Lisbon tourist information contains interesting facts about Portugal. It is a fascinating country with a proud history that can be felt all throughout the country – from its capital, down to each tiny, picture-perfect village. Are you planning on visiting this westernmost country in Europe soon? You may find interesting to read this Lisbon tourist information! Or maybe you have Portuguese roots and want to learn more about your ancestors. In any case, you must to read this Lisbon tourist information, below are contains interesting facts about Portugal that are bound to impress anyone about Portugal.

1. Portugal holds the records for the longest, and shortest, reigning monarchs in the world – the first ruler Alfonso I Henrique of Portugal reigned for 73 years, 220 days; Crown Prince Luís Filipe was technically King of Portugal for 20 minutes after his father Dom Carlos I was assassinated on 1 February 1908 and before he was wounded in the same attack and died shortly afterwards.

2. Portugal is the oldest nation-state in Europe – it became the kingdom of Portugal in 1139, and Portugal’s borders have barely changed since 1297 when the Portuguese and Spanish signed a treaty handing over the Algarve to Portugal. The first king, Alfonso I Henriques, came to power in 1143 and the country remained a kingdom for the next 800 years up until 1910, when it became a republic.

3. Portugal’s official name República Portuguesa (the Portuguese Republic) is named after the country’s second largest city of Porto. Today, Portugal consists of mainland Portugal, the Azores and the Madeira Archipelago.

4. Portugal’s dictatorship for almost half of the 20th century is considered the longest in Europe – the authoritarian regime was in power from 1926 to 1974, with Antonio de Oliveira Salazar in control for most of that time. First was the National Dictatorship, followed by the “New State”.

5. Portugal was the world’s first maritime power, and birthplace to some of the world’s first explorers. It was at the forefront of European exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries.

6. Portugal’s colonial empire spanned 600 years, the longest-lived of the modern European empires. At its height it included what are now 53 different countries.

7. Portuguese is the official language of eight other countries outside of Portugal – as a result of its colonisation, Portuguese is spoken in Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, as well as Goa in India and Macau.

8. Portugal was first European nation to engage with the transatlantic slave trade – taking slaves from West Africa to the New World. It was also the first colonial power to abolish slavery, some 50 years before Britain, Spain, France and the United States.

9. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and an EU member – it joined the European Economic Community (EEC), now the European Union (EU), in 1986.

10. Portugal was one of the first countries to adopt the euro but you can still exchange Portuguese escudo banknotes for euros: it officially gave up its own currency, the Portuguese escudo, in favour of the euro in 1999.

11. The earliest recorded hot air balloon ascent was in Portugal – a model hot air balloon invented by Father Bartolomeu de Gusmão (1685–1724) ascended on 8 August 1709 at the Casa da India, Terreiro do Paço, Lisbon Portugal.

12. Lisbon is older than Rome, and among the oldest cities in Europe – archaeological finds dating back to 1200 BC reveal Phoenician populations in and around Portugal’s capital city.

13. According Lisbon tourist information around 81 percent of Portugal’s population are Roman Catholics – Christianity came to Portugal when it was part of the Roman Empire.

14. Monks and nuns are credited for creating some of Portugal’s tastiest traditional treats – you can eat a nun’s belly (barrigas de freira), an angel’s double chin (papos de anjo) and fat from heaven (toucinho do céu) in Portugal; they are all delicious pastries.

15. Women in Portugal live six years longer than men – a gender gap greater than in most other OECD countries.

16. Portugal was the sixth country in Europe to allow same-sex marriage in 2010 – Portugal has come a long way since homosexuality was outlawed and punishable by imprisonment under the fascist Estado Novo regime.

17. The longest bridge in Europe is in Portugal – the six-lane, cable-stayed Vasco de Gama bridge crossing the Tagus River to the north of Lisbon Portugal is over 10 miles long.

18. The Portuguese are fatalists – Portugal has a tradition of fado, the idea that one’s fate or destiny cannot be escaped, and it’s the name given to a form of traditional Portuguese singing that’s been given UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage status.

19. Portugal’s most famous export and its national drink is Port – it is fortified wine made by adding grape spirit, or brandy, to the wine before fermentation ends, making it sweet and very alcoholic at around 20 percent proof.

20. Portugal is Europe’s most western point – the westernmost point on mainland Europe is the Cabo da Roca in Portugal.

21. The biggest wave ever surfed was in Portugal – an underwater canyon in the area makes this part of the Portuguese coastline the world’s biggest wave generator.

22. The oldest diplomatic alliance in the world is the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance – signed by England and Portugal back in 1373, and is still in force today.

23. The Livraria Bertrand (Bertrand Bookshop) in Lisbon Portugal is the world’s oldest bookshop – founded in 1732.

24. Sport Lisboa e Benfica is considered the world’s most widely supported football club – according to the Guinness Book of World Records, with 160,389 paid-up members as at 9 November 2006.

25. Japanese tempura is credited to Portuguese traders – this dish of battered, deep-fried vegetables and seafood was invented by Portuguese traders and missionaries in the 16th century.

26. Over half the world’s cork comes from Portugal – Portugal has the largest cork oak forests in the world and its cork oak (Quercus suber L) is protected by law.

27. Football icon Cristiano Rinaldo is Portuguese – he was born Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro in Funchal, the capital of the autonomous regions of Madeira in 1985. It’s a Lisbon tourist information.

28. The town of Olivença and its seven surrounding villages is one of the last disputed territories in western Europe – located on the border between Portugal and Spain.

29. Portugal is a world leader in renewable energy – by July 2014 around 70 percent of its energy came from renewable sources such as wind, hydro and solar power.

30. The world’s largest omelette was made in Portugal – in Santarém on 11 August 2012. It took 55 people, six hours, 145,000 eggs, 880 lbs of oil and 220 lbs of butter to make the 6,466 kg omelette.

31. According Lisbon tourist information one of the oldest universities in Europe is in Portugal – The University of Coimbra was established in 1290, making it one of the oldest universities on the European continent.

32. Portuguese Fado was classified as world cultural heritage by UNESCO – Fado (fate in Portuguese) is a music genre that originates in urban Lisbon Portugal. It’s a type of mournful and heart-touching folk music sung by the common people.

33. Portugal is one of the world’s top surf spots – Portugal has a coastline that spans 497 miles (800 kilometres) and it’s known to have 364 days of surf!

34. The real Casino Royale Ian Fleming based his James Bond book on is located in Cascais, Lisbon Portugal. It’s called the Estoril Casino.

35. The typical Lisbon Portugal tram is in fact American – although their origins can be traced to industrial horse-drawn trams in the UK, the first passenger streetcars were built and introduced in the U.S. in the 19th Century.

We hope this Lisbon tourist information was very interesting and helpful for you.
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