The Republic of Portugal (Portuguese: República Portuguesa), referred to as "Portugal", is a Republican country in southwestern Europe. To the east is Spain, in the Iberian Peninsula, to the west and south of Portugal to the Atlantic coast. In addition to the territory of continental Europe, the Atlantic Azores and Madeira Islands are also Portuguese territory. Portugal's capital, west of Lisbon, Rocca is the westernmost point of continental Europe.
Since the 16th century, Portugal has played an active role in the maritime era, becoming an important maritime power. The heyday of Portugal and Spain and even signed the Treaty of Toledo Cyrus, intended to divide the world in half. Among the existing European countries, Portugal is the country with the longest history of colonization. Since the break-up of North Africa in 1415 and the handover of Macao in 1999 (one of the algorithms is independent of East Timor in 2002), the colonial activities were nearly six times century. Former colonial empire, including some of the world's 53 countries, part of the territory, but also to its official language of Portuguese as the common language of 240 million people, and the world's sixth largest language. But in the nineteenth century, with the independence of Brazil, the largest colony, Portugal's national power was rapidly declining.
October 5, 1910 revolution overthrew the Portuguese royal family, and the establishment of unstable democratic regime - the first republic of Portugal; but in the near future by conservative military officers led by the military coup to overthrow, is the New Deal period, the second in Portugal Republic. It was not until the Portuguese colonial war ended in 1974 that the anti-war carnation revolution broke out and Portugal returned to a free and democratic state.
Portugal is a highly developed capitalist country, has a very good tourism, but also one of the EU member states, the euro and one of the founding members of NATO. Or the World Trade Organization, the United Nations and other international organizations.
