Portugal is one of the countries in Europe with the longest history, which has been filled with many very interesting events and facts that will blow your mind. Not only is it culturally rich, but it also allows both the Portuguese and tourists to move easily through it thanks to the portugal trains.
The travel by train from Lisbon to Porto, or to any other destination in the country, will surprise you. Well, you will be amazed at everything you can know about this country and how it has become a reference country not only in its own European continent, but also in other latitudes.
Europe is known as the “Old continent” for a reason and that is that its countries and corners date back so many years, that it houses a very interesting history, with many facts, events and events that have marked a before and after.
Portugal is known throughout the world for being a country that has had to host several civilizations, including the Greeks, Romans and many more. The country for years was an empire that was able to maintain dominance alongside the Spanish.
The history of the country and the Portuguese is wonderful and well worth knowing. So if you are about to travel to this destination, you will like to know some Facts about Portugal that will surprise you.
Some curious facts about Portugal that you should know
1. Politically, Portugal has had long periods of dictatorial ruleone of them from 1926 to 1974.
2. Portugal also holds world records related to the monarchy. King Alfonso I Henrique reigned for 73 consecutive years and Prince Louis Philippe ruled for just 20 minutes.
3. Portugal has the Vasco da Gama Bridge of 12,345 meters, the longest in all of Europe so far.
4. The coast of Pueblo Nazaré holds the world record for the highest waves in the worldsome of them more than 20 meters high.
5. In 1755 Lisbon was the scene of a earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scalewhich then caused a tsunami that destroyed 80% of the buildings and killed more than 200,000 people.
6. In Lisbon is the Livraria Bertrand do Chiadowhich opened in 1732, making it the oldest bookstore on the planet.
7. Just as they have the oldest bookstore, Portugal has the smallest in the world. It’s about the Livraria Simão and is only 3.8 square meters.
8. Paris, indeed, is the capital of France, but curiously, after Lisbon, it is the city in the world with largest number of portuguese.
9. The Portuguese government has a list of more than 80 pages with names that cannot be used and that they are illegal.
10. Portugal abolished slavery in 1761150 years before the United States, France, Spain and the United Kingdom.
eleven. Lisbon is over 3,000 years oldwhich means that it was founded much earlier than other cities in Spain and is even older than Rome.
12. the tempuraa famous sushi from Japan, was really created in Portugal, with the country’s own ingredients.
13. Portugal is an example of renewable energy. The country covers 70% of its energy demand with wind, solar and hydraulic systems.
14. Portuguese is the main language in 9 countries of the world. Including Brazil, Angola, Sao Tome, Principe and others.
15. Being one of the first maritime powers in the world, it was the cradle of the early explorers between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
16. The Portugal’s borders have been defined for almost 800 yearswhich remain the same to date.
17. The word “arigato” which in Japanese means “thank you”, comes from the Portuguese word “obliged”which means exactly the same thing.
18. Portugal is part of the longest-running diplomatic alliance in the world. It was signed with England in 1373.
19. Portugal is the sixth country in Europe to approve equal marriage in your region. The legislation was passed in 2010.
20. The country is ranked 17th in the ranking of countries with greater security in the world. Therefore, it is considered an excellent destination to travel and live.
21. This European country is one of those with 17 natural and cultural assets considered by Unesco as World Heritage Sites.
22. King Pedro I of Portugal named his late wife queen. So so far, she is the only one who has been given this title while dead.
23. In 2008, they met 14,000 people dressed as Santa Claus, who paraded through the city of Porto. They got the Guinness World Record.
If you are considering making trips to Portugal, surely these data have left you speechless and will serve as an encouragement for you to visit this important country in Europe. Surely you will find many more details and data that Portugal contains, which would be worth discovering for yourself.