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Portugal interesting facts
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Portugal interesting facts
Come on folks!
Why don't we try and compile a list of interesting/unusual stats/things about Portugal, Algarve in particular.
- Japanese word for thank you comes from portuguese 'Obrigado'.
- Portuguese intriduced chillies to India
- Catherine de Braganca introduced afternoon tea and cakes to British society
- Portuguese introduced firearms to japan
- The elephants used on Hannibals extraordinary expedition across the Alps to Rome landed from Africa at Portimao.
- Julius Caesar made his wealth primarily from the area known today as Portugal before returning to Rome to become Emperor. And, no , he couldn't defeat the Lusitanios.
- There is in existence a relationship between Portugal and England which amounts in effect to the longest standing alliance which the world has known. The The first formal treaty between England and Portugal was concluded in 16 June 1371 when the English fought alongside the Portuguese Royal House of Avis at the battle of Aljubarrota against Spain. The two nations signed the Treaty of Windsor in May 1386 formally confirming the alliance which has been the cornerstone of their bilateral foreign policy for more than 600 years. The final seal on that alliance was the royal marriage in 1387 between Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and João I of Portugal. Bilateral trade flourished through English warehouses in Oporto. Cod and cloth were exchanged for wine, cork, salt, and oil. And the couple’s youngest son Henrique (Prince Henry the Navigator) paved the way for Portugal’s Golden Age with his sea voyages of discovery.
Almost 300 years later Britain responded to Portugal’s request for help against threats from France by signing in June 1661 a military treaty in which Britain pledged to defend Portugal. This was sealed by another royal wedding. Charles II married the Infanta Catharine of Braganza who introduced tea to Britain, as well as bringing a dowry of two million cruzados, Tangiers and Bombay.
In the 18th and 19th centuries Portugal and Britain continued to support each other. In 1700 France declared war on Britain and asked Portugal to close her ports to British ships. Portugal’s response was to join Britain and the Netherlands in May 1703 in a ‘Grand Alliance’ against the French and Spanish Bourbon dynasty, as requested by Britain’s emissary, John Methuen. She also signed a second, bilateral, commercial treaty, the Methuen Treaty, in December 1703, which saw Portuguese wines flow into England. In 1807 when Napoleon marched into Lisbon and the royal family fled to Brazil, Portugal invoked the Treaty of Windsor of 1386. British Generals, including Beresford and Wellington, came to defend Portugal and Napoleon was defeated 3 years later. As a result, Britain was allowed to trade directly with Brazil.
In the 21st century the close links continue. Both countries acceded to the EU in 1986 and Governmental contacts are frequent at political and official levels as we work together on a wide range of issues. The Queen has paid two State Visits to Portugal. President Jorge Sampaio last visited the UK, as a Guest of Government, in February 2002. Prime Minister Tony Blair received Portuguese Prime Minister, José Manuel Durão Barroso, in London in March 2003.
- In 1357 a dead woman was crowned Queen of Portugal.
(Explanation: King Alfonso had ordered the death of Ines de Castro with whom his son, Pedro, was in love. When Pedro became King he ordered that Ines be exhumed and crowned. He also executed those who had killed her, earning the name Pedro the Cruel. Well, you did ask for the unusual.)
- Between 1580 and 1640 Spain and Portugal were actually united as one empire. Who would have believed that today ?
- new words to enter the pt dictionary include: “Carjacking” & “Hooligan”
(well, they are used by the pt newspapers anyway. It seems there are no pt words to describe such behaviour)
- Portugal has a higher proportion of two-home-owning and three-car-owning families than any other EU country
- Beneath the streets of Lisbon’s downtown shopping area exists a hidden underworld of Roman corridors, bridges, rooms and galleries, which was only discovered after the great earthquake in 1755.The entrance to this fascinating subterranean district is marked by a block of metal at the top of Rua da Conceição, which is only open to the public two days a year due to the dangerous conditions below.
- The great limestone ridge of the Serra da Arrábida, visible from Lisbon 40 km to the south, is home to the world’s oldest living examples of Mediterranean vegetation.
The Arrábida Natural Park (now a protected area) is unique for its unusual soil and microclimate, both rare in this part of Europe.
More than 1,000 species of plant have been recorded there.
- The tallest of the Águas Livres Aqueduct’s 14 arches spanning the Alcântara Valley stands 65 metres (213 feet) high and is the tallest of any ancient structure in the world.
The aqueduct, which was built in the 18th century, has 109 arches in all and stretches 19 kilometres (11 miles) from Caneças to the Casa de Agua reservoir in Lisbon’s Amoreiras district.
- The main river basin of the Tagus estuary in Lisbon stretches 9 miles (14 km) across and is large enough to contain all the warships in the world.
- Portugal is the 4th Oldest Country:
Country Year
San Marino 301
France 486
Denmark 950
Portugal 1143
Andorra 1278
Switzerland 1291
worldatlas.com
· - A Portuguesa, the national anthem of Portugal, was written by Henrique Lopes de Mendonça (lyrics) and Alfredo Keil (music) after the nationalist resurgence provoked by the British Ultimatum (for Portuguese troops to get out of the territory between Angola and Mozambique), was adopted as a Republican anthem and, finally, by the new Portuguese Republic in 1910 as National Anthem, replacing O Hino da Carta, the last anthem of the Constitutional Monarchy in Portugal.
· Portuguese people eat 60% of the world's Bacalhau. Factoring in Portugal's small population, this means that on average, a Portuguese person consumes 640 times more Bacalhau than a non-Portuguese person. Portugal has more than 365 different ways of preparing Bacalhau.
o There is even an international association named for this national food; the Academia do Bacalhau.
· Portugal has the 4th largest wine consumption per capita.
· Portugal has another officially recognized language, Mirandese, spoken by a few thousand people in Northeast Portugal. This language was recognized by the Portuguese Parliament in 1999. During the Middle Ages, Galician and Portuguese were the same language. Now Galician can be seen as a somewhat Castilianized form of Portuguese.
· Portuguese Language Territories include:(nationmaster.com)
o As a national language
§ Portugal
§ Brazil
§ Sao Tome and Principe
o As an official language
§ Angola (60% of the population)
§ Cape Verde (Portuguese lives exclusively among various Portuguese origin creoules)
§ East Timor (spoken by less than 20% of the population)
§ Guinea-Bissau (Portuguese and its Creoules are spoken by 55% of the population)
§ Macau, People's Republic of China (2% of the Population)
§ Mozambique (40% of the population)
· Aristides Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux, France, helped 30,000 Jews escape Nazi persecution by issuing visas to Portugal, against the orders of his government.
· Portugal has the oldest borders in the world, established in 1249.
· In 1357 a dead woman was crowned Queen of Portugal. King Alfonso had ordered the death of Ines de Castro with whom his son, Pedro, was in love. When Pedro became King he ordered that Ines be exhumed and crowned. He also executed those who had killed her, earning the name Pedro the Cruel.
- Olivença pop 8,274, is a town (and territory) on the Portuguese-Spanish border. Olivença is situated on the left bank of the River Guadiana , near the city of Elvas, about 24 km south of Badajoz. The territory is triangular, with two of its vertices lying in the river Guadiana and the third one going south-east into Spain. Besides the town, the territory of Olivença includes seven villages: S. Francisco, S. Rafael, Vila Real, S. Domingos de Gusmão, S. Bento da Contenda, S. Jorge de Alor and Táliga. The total area is 750 sqkm. Portuguese culture is maintained in the surrounding countryside. Olivença is currently part of the Spanish province of Badajoz in Extremadura. However, the Portuguese government considers it as part of the Portuguese district of Évora. Claim of Sovereignty: Portugal does not recognize Spain's de facto sovereignty over the territory. Therefore, the border between these two countries in the Olivença region has never been legally defined. Portugal's formal claim to the region rests on decisions made at the Congress of Vienna in 1815.
Why don't we try and compile a list of interesting/unusual stats/things about Portugal, Algarve in particular.
- Japanese word for thank you comes from portuguese 'Obrigado'.
- Portuguese intriduced chillies to India
- Catherine de Braganca introduced afternoon tea and cakes to British society
- Portuguese introduced firearms to japan
- The elephants used on Hannibals extraordinary expedition across the Alps to Rome landed from Africa at Portimao.
- Julius Caesar made his wealth primarily from the area known today as Portugal before returning to Rome to become Emperor. And, no , he couldn't defeat the Lusitanios.
- There is in existence a relationship between Portugal and England which amounts in effect to the longest standing alliance which the world has known. The The first formal treaty between England and Portugal was concluded in 16 June 1371 when the English fought alongside the Portuguese Royal House of Avis at the battle of Aljubarrota against Spain. The two nations signed the Treaty of Windsor in May 1386 formally confirming the alliance which has been the cornerstone of their bilateral foreign policy for more than 600 years. The final seal on that alliance was the royal marriage in 1387 between Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and João I of Portugal. Bilateral trade flourished through English warehouses in Oporto. Cod and cloth were exchanged for wine, cork, salt, and oil. And the couple’s youngest son Henrique (Prince Henry the Navigator) paved the way for Portugal’s Golden Age with his sea voyages of discovery.
Almost 300 years later Britain responded to Portugal’s request for help against threats from France by signing in June 1661 a military treaty in which Britain pledged to defend Portugal. This was sealed by another royal wedding. Charles II married the Infanta Catharine of Braganza who introduced tea to Britain, as well as bringing a dowry of two million cruzados, Tangiers and Bombay.
In the 18th and 19th centuries Portugal and Britain continued to support each other. In 1700 France declared war on Britain and asked Portugal to close her ports to British ships. Portugal’s response was to join Britain and the Netherlands in May 1703 in a ‘Grand Alliance’ against the French and Spanish Bourbon dynasty, as requested by Britain’s emissary, John Methuen. She also signed a second, bilateral, commercial treaty, the Methuen Treaty, in December 1703, which saw Portuguese wines flow into England. In 1807 when Napoleon marched into Lisbon and the royal family fled to Brazil, Portugal invoked the Treaty of Windsor of 1386. British Generals, including Beresford and Wellington, came to defend Portugal and Napoleon was defeated 3 years later. As a result, Britain was allowed to trade directly with Brazil.
In the 21st century the close links continue. Both countries acceded to the EU in 1986 and Governmental contacts are frequent at political and official levels as we work together on a wide range of issues. The Queen has paid two State Visits to Portugal. President Jorge Sampaio last visited the UK, as a Guest of Government, in February 2002. Prime Minister Tony Blair received Portuguese Prime Minister, José Manuel Durão Barroso, in London in March 2003.
- In 1357 a dead woman was crowned Queen of Portugal.
(Explanation: King Alfonso had ordered the death of Ines de Castro with whom his son, Pedro, was in love. When Pedro became King he ordered that Ines be exhumed and crowned. He also executed those who had killed her, earning the name Pedro the Cruel. Well, you did ask for the unusual.)
- Between 1580 and 1640 Spain and Portugal were actually united as one empire. Who would have believed that today ?
- new words to enter the pt dictionary include: “Carjacking” & “Hooligan”
(well, they are used by the pt newspapers anyway. It seems there are no pt words to describe such behaviour)
- Portugal has a higher proportion of two-home-owning and three-car-owning families than any other EU country
- Beneath the streets of Lisbon’s downtown shopping area exists a hidden underworld of Roman corridors, bridges, rooms and galleries, which was only discovered after the great earthquake in 1755.The entrance to this fascinating subterranean district is marked by a block of metal at the top of Rua da Conceição, which is only open to the public two days a year due to the dangerous conditions below.
- The great limestone ridge of the Serra da Arrábida, visible from Lisbon 40 km to the south, is home to the world’s oldest living examples of Mediterranean vegetation.
The Arrábida Natural Park (now a protected area) is unique for its unusual soil and microclimate, both rare in this part of Europe.
More than 1,000 species of plant have been recorded there.
- The tallest of the Águas Livres Aqueduct’s 14 arches spanning the Alcântara Valley stands 65 metres (213 feet) high and is the tallest of any ancient structure in the world.
The aqueduct, which was built in the 18th century, has 109 arches in all and stretches 19 kilometres (11 miles) from Caneças to the Casa de Agua reservoir in Lisbon’s Amoreiras district.
- The main river basin of the Tagus estuary in Lisbon stretches 9 miles (14 km) across and is large enough to contain all the warships in the world.
- Portugal is the 4th Oldest Country:
Country Year
San Marino 301
France 486
Denmark 950
Portugal 1143
Andorra 1278
Switzerland 1291
worldatlas.com
· - A Portuguesa, the national anthem of Portugal, was written by Henrique Lopes de Mendonça (lyrics) and Alfredo Keil (music) after the nationalist resurgence provoked by the British Ultimatum (for Portuguese troops to get out of the territory between Angola and Mozambique), was adopted as a Republican anthem and, finally, by the new Portuguese Republic in 1910 as National Anthem, replacing O Hino da Carta, the last anthem of the Constitutional Monarchy in Portugal.
· Portuguese people eat 60% of the world's Bacalhau. Factoring in Portugal's small population, this means that on average, a Portuguese person consumes 640 times more Bacalhau than a non-Portuguese person. Portugal has more than 365 different ways of preparing Bacalhau.
o There is even an international association named for this national food; the Academia do Bacalhau.
· Portugal has the 4th largest wine consumption per capita.
· Portugal has another officially recognized language, Mirandese, spoken by a few thousand people in Northeast Portugal. This language was recognized by the Portuguese Parliament in 1999. During the Middle Ages, Galician and Portuguese were the same language. Now Galician can be seen as a somewhat Castilianized form of Portuguese.
· Portuguese Language Territories include:(nationmaster.com)
o As a national language
§ Portugal
§ Brazil
§ Sao Tome and Principe
o As an official language
§ Angola (60% of the population)
§ Cape Verde (Portuguese lives exclusively among various Portuguese origin creoules)
§ East Timor (spoken by less than 20% of the population)
§ Guinea-Bissau (Portuguese and its Creoules are spoken by 55% of the population)
§ Macau, People's Republic of China (2% of the Population)
§ Mozambique (40% of the population)
· Aristides Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux, France, helped 30,000 Jews escape Nazi persecution by issuing visas to Portugal, against the orders of his government.
· Portugal has the oldest borders in the world, established in 1249.
· In 1357 a dead woman was crowned Queen of Portugal. King Alfonso had ordered the death of Ines de Castro with whom his son, Pedro, was in love. When Pedro became King he ordered that Ines be exhumed and crowned. He also executed those who had killed her, earning the name Pedro the Cruel.
- Olivença pop 8,274, is a town (and territory) on the Portuguese-Spanish border. Olivença is situated on the left bank of the River Guadiana , near the city of Elvas, about 24 km south of Badajoz. The territory is triangular, with two of its vertices lying in the river Guadiana and the third one going south-east into Spain. Besides the town, the territory of Olivença includes seven villages: S. Francisco, S. Rafael, Vila Real, S. Domingos de Gusmão, S. Bento da Contenda, S. Jorge de Alor and Táliga. The total area is 750 sqkm. Portuguese culture is maintained in the surrounding countryside. Olivença is currently part of the Spanish province of Badajoz in Extremadura. However, the Portuguese government considers it as part of the Portuguese district of Évora. Claim of Sovereignty: Portugal does not recognize Spain's de facto sovereignty over the territory. Therefore, the border between these two countries in the Olivença region has never been legally defined. Portugal's formal claim to the region rests on decisions made at the Congress of Vienna in 1815.
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Michael Crane
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