PORTUGAL TOURS
PORTUGAL
GEOGRAPHY
Area of continental Portugal: 89.059,6 square kilometres.
Larger length from North to South: 561 kilometres.
Larger width: 218 kilometres.
Western coast: 671 kilometres.
South coast: 174 kilometres.
Area of Portugal with the recently independent colonies of Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea, Sao Tome e Principe, Goa, Damao and Dio, Macao and Timor: 2.081.936 square kilometres. If we count Brazil with 8.511.189 square kilometres –without speaking of other colonies that Portugal possessed, we would have a surface of more than 11 million square kilometres, a territory 120 times bigger than continental Portugal.
HISTORY
Already inhabited by prehistoric people, Celts, Iberians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians. Carthaginians leave in 201 b. C. and the Romans arrive. Lusitanians and Celt Iberians rioted in 197 b. C. but surrendered in 177 b. C. The Lusitanian Viriato starts the 2nd uprising in 151-133, but he was murdered by colleagues paid by the Romans. In the beginning of the V century came the Sueves, Alans, Vandals and Visigoths.
In 711 the Arabs invaded the peninsula. In the XII century, Afonso Henriques, first king of Portugal, continuing his predecessors’ work, of freeing Portugal from the Arab domain, reconquers most of the territory that is now Portugal. Afonso III definitively conquered the south of Portugal in 1249, in other words, 243 years before Spain conquering Granada in 1492 (also the year of the discovery of America).
In the century XIV, king Fernando died, leaving his daughter Beatriz as the only descendant to the throne, and she was married to the king of Spain. Fernando's widow, with ambitions to the throne, did everything to start a war against her direct rival, João, illegitimate son of king Peter I. She and her partisans, helped by the Castilian king, fought João – latter king John I – supported by the duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt, who was a candidate to the throne of Castile. John I won and begun what was called the “Magnificent Generation”, those who started the trips of discoveries. In 1498 Vasco of Gama arrived India, uniting by sea, Portugal to the East and its coveted trade. Several colonies and administrations were made in the coast of continents, as in Africa (Morocco (Tanger, Ceuta, Alcacer-Ceguer, Arzila, Azamor, Safim, Mazagan, Tite), Costa da Mina, Lagos, Portuguese Guinea, São Tomé e Principe, Angola (Congo), Mozambique), South America (Brazil), Asia (Timor, Macao, Liampoo, Chinchou) India (Bombay, Ormuz, Ceilan, Goa, Damao, Dio, Cananor, Coxim, Samatra, Malacca, Banastarim, Baçaim, Chaúl, Onor, Barcelore, Mangalore, Cranganor, Calumbo, Curiate, Ternati, Tidore, Amboína, Solor, Angediva, Santa Helena, Bocotorá) that served as support to the long and dangerous commercial sea-way to the East.
In 1578 king Sebastian wanted to conquer Morocco that threatened Portuguese caravels. He died combating together with a great part of his huge army. He died without descents and cardinal Henrique who ruled the country after him also died without leaving descendants. That’s why Felipe II of Spain, grandson of Manuel, the Portuguese king during the apogee of the Discoveries, governed the whole Portuguese and Spanish empires, preserving though the Portuguese autonomy. He was followed Felipe III and Felipe IV from Spain, lacking the latest the respect for the Portuguese autonomy and provoking the revolt that established the independence in 1640. The empire was rebuilt and later gold and diamonds were discovered in Brazil, which helped the opulence of kings in the XVIII century. This royal luxury was “shaken” by an earthquake that was in All-Saints-Day, at the hour of the mass: 9h40m of November 1, 1755 – the most overpowering earthquake in Europe. It destroyed the all country, which was rebuilt. Then came Napoleon's invasions later, in the beginning him of the XIX century. The political fights that proceeded, originated the independence of Brazil in 1822. In 1910 the Monarchy fell and the Republic began. From 1910 to 1926 there was a troubled period of Portugal political history, with plenty of revolutions and changes of Government giving origin to the dictatorship, which lasted up to 1974, when a revolution brought democracy to Portugal and independence to the colonies that Portugal still possessed in Africa and Asia.
Portugal is today a Parliamentary Democracy and member of the European Union. Although it doesn’t possess any colonies - Macao was the last one to get independent and went back to China in 1999 - it still keeps Azores and Madeira islands.