Portugal is situated at the south-east point of Europe and also includes the Madeira and Azores archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean.

Mainland Portugal occupies an area of 88,889 km2. It is 218 km wide and 561 km long. It has 832 km of Atlantic coast and a 1,215 km border with Spain.

Portugal is one of the oldest nations in Europe. In the 12th century, the country gained its independence from the other kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula. A century later, with the conquest of the Algarve, Portugal was to definitively establish its continental border.

In the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to sail to Africa, the distant Orient and South America from where great wealth was brought into the country.
In 1910 the monarchy was overthrown and Portugal became a republic.
Portugal is a member of the EU since 1986.



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