PORTUGAL : History
Portugal is one of the oldest countries in Europe. An independent
kingdom since 1143, it established its continental frontiers in 1297.
Portugal has witnessed a constant flow of different civilizations during
the past 3100 years. Iberian, Celtic, Phoenician and Carthaginian,
Greek, Roman, Germanic and Arab cultures have all made an imprint on the
country. The naming of Portugal itself reveals most of the country's
early history, stemming as it does from the Roman name Portus Cale, a
possibly mixed Greek and Latin name meaning "Beautiful Port".The Roman
era, which lasted from the 1st to the 5th century A.D., left an
indelible mark on the landscape. Clear evidence of this can be seen at
the impressive settltement of Conimbriga, near Coimbra, the imposing
aqueduct leading into the city of Elvas and the striking Temple of Diana
in Évora. The Romans also lent the Portuguese their language, which is
largely Latin-based with some Arabic influences.The Moorish occupation
lasted from the 8th to the mid-12th century, their greatest contribution
being the introduction of the azulejo, a glazed-tile used for interior
and exterior decoration.
In the 15th century Portuguese explorers such as Vasco da Gama put to
sea in search of a passage to India. By the 16th century these sailors
had helped build a huge empire embracing Brazil as well as swathes of
Africa and Asia. Traces of this worldwide historic presence may be seen
as trademarks of the Portuguese genius.
The Portuguese language became one of the most widely spoken in the
world (There are still some 200 million Portuguese speakers around the
world today), and the Portuguese people were privileged for being
exposed to so many different civilizations. The vast monumental,
artistic and archaeological heritage does witness not only the 850 years
of history of encounters with distant cultures, but also the presence in
the territory of more ancient peoples (Celts, Suevians, Visigoths,
Romans and Arabs).
Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th
centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the
destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the
Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A
1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades,
repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military
coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal
granted independence to all of its African colonies. When it handed over
its last overseas territory, Macau, to Chinese administration in 1999,
it brought to an end a long and sometimes turbulent era as a colonial
power. Until the 1970s, Portuguese overseas territories included the
Cape Verde Islands, São Tomé and Príncipe, Portuguese Guinea, Angola and
Mozambique (all in Africa), Macau (in Asia) and Timor (in Oceania).
Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in
1986.
