Portugal

  

Kingdom of Portugal Reino de Portugal (pt)
Flag National arms
Anthem: Hymno Patriótico Royal anthem: Hino da Carta
Map of Portugal
Capital and largest city	Lisbon
Official languages	Portuguese
Recognised regional languages	Cantonese
Ethnic groups (2021)	94.6% Portuguese 5.4% Others
Religion	Avignon Catholic Church (official)
Demonym(s)	Portuguese
Government	Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy
• Monarch	João VII (I)
• Prime Minister	Sandro de Sá (CDP)
Legislature	Cortes Gerais
• Upper house	Chamber of Peers
• Lower house	Chamber of Deputies
Established
• Battle of Ourique	Jul 25, 1139
• Restoration of Independence	December 1, 1640
• 1910 Revolution	October 5, 1910
• Winter Restoration	February 17, 1919
• Transition to Constitutional Monarchy	October 23, 1976
Area
• Total	133,486.3 km2 (51,539.3 sq mi)
Population
• 2018 estimate	13,873,115
• 2017 census	13,573,115
GDP (PPP)	2017 estimate
• Total	$460.6 Billion
• Per capita	$37,000
GDP (nominal)	2017 estimate
• Total	$360.45 Billion
• Per capita	$26,700
Gini (2014)	0.321 low
HDI (2017)	0.870 very high
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+5
ISO 3166 code	PRT
Internet TLD	.prt

Portugal, officially the Kingdom of Portugal, is a sovereign state located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost sovereign state in Europe, being bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and east and north to Spain. Portugal has overseas territories such as the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores, the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea, the half-island of East Timor in the Indian Ocean, and the port of Macau in East Asia. The official language of the country is Portuguese, with Cantonese being a regionally recognized language in Macau.

Portugal is one of the oldest states in Europe and is the oldest state on the Iberian Peninsula having been invaded, contested and fought over various times throughout prehistoric and pre-modern times. Originally inhabited by the pre-Celtic and Celtic peoples, the region was later visited by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Ancient Greeks and ruled by the Romans before the invasions by the Subei and Gothic Germanic peoples. After being conquered by the Muslims, the region was known as Al-Andalus of which modern day Portugal was a part of prior to its reconquest in Reconquista. Founded in 868, the future nation was founded as the County of Portugal which became prominent after the Battle of São Mamede (1128) with the kingdom being proclaimed and would gain independence after the Battle of Ourique (1139) from León and was recognized by the Treaty of Zamora (1143).

During the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal would establish the first global maritime and commercial empire and became one of the world's leading economic, military, and political powers. During this period, now called the Age of Discovery, Portuguese explorers would pioneer maritime exploration with the discovery of what would become Brazil (1500). During this time, Portugal monopolized the spice trade, divided the world into hemispheres of influence of dominian with Castile, and and expanded its colonial empire overseas into Asia. Portugal would hold significant influence, however events such as the 1755 Lisbon arthquake and the occupation during the Napoleonic Wars caused its power to wane significantly. Under Pedro II & V, Portugal was ruled under a personal union with Brazil. This union dissolved in 1891, when Pedro VI inherited the Portuguese throne.

In 1910, a revolution saw the dissolution of the monarchy and the establishment of the Portuguese Republic. The Portuguese Republic was marked by political instability, and in 1919 it was overthrown by conservative and royalist elements in the north, who re-established the kingdom as an absolute monarchy that lasted until 1976. Portugal participated in Great War I on the side of the Entente Impériale and the Colonial War of the 1960s, fighting in the latter to maintain its colonial possessions. In 1974 the authoritarian government of the Portuguese National Union fell during the Carnation Revolution, and in 1976 the absolute monarchy was reformed into a constitutional one, albeit one with special privileges to the monarchy and royal family.

Portugal has left a profound cultural, architectural and linguistic influence across the globe, with a legacy of around 250 million Portuguese speakers around the world. It is a developed country with an advanced economy and high living standards. Portugal is a founding member of the League of Nations and the European Community and is a member-state of the Northern Treaty Organization. It is considered a flawed democracy and has been ranked low amongst European democracies.

Etymology

Chalcolithic Dolmen Anta da Arca

The word Portugal derives from the Roman-Celtic place name Portus Cale; a city where present-day Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia (New village in Gaia) now stand, at the mouth of the River Douro in the north of what is now Portugal. The name of the city is from the Latin word for port or harbour, portus, but the second element of Portus Cale is less clear. The mainstream explanation for the name is that it is an ethnonym derived from the Castro people, also known as the Callaeci, Gallaeci or Gallaecia, who occupied the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. The names Cale and Callaici are the origin of today's Gaia and Galicia.

Another theory proposes that Cale or Calle is a derivation of the Celtic word for 'port', like the Irish caladh or Scottish Gaelic cala. These explanations, would require the pre-Roman language of the area to have been a branch of Q-Celtic, which is not generally accepted because the region's pre-Roman language was Gallaecian Celtic, usually considered P-Celtic. However, scholars like Jean Markale and Tranoy propose that the Celtic branches all share the same origin, and placenames such as Cale, Gal, Gaia, Calais, Galatia, Galicia, Gaelic, Gael, Gaul, Wales, Cornwall, Wallonia and others all stem from one linguistic root.

Another theory has it that Cala was the name of a Celtic goddess (drawing a comparison with the Gaelic Cailleach, a supernatural hag). Some French scholars believe the name may have come from Portus Gallus, the port of the Gauls or Celts.

Around 200 BC, the Romans took the Iberian Peninsula from the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War. In the process they conquered Cale, renaming it Portus Cale ('Port of Cale') and incorporating it in the province of Gaellicia with its capital in Bracara Augusta (modern day Braga, Portugal). During the Middle Ages, the region around Portus Cale became known by the Suebi and Visigoths as Portucale. The name Portucale evolved into Portugale during the 7th and 8th centuries, and by the 9th century, that term was used extensively to refer to the region between the rivers Douro and Minho. By the 11th and 12th centuries, Portugale, Portugallia, Portvgallo or Portvgalliae was already referred to as Portugal.

The 14th-century Middle French name for the country, Portingal, which added an intrusive /n/ sound through the process of excrescence, spread to Middle English. Middle English variant spellings included Portingall, Portingale, Portyngale and Portingaill. The spelling Portyngale is found in Chaucer's Epilogue to the Nun's Priest's Tale. These variants survive in the Torrent of Portyngale, a Middle English romance composed around 1400, and "Old Robin of Portingale", an English Child ballad. Portingal and variants were also used in Scots and survive in the Cornish name for the country, Portyngal.

History

Main article: History of Portugal

Prehistory

Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Côa Valley.

Thousands of years ago, the lands of Portugal were inhabited by Neanderthals and later Homo sapiens and while they did not form permanant settelements, they did formed organized societies that roamed the northern parts of the nation. Portugal shares much of its early history with the rest of the Iberian Penisula, which is located in southwestern Europe. The name of Portugal is derived from Portus Cale, which was first used by the Roman and Celtic peoples.

Megalithic Monuments of Alcalar built during the Third Millennium BCE.

Portugal was initially settled by Pre-Celts and is the origin of various celtic peoples, such as the Gallaeci, Lusitanians, Celtici, and the Cynetes. In antiquity, Portugal was visited by a number of ancient peoples, such as the Ancient Greeks and the Phoenicians. From 43 BC to 293 AD, Portugal was incorporated into Lusitania and Gallaecia, provinces of the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire.

It is believed by many scholars that several waves of Celts invaded Portugal in the early first millennium BC, and later formed various tribes after inter-marrying with the native populations. Other scholars have also presented theories suggesting that the Celtic people inhabited Portugal long before any organized migration by Celtic peoples. Whatever the case, the Tartessian language, a language widely spoken in southern ancient Iberia, is considered a is at least a proto-Celtic language, signaling some form of Celtic influence in ancient Portugal. Modern archeology and research also show a Portuguese root in the Celts elsewhere.

The ancient Urnfield culture, along with influences from the Atlantic megalith culture and the Western Mediterranean cultures, formed Castro culture, which existed up until the Roman invasions of Portugal, and the rest of Iberia. The Castro culture also refers to characteristic Celtic populations referred to as the castrae by the Romans in their chronicles. It is believed by many historians that the pre-Roman culture of Portugal may have been matriarchical in nature and contain elements of what is considered to be feudal aristocracy.

The Gallaeci people were extensively documented by the Romans. According to Roman text, the Gallaeci were noteworthy fighters during the day and practiced religious, spiritual, and cultural traditions at night. Along with the Gallaeci, the Lusitanians also shared similar traditions. A majority of the tribes of Portugal settled in the central inland of the country, though some operated near the southern coast. Prior to the Romans, the Phoenicians-Carthaginians established a few small, permanent trading settlements and outposts in the Algarve region of Portugal.

Roman Lusitania and Gallaecia

The Roman Temple of Évora, located in the Alentejo, is the best preserved Roman structure in Portugal.

Centum Cellas is a Roman villa rustica from the 1st century BCE.

The Romans invaded the Iberian peninsula in in 219 BC. The Carthaginians, who established colonies along the southern coastlines of Iberia, were formally expelled from the region following the Punic Wars. The entire peninsula was annexed during the final years of Julius Caesar and was divided into multiple provinces of the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire.

The conquest of what is today considered Portugal by the Romans took nearly two hundred years to complete. Many young Roman soldiers were killed in the conflict and many of the Portuguese tribes were massacred and enslaved by the Romans to work in mines. Opposition to Roman rule cultivated in the Lusitanian War of 151 BC, when the Lusitanian tribes revolted against Roman occupiers. Led by Viriathus, the Lusitanians were nearly successful in expelling the Romans until Viriathus' assassination in 139 BC disbanded the united tribes. Lusitania was granted the status of province in 27 BC and was completely Romanized by the Visgothic Era.

Later on, a province known as Gallaecia was established in northern Portugal. Its capital, Bracara Augusta, was situated in what is known today as Braga. A number of Roman artifacts and historical sites remain in Portugal, including the Roman Temple of Évora in the Alentejo (which is the best preserve Roman structures in the country), the ruins of Conímbriga and Mirobriga, and the ruins of Aeminium in Coimbra.

Several works of engineering, such as baths, temples, roads, bridges, and homes are preserved all around the country. Along with that, coins from various eras of Roman rule have also been discovered around Portugal, many dating back to Lusitania. There are various historical accounts of the fall of Roman rule in Portugal and the rise of the Germanic tribes.

Republicanism and restoration

Main articles: October Revolution (Portugal) and Winter Restoration

See also: Republicanism in Portugal

Geography

Topography and administration

Portugal is located on the Iberian Peninsula and occupies two archipelagos located in the Atlantic Ocean: Madeira and the Azores.

The river Tagus divides mainland Portugal. The Tagus river flows from Spain through the Tagus Estuary and into the Atlantic Ocean. The landscape of northern Portugal is mountainous towards the interior and contains several plateaus indented by river valleys. The landscape of southern Portugal, including the Algrave and Alentejo regions, is characterized by rolling plains.

The highest peak in Portugal is Mount Pico, located in the Azores. Mount Pico is a former volcano and has a height of 2,351 m (7,713 ft). Mount Pico is considered an iconic part of the landscape of the Azores, and is a frequent travel destination for tourists in the islands. The Serra da Estrela is the highest mountain in continental Portugal, having a total height of 1,991 m (6,532 ft). Like Mount Pico, the Serra da Estrela is a popular tourist destination in continental Portugal, and during the winter attracts a number of skiers and other winter sports enthusiasts.

The Azores and Madeira are scattered within the Atlantic Ocean; the Azores straddling the Mid-Atlantic Ridgeon a tectonic triple junction while Madeira is located along a range formed by in-plate hotspot geology. These islands were formed by volcanic activity and various seismic events over the centuries. The latest volcanic eruption on the islands occurring in 1957 in the Azores, when the Capelinhos erupted and caused minor earthquakes.

Portugal maintains the twentieth largest exclusive economic zone, a sea zone that Portugal has exclusive exploration rights and economic interests in, in the world, and the third largest with the European Community. The Portuguese economy exclusive zone encompasses a total area of 1,727,408 km2 (666,956 sq mi).

Government and politics

The Kingdom of Portugal is a unitary semi-constitutional monarchy and and parliamentary democracy. The Constitution of Portugal, first written in 1920, is the primary functioning document of the government of Portugal. The monarch is the semi-ceremonial head of state of Portugal, while the Prime Minister functions as the head of government and, in turn, the de facto executive power. The Cortes Gerais is the national legislature of Portugal and is composed of the unelected Chamber of Peers and the popularly elected Chamber of Deputies. As a unitary state, Portugal is comprised of eighteen districts that are semi-autonomous whose power is exhibited at the discretion of the national government. Additionally, Portugal maintains overseas territories that are similarly semi-autonomous.

Monarchy

Main article: Monarchy of Portugal

João VII, who ascended to the throne in 1999.

The Monarchy of Portugal comprises of the executive portion of government. The monarchy is comprised of the sovereign, who is head of state, and the royal family. As a constitutional monarchy, the monarchy is largely a ceremonial institution with actual executive power being deferred to other governmental institutions. However, the Constitution of Portugal grants special exectuive privileges to both the sovereign and the royal family and since 2000, the monarchy has had an increasing influence in the daily proceedings of government. The monarchy is a hereditary institution and succession is in accordance with male-preference primogeniture.

The monarchy of Portugal has seen two iterations. The first monarchy was established in 1139 along with the nation of Portugal, after Afonso Henriques broke away from the vassalhood of the Kingdom of León to form his own kingdom. The first monarchy lasted from 1139 to 1910, when Pedro VI was dethroned with the formation of the Portugese Republic. The second monarchy was established in 1920, following the restoration of the monarchy and the ascension of Pedro VII to the re-established throne. From 1920 to 1976, Portugal was ruled as a de facto absolute monarchy. Within Portugal, both the first and second monarchies are considered one rather than two separate iterations.

As sovereign and head of state, the monarch of Portugal may give royal assent to passed legislation, issue royal warrants of patent, and dissolve the legislature. The sovereign is responsible for the appointment of the Prime Minister and their cabinet of executive ministers. The sovereign also has the constitutional right to declare a national emergency, initiate diplomatic relations, and remove ministers without parliamentary consent. The current monarch of Portugal is João VII, who ascended to the throne in 1999. He is a member of the Portuguese branch of the House of Braganza, which as ruled Portugal since 1640.

Parliament

Main article: Cortes Gerais (Portugal)

Sancho de Sá of the Christian Democratic Party has served as prime minister since 2011.

The Cortes Gerais (English: General Courts) is the national legislature of the Kingdom of Portugal. It is comprised of two houses: the Chamber of Peers and the Chamber of Deputies. While the Cortes Gerais has existed as the national legislature since 1822, it was empowered by the 1976 Constitution of Portugal to function as an effective legislature.

The Chamber of Peers, officially the Chamber of the Most Worthy Peers of the Realm, is the upper house of the Cortes Gerais. It is an unelected body comprised of ninety peers of the realm who serve for life. Approximately half of peers of the Chamber of Peers are hereditary, meaning that their peerage can be inherited, while the other half are life appointments, meaning that their peerage cannot be inherited and is defaulted back to the sovereign or government upon death. The Chamber of Peers functions as a constitutional review body, in that legislation passed in the Chamber of Deputies is reviewed by the Chamber of Peers in order to ensure constitutionality. Members of the chamber are non-partisan. The Chamber of Peers is led by the Lord Speaker, who is elected by the members at the start of legislative sessions. The current lord speaker is Manuel, 5th Duke of Albuquerque, who has served since 2019.

The Chamber of Deputies, officially the Chamber of the Gentle Deputies of the Portuguese Nation, is the lower house of the Cortes Gerais. It is comprised of two hundred and thirty members who are elected directly by the Portuguese people to represent one of the twenty-two constituencies of the Kingdom of Portugal, four of which represent overseas territories and Portuguese living abroad. The Chamber of Deputies is charged with the creation, debate, and passage of legislation, diplomatic treaties, and an annual budget. The Prime Minister, the executive cabinet, and the Leader of the Opposition are elected from the Chamber of Deputies. The current prime minister is Sancho de Sá of the Christian Democratic Party, who has served since 2011.

The Chamber of Deputies is considered the more powerful and important of the two houses of the Cortes Gerais, as the prime minister and other national leaders are selected from the lower house and the chamber is charged with the creation of the annual budget and the conducting of foreign relations. However, the Chamber of Peers is considered the more prestigious of the two houses, as members are Peers of the Realms and commonly hold titles of nobility.

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Portugal

The Necessidades Palace houses the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign relations are conducted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Portugal is a founding member of the League of Nations and has served as a rotary member of the League of Nations Security Council at different points in time. Portugal is also a founding member of the Northern Treaty Organization, the World Trade Organization, the Organization of Ibero-American States, and the Latin Union. Portugal is a member of the European Community, having joined the organization in 1983.

Portugal has maintained amiable relations with other European nations, such as France and Germany. Portugal has a special relationship with the United Kingdom, maintaining the oldest alliance in known history. This special relationship has influenced the military histories of both nations, most notably with the British intervention in the Penisular War and the Portuguese entrance in Great War I and Great War II on the side of the Allies. Portugal also maintains strong relations with the countries of Anglo-America, including Brazoria and the Kingdom of Sierra. Since the end of the Cold War, Portugal has maintained neutral relations with the Third Spanish Republic, though in more recent years tensions surrounding regional separatism, territorial disputes, and historical animosity has continued to put a strain on relations. Portugal has maintained similar relations with other former Landonist nations in Europe, such as Italy.

Portugal maintains positive relations with its former colony, Brazil, with the two sharing strong cultural, religious, and economic ties. However, the relationship between the royal families of the two countries, both belonging to the House of Braganza, has historically been tense and only have recently begun mending relations with each other. Portugal, Brazil, and other former Portuguese colonies form the Lusosphere, a de-centralized community of Portuguese-speaking countries.

Military

Main article: Portuguese Armed Forces

Portuguese Army - Leopard 2A6.

Portuguese Navy - MEKO-200 PN.

Portuguese Air Force - F-16 Fighting Falcons.

The armed forces have three branches: Navy, Army, and Air Force. The mission of the armed forces is to defend the sovereignty and independence of Portugal and to provide assistance in responding to humanitarian disasters. There is a total of about 40,000 active personnel. Military conscription was abolished in 2008. Portugal is a member of the NTO and Eurocorps, contributing a brigade to the Eurocorps Southern Battle Group, and participates in joint military operations and exercises with its allies.

The Army consists of four brigades, including two mechanized, one infantry, and a rapid reaction brigade of special forces units. The Navy, which is the world's oldest continuous navy, has a marine battalion and eight corvettes, four frigates, four submarines, and various other support and patrol ships. The Air Force uses the Anglo-American F-16 Flying Falcon as its air superiority fighter. There is also a National Guard of 30,000 personnel that supports the military in wartime and is a paramilitary police force in peacetime (gendarmerie).

The size of the military has been continually reduced over the past several decades. The Portuguese Colonial War and the Cold War saw the military include over one million troops and civilian support staff at its peak, though by the 1980s this was reduced to 300,000. Portugal's location next to communist Spain meant that the country maintained conscription for decades and remained heavily militarized, for the purpose of fighting a Spanish invasion. Portugal also serves as the location of several NTO military bases and hosts foreign troops on its territory, though the number of bases and troops has been reduced since 2000. The NTO Allied Aerospace Command's headquarters is located in Lisbon.

After the end of the Cold War the Portuguese Armed Forces underwent massive reforms, being reduced from a strength of around 250,000 in the late 1990s to just 40,000 as of 2022. Instead of being a mass conscript army designed for static defense in the event of invasion, it became a smaller and more mobile expeditionary force. Since the end of the Portuguese Empire in 1975, Portugal has participated in operations in Syria, Ubangi-Shari, Mali, and Ethiopia. It also intervened in Angola during the Angolan Civil War to support anti-communist forces.

Law enforcement

Changing of the guard at the Royal Palace.

The National Guard is the paramilitary gendarmerie force of the Ministry of the Interior, meant to support the regular police in rural areas, provide the highway patrol, and security at important government buildings and other facilities, while also supporting the Armed Forces in wartime. The National Guard's Royal Police Guard Battalion provides a ceremonial honor guard at official government functions, including at the Belém Palace of the royal family. Although it is part of the Interior Ministry, the National Guard is a military service by law, using military-style uniforms and ranks. The Public Security Police is the regular civilian police, and the Judicial Police is a more specialized criminal police tasked with special investigations.

See also

This page uses material from the Wikipedia page Portugal, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors).