugby team of Portugal is the first all amateur team that has qualified for the World Cup in the year 2007.
- The 8th most globalized and the 13th most peaceful country in the world is Portugal.
- It was the Portuguese named Bartholomew Dias, who was the first to sail around the southern tip of Africa.
- The Portuguese word for “football” is “futebol” which is a popular sport of the country.
- One of the earliest Western literatures is the Portuguese literature that has been developed through song and text.
Major car hire services in Portugal are available from Easy Terra, Avis, Europcar, Budget, Thrifty and Economy car hire.