PORTUGAL PROSPECTS

Summary:

1) Introduction.
2) Map and flag.
3) Borders.
4) Regions and Districts.
5) Main cities.
6) Language and dialects.
7) Relief.
8) Climate.
9) Economy.

1) INTRODUCTION:

Portugal is a country in southwestern Europe located on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula and belonging to the European Union.
Capital: Lisbon.
Population (2019): 10.28 million (Euro stat - 2019)
Gross Domestic Product - GDP (2018): $ 198.9 billion.
Surface Area: 92 212 km².
Official language: Portuguese.
Currency: Euro.

2) MAP AND FLAG:

PORTUGAL MAP

LISBON VIEW,PORTUGAL

PORTUGAL FLAG

3) BORDERS:

Portugal is bordered to the north and east by Spain and to the south and west by the Atlantic Ocean, where the Portuguese archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira are located.

4) REGIONS:

Continental Portugal is composed of five regions:

North
Center
Lisbon
Vale do Tejo
Alentejo
Algarve

And eighteen districts: Braga, Braganza, Porto, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real (North region); Aveiro, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Guarda, Leiria, Viseu (Center region); Lisbon, Santarém, Setúbal (Lisbon - Tagus Valley); Beja, Evora, Portalegre (Alentejo); Faro (Algarve). The archipelagos of Madeira and Azores have the status of autonomous regions.

5) MAIN CITIES:

The largest city in the Portugal and the capital, Lisbon, which is also Portugal's main port and backbone of economy. Then second city and second port of the country is Porto, to the north; Coimbra, a city of great academic tradition; Setúbal, port and important industrial center in the Lisbon region.

6) LANGUAGE AND DIALECTS:

The official language is Portuguese, which is generally divided into three groups: Galician and the dialects of Trás-os-Montes and Entre-Douro-e-Minho, spoken in the north; the dialects of Beira, spoken in the center; the dialects of Extremadura, Alentejo and Algarve, spoken in the south.

7) RELIEF:

The total area of Portugal is 92,345 km². The country, with a length of 561 km and a maximum width of 218 km, is essentially a medium mountain country. Its physical aspect is closely related to that of the Iberian plateau (Meseta) which covers the whole of the Peninsula. The country is divided into two very distinct regions: the North and the South, separated by the Tagus River.
In the north of the Tagus, the altitude frequently exceeds 1,000 m, and the mountainous terrain, among which the granitic massif of the Serra da Estrela which culminates at La Torre (1,993 m), delimit the highland areas of the North. East (Trás-os-Montes, Alto Douro), pierced by deep valleys. The plateaus of Beira Baixa, descending to the Tagus in the east of the country, are lower.
On the west coast of Portugal, Extremadura, with its hills and small massifs, ensures the transition with the landscapes of the South, with the lower reliefs. Here follow the chains (serra de Mamede, serra de Monchique) and plateaus (high and low Alentejo), which isolate from the rest of the country the extreme south of the territory, the Algarve, set of limestone plateaus, plains and mountains. lagoons.

8) CLIMATE:

The presence of reliefs north of the Tagus, which block the westerly winds, explains the division of the country into two climatic zones: in the west, a region with high rainfall (700 mm per year on average), at the is semi-desert areas with a continental climate. South of the Tagus, drought is frequent (the rainfall is of the order of 500 mm per year) and a Mediterranean-type climate prevails on the hills and coastal plains of the Algarve, where temperatures are high even in winter. Throughout Portugal, maximum temperatures range from 17 to 31 ° C, while minimum temperatures range from 7.5 to 13 ° C.

9) ECONOMY:

Portugal has moved from a rural economy to a more industrial economy and then to a service economy. In the industrial sector, textiles, footwear and automobiles predominate. The country also has many natural resources, such as copper and tin, and is one of the leading exporters of cork and marble.

Portuguese infrastructure has been considerably modernized since the 1980s. A privatization program started in 1989.

Heavily affected by the 2008 crisis, the country's recent economic situation is gradually improving. After eleven months of recession, the country has returned to positive growth in the first quarter of 2013. Since 2016, it has been driven by a sharp increase in exports (textiles and food processing) to reach 1.8% that same year. Portugal's unemployment rate followed the biggest drop in the EU, from 17.5% in 2013 to 6.7% in 2019.

In April 2011, Portugal applied for assistance to the European Union, resulting in the adoption in May 2011 of a € 78 billion financial assistance program over 3 years. elsewhere at 65% of the European average at that date and fell to 61% in 2016, reflecting an impoverishment of its population in absolute terms but also compared to other European countries.

In 2009, the European Commission gave Portugal until 2016 to raise its public deficit below 3% of GDP, a goal that the country finally achieved in 2017, which allowed it to leave the procedure excessive deficit (EDP) in May. In addition, while having a balanced budget goal by 2020, the current government has been able to implement an increase in the minimum wage and increases in social benefits. On the other hand, public debt reaches 129% of GDP in 2016, although borrowing rates are down.

Official website : https://www.visitportugal.com/ja

Illustration Credits : Muhammad Sharjeel

PORTUGAL PROSPECTS