The red symbolizes the blood of the nation. The Portuguese coat of arms has a white shield (containing five small blue shields with white dots) within a red shield (seven small yellow castles), surrounded by yellow straps. The five blue small shields represent the five Moorish kings who were defeated by the first King of Portugal.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Flag_Portugal_(1667).svg/800px-Flag_Portugal_(1667).svg.png

This flag was used from 1385 until 1481, during the reigns of Kings João I (1385-1433), Duarte (1433-1438), and Afonso V (1438-1481) . 

Portugal is a country with a rich history of seafaring ans discovery, looks out from the Iberian peninsula into the Atlantic Ocean. The surface of Portugal is 92.391 square kilometeres. Portugal has just over 10 million inhabitants. Many Portuguese live abroad, for economical reasons. After the decolonisation of Angola and Mozambique hundred of thousands so-called retornado returned to their mother country. The density of the population varies much in different areas. Large population concentrations are in and around Lisbon (680.000 people living in the city), Porto (350.000) and on Madeira. Still, Portugal is a sparsely populated country with an average density of 108 people per square kilometer.

The official language is Portuguese. Portuguese is a Latin language and closely relative to Spanish. The pronunciation is quite different, though. Portuguese has a unique sound and is very easily recognizable. When you hear Fado-music, you recognise the rawness as well as the melancholy of the language. Portuguese is a world language and more than 160 million people speak it worldwide.

Climate

Despite the influences of the relative cold Atlantic Ocean the climate is mostly mediterranean. Cool, rainy winters are alternated with hot and dry summers, with a clear difference between the north and south. In general, the wind blows from the west and there is often a fog on the sea along the northern coast. Comparing the average temperatures of the coast and the inland, contrasts are big. Winter temperatures along the coast are between 10 and 12 °C (higher in the south) and more interior between 4 and 7 °C. Summer temperatures along the coast are an averagely 20-24 °C and in the northern interior about 18 °C. The hottest month is August when temperatures are sometimes in the low 40°Cs.

Economy

Portugal joined the European Union in 1986 and started a process of modernization. It has achieved a healthy level of growth. Successive governments have implemented reforms and privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy. Portugal was one of the founding countries of the euro in 1999, and therefore is integrated into the Eurozone.

After the revolution of 1974, a large number of industrial companies and banks were nationalised, but in most cases this was undone again at the end of the seventies. The new constitution of 1982 made more liberalization of the economy possible. Some of the sectors were now open for bussiness. From 1985 on, after two years of recession, the economy recovered somewhat. Joining the European Union in 1986 was a very positive step for the economy of the country. Since then the average yearly economical growth is about 4.6%. Thereby it is he fastest growing economy of the EU. The formerly very high rate of unemployment dropped to 7.2% in 1995. Drawbacks of the economic recovery are the high inflation rate and the growing deficiency on the trade balance.


Infrastructure
The total road network amounts to about 70.000 kilometers and is well maintained, but the infrastructure is still insufficient. Portugal has no extensive railroad network and is only 3.500 kilometers. Shipping is of great importance. The national airlines is Air Portugal. The most important airports are Lisbon, Porto and Faro.

tourism

Tourism is becoming an important contributor in Portugal. Ten to twenty million people visit Portugal every year. Of course this is very good for the economy, but it also makes Portugal very dependent of this sector. The mild climate, the historical monuments and the entirely unique character of Portugal make it into a very attractive tourist destination. Portugal is also one of the cheapest countries to live; prices are less than in most countries of the European Union. Portugal has many different sorts of accommodation, from campings and simple accommodations to the 'pousada's' (mostly old castles or palaces administered by the state). The Algarve, Lisbon and Porto are the places most visited. But mass tourism has also changed a lot in these areas. Still there is enough to enjoy and many areas are still unspoiled. Food in Portugal To he Portugese people food is probably the second most important thing they think about. Meal times are very important, details of the dish that was eaten the day before makes an interesting topic of conversation and the Sunday lunch with the extended family must be attended. Outside the main cities and tourist areas, the food has developed over the years as the Romans started agriculturen the Discoverers found new ingredients and spices and colonists returned from the colonies. The Portugese eat more fish than other country in Europe. They also eat more rice(cultivated in Portugal). the tradition of a specific area or village having its own dish remains very strong and the Portugese will travel for an hour to eat the speciality of that village in one of its restaurants. Quantity is almost as important as quality and it is not usual when ordering a dish to ask if it is enough for two people. Do have the courage to join the locals in the (tascas' and try the dishes. Be carful if you order a steak and schops because meat is not hung and it is likely to be tough.

Demographics of Portugal

Population of Portugal (INE, Lisbon)
Year	Total	Change	Year	Total	Change
1864	4,188,419	-	1950	8,510,240	10.2%
1890	5,049,729	20.5%	1960	8,851,240	4.0%
1911	5,969,056	18,2%	1970	8,648,369	-2.3%
1920	6,032,991	1,1%	1981	9,833,041	13.7%
1930	6,825,883	13.1%	1991	9,862,540	0.3%
1940	7,722,152	13.1%	2001	10,356,117	5.0%

Portugal is a fairly  linguistically and religiously country. the Portuguese people are mainly a combination of pre-Roman Iberian and Celtic tribes with a fair amount of Roman, Germanic (Visigoths and Suevi) and some minor elements, essentially Arab-Berbers, and Jews.

The demographic development is characterized by three trends: increasing longevity, decreasing birth rates and an increasing percentage of population from foreign extraction.

Today, many Eastern Europeans (especially Ukrainians, Moldavians, Romanians and Russians), as well as Brazilians, are making Portugal their home. There is a small number of Chinese. As of 2006^[1], there were 418,000 legal immigrants in Portugal (around 5% of the population), of which the most numerous communities originated in Cape Verde (68,000),

Immigration

In 1992, 1.3% of the population were foreign people. in 2002 the number had grown to 4%,^[4] with a significant size of illegal immigrants with unknown number. Portugal, long a country of emigration, has now become a country of net immigration, and not just from the former Indian and African colonies.

 Portugal is one of the few countries in the world, one of the first, with anti-descrimination laws and where they exist in most fields: in the Constitutuion (descrimination for sexual orientation is prohibit by law), in the Peanal Code and in the Labour Code. In spite of this, same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples are not allowed. It is possible that this subject will come to discussion if the present Government wins the next elections.

 Religion

The great majority of the Portuguese population belongs to the Roman Catholic Church. Religious observance remains somewhat strong in northern areas, with the population of Lisbon and southern areas generally less devout. Religious minorities include a little over 300,000 Protestants. There are also about 50,000 Muslims and 10,000 Hindus. There are also about 1,000 Jews. Portugal is also home to less than 10,000 Buddhists.

Statistics

Portugal population 1961-2003, Number of inhabitants in thousands, (2005 Data from FAO)

Population

10,048,232 (July 2000 est.)

10,102,022 (July 2003 est.)

10,524,145 (July 2004 est.)

10,566,212 (July 2005 est.)

10,605,870 (July 2006 est.)

10,642,836 (July 2007 est.)

 Age structure

0-14 years: 16.5% (male 914,480/female 837,525)

15-64 years: 66.3% (male 3,501,206/female 3,551,706)

65 years and over: 17.3% (male 757,220/female 1,080,699) (2007 est.)

 Population growth rate

0.18% (2000 est.)

0.17% (2003 est.)

0.41% (2004 est.)

0.39% (2005 est.)

0.36% (2006 est.)

0.334% (2007 est.)

 Birth rate

11.49 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

11.45 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

10.9 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

10.82 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

10.72 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

10.59 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

 Death rate

10.2 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

10.21 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

10.37 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

10.43 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

10.5 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

10.56 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

 Net migration rate

0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

3.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

3.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

3.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

3.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.092 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.986 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.701 male(s)/female

total population: 0.946 male(s)/female (2007 est.)