Portugal

Flag of Portugal

Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence of its wealthiest colony of Brazil in 1822. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.

Madeira Island, a Famous Destination of Portugal

Madeira Island

Lush, extravagant, breathtaking... All these words are usually used when describing Madeira. It is a small volcanic island which lies in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Being only 56 km long and about 21 km across at its widest point it practically represents only the pick of a huge volcanic mass. This Portuguese island, is a place that can take months to discover entirely.

The youngest and largest of the Madeira archipelago is one of the most esthetic arrangements of wonderful sceneries and views over the Atlantic Ocean, extraordinary vegetation, very good food, lots of sport activities and traditions still kept alive.

Some of the information on this page was sourced from the Central Intelligence Agency