Tropical forests that cover most of India. India (Republic of India)
Geography of Portugal
Portugal is located on the Iberian Peninsula, in western Europe. It borders on Spain to the north and west, and the eastern and southern coasts of the country are washed by the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal owns the Azores and Madeira.
The country's territory is divided into 2 parts by the main Tagus River, which originates in Spain and forms a delta in the Lisbon area, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. The topography of the north of the country is mountainous; the center of the country is occupied by several plateaus and river valleys.
The highest point in the country is Mount Pico (2,351 km), located on the island of the same name in the Azores archipelago.
Government structure of Portugal
Portugal is a presidential republic. The main institutions of power in the country are the president, Parliament (assembly of the republic), the government headed by the prime minister and the courts.
Portugal weather
The climate of Portugal is characterized by warm and sunny weather. The air temperature in summer reaches + 30C°. In the north-west of the country, the climate is mild and humid, with up to 2,000 mm of precipitation falling annually.
The peak of the season is mid-June - September, when the air temperature in the country reaches + 27C°. The hottest months are July and August. If you want to avoid the influx of tourists, it is best to come to Portugal in the spring.
Language of Portugal
The official language of the country is Portuguese. In some areas of the country, Spanish and English are spoken.
Religion of Portugal
84.5% of the country's residents profess Roman Catholicism, about 2.2% are supporters of other Christian movements, 9% of the population consider themselves atheists.
Currency of Portugal
You can exchange currency at banks, currency exchange offices and exchange machines.
Many hotels, restaurants and large shopping centers in the country accept Visa, American Express, Diners Club, Europay/MasterCard, JCB and Maestro cards. The country has a developed network of ATMs, with which you can withdraw money from your card at any time of the day.
It is safest to take travel checks with you. Amex, Thomas Cook and Visa are accepted in the country.
Customs restrictions
Duty-free import allowed:
- alcohol (1 liter of strong alcohol/2 liters of wine)
- tobacco products (cigarettes - 200 pcs.)
It is strictly prohibited to import weapons and drugs into the country.
There are no strict restrictions on the import of currency; amounts exceeding 500 euros are subject to mandatory declaration.
Tips
For good service in Portugal it is customary to leave 5 to 10% of the invoice amount. Many restaurants add a service charge to the bill. In cafes and eateries you can leave change as a tip; taxi drivers are rarely rewarded with tips.
Purchases
In Portugal, like most European countries, after making a purchase, you can return part of the amount spent on it. VAT included in the price of most goods is 8-10%. To get your money, you need to take a tax refund check from the store (if the amount you spent exceeds 50 euros) and present it at customs when leaving the country. You can also receive money by bank transfer by presenting a check, passport and return form to an authorized bank in your home country.
Souvenirs
Among local souvenirs, figurines depicting the main symbol of the country - a rooster, items made from oak bark, tablecloths and napkins embroidered by Madeiran needlewomen, and ceramic tiles depicting Portuguese streets are very popular among tourists.
Portugal is a world-famous fashion center; here you can buy interesting, high-quality shoes at very affordable prices. Local fashion designers offer their clothing models, which are distinguished by an unusual cut and some avant-gardeism. When you visit Portugal, don’t forget to try the local wine and port wines, which have gained worldwide fame. Plus, it would make a great gift.
Office hours
Banking institutions in the country are open on weekdays from 8:30 to 15:00; in tourist centers they are sometimes open until 18:00.
Most stores are open from 9 am to 1 pm, and then after a 2 hour break they are open until 7 pm. Supermarkets are open from 10 am to 11 pm.
Safety
Compared to other European countries, the crime situation in Portugal remains fairly calm. However, visitors to the country should still be vigilant and keep an eye on their belongings, especially in crowded places.
Mains voltage:
220VPortuguese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It belongs to the Romance group of languages. Written Portuguese is based on the Latin alphabet. People who speak Portuguese are called Lusophones. After all, the Portuguese territories were previously called Lusitania. This term has quite an old history, like the language of the Portuguese itself.
History of the Portuguese language
In ancient times, the Iberian Peninsula was inhabited by peoples whose history is practically unknown. Researchers believe that these tribes had African roots.
The north of Portugal was once inhabited by Lusitanians, Ligurians and Iberians. The Ligurian language was the basis from which Portuguese was then born.
In the 13th century BC, the northern tribes were conquered and absorbed by the Celts. Therefore, the modern language of Portugal also has Celtic roots.
Around 218 BC, the Romans captured the peninsula. They brought with them Latin, which was actively spread in the south. The northerners lived in greater isolation and managed to preserve their habits and customs.
During our era, 711 also became a difficult period for Portugal. The Iberian Peninsula was captured by the Arabs. The population was forced to learn Arabic. This is how the notorious Arabisms found their way into the language of the indigenous peoples of this state.
In the 9th century, the Romanesque dialect was almost completely formed in these lands. This process gave birth to the Old Portuguese language. Thus, in 1536, the first Portuguese charter, written by Fernan de Oliveiro, was born.
4 years after the publication of the grammar, another significant book appeared - “Dialogues about Language”. Its author was João de Barrosha. After this, the Romanesque dialect was transformed into the official language of the state.
Modernity of the Portuguese language
Today, Portuguese is rapidly approaching its Brazilian norm. Because there are differences between the same language in Portugal and Brazil.
Luis de Camoes did a lot to ensure that the grammar and spelling of Portuguese had uniform rules and norms. In his works he used ancient literature and Italian works of the Renaissance.
Features of the language
The contrast between open and closed phonemes is a feature of New Portuguese. Cervantes also called this language group “sweet language”, for its melody and melodiousness.
About 150 million people today speak Portuguese. Many of them use specific dialects. The absence of the intervocalic "l" sound distinguishes this language from all other Romance languages.
The first written monument of Portuguese dates back to 1189. It is a poem dedicated to Maria Paes Ribeiro, who was the lover of Sancho the First. The author of this work is Payo Soares de Taveiros.
Portuguese has many borrowings from Spanish, Arabic and Latin. There are words and expressions from the Asian language group. This diversity is explained simply: the Portuguese have always traveled a lot, maintained trade relations with other peoples, and their territories were repeatedly conquered.
Portugal is a country that has absorbed the best aspects of different cultures. A variety of tribes and peoples lived under its scorching sun in every era. All of them had a hand in the formation of the modern Portuguese language. This is probably why Portuguese is not only one of the most widespread, but also one of the most beautiful languages in the world. It is also a popular and frequently chosen language to learn.
From the farthest corner of the Iberian Peninsula, Portuguese spread far and wide with the help of the ships of this maritime empire. On the way to the Far East, Portuguese naves (ships) established trading posts and forts on the shores of Africa, in India (Goa), China (Macau) and along strategically important sea routes (Cape Verde, East Timor). Since 90% of the sailors died on each voyage, there was not much relocation of residents. In its immediate neighbourhood, Portugal settled in the Azores and Madeira, these territories have their own dialects, and the islands were an important bridge for further expansion. However, the real revolution in the Portuguese conquests was Brazil. It became a melting pot in which the genes of Indians, Portuguese and, thanks to the ruthless slave trade, Africans were mixed. In this process, the Portuguese language, European diseases, and the bandeirate captains who hunted the Indians destroyed thousands of Indian languages, meeting only one serious rival - the language based on the languages of the Indians Lingua Geral, which was widely used in the Amazon basin. Today, the majority of Portuguese speakers are Brazilians, and where printing presses were once banned by royal decree, telenovela soap operas have now reversed the flow of cultural exchange between Portugal and its former colony.
The westernmost country of the Old World, Portugal is loved by tourists for a certain special charm, excellent wines, amazing opportunities for quality surfing and a variety of beach holidays both on the mainland and on the islands. Portuguese is officially adopted as the official language in Portugal. The country is a member of the international organization - the Commonwealth of Portuguese-speaking countries. It also includes the former colonies of Portugal - Brazil, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe.
The Miranda language has also had official status in the country since 1999, and Galician is very widely spoken in the north.
Some statistics and facts
- Portuguese speakers are called Lusophones, named after the Roman province of Lusitania. It corresponded to the territory of modern Portugal and by analogy with this, the totality of Portuguese-speaking territories on the planet is called Lusophonia.
- The official language of Portugal is one of the most widely spoken in the world and the second most spoken Romance language after Spanish. In total, about 200 million people speak it.
- About 80% of all speakers live in Brazil, a former Portuguese colony in South America.
- European Portuguese differs from Brazilian Portuguese at the level of phonetics and vocabulary. Their grammar is almost identical.
History and modernity
In ancient times, the Iberian Peninsula was inhabited by Iberians, Lusitanians and Ligurians, and their languages left their mark on the modern toponymy of Portuguese. The Romans brought with them Latin, from which all the Romance languages originated, and the Visigoths and Moors who replaced them brought their influence to the formation of the vocabulary.
The first dated document in Portuguese was the will of King Afonso II, and the heyday of Portuguese literature came at the end of the 12th century, when Provençal troubadours appeared, composing lyrical songs and poems.
In fiction, the official language of Portugal is often described as "sweet, wild and beautiful".
Note to tourists
Despite the fact that Portugal is located on the “outskirts of Europe”, its population speaks English, French and other foreign languages quite widely. In tourist places, hotels and restaurants in the capital and other large cities, English-speaking and Spanish-speaking staff work, and menus, maps, public transport schemes are translated into English.
In travel companies in the cities of Portugal you can always book excursions with an English-speaking guide.
Portugal is located in the very west of the Iberian Peninsula. Its official history goes back more than 900 years. Portugal is considered one of the oldest countries in the world that has managed to keep its borders unchanged. Its only neighbor is , with whose borders lie in the north and east. In other directions, Portugal is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This country is visited annually by tourists who enjoy all the possibilities of recreation provided. Many of them prefer to go to Madeira to fully enjoy the constantly warm climate, or to the Azores. For most of those traveling to this country for the first time, it is very important to find out what language is spoken in Portugal.
At the beginning of the 8th century, the Iberian Peninsula was invaded by Arabs and Berbers, who were called Moors. Part of the population went north, thereby keeping their language and dialect pure. And those who remained submitted to the Arabs and changed the official language to the language of the conquerors. Such people were bilingual and were called Mozarabs, that is, “subordinate to the Arabs.” Thanks to them, not only Portuguese, but also Arabic was enriched with new words. Arabic words that entered the Portuguese language mainly denoted new objects and concepts and were nouns.
Since the 15th century, the country began to discover previously unknown lands. In world history, this time is known as the “Age of Discovery.” Portugal paved the sea route to the mysterious India, made some of the African states and regions, as well as Brazil in South America and other islands, even Macau, currently a special administrative region of China, its colonies. Of course, such an active policy to seize new territories could not do without the spread of Portuguese as the main language for all colonies. Therefore, it is considered official for countries such as Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde and other small countries and individual areas.
Features of the Portuguese language
Portuguese belongs to the Romance languages of the Indo-European family. To be even more precise, to the Ibero-Roman subgroup. Portugal has a written language based on the Latin alphabet, which is currently one of the most widespread, and consistently ranks 6-8 in the world in terms of the number of speakers. It is spoken by more than 200 million people. All people who speak this language, consider it their native language or define it as official in their country and are able to communicate in it are united by a single term - Lusophones. The word comes from the name of the Roman province of Lusitania, located in ancient times on the territory of Portugal. All territories of Portuguese-speaking countries and regions are usually called Lusophonia.
Portuguese is considered a pluricentric language. It is spoken in several independent states and communities, and each of them separately develops its own norms. But Portugal and Brazil differ in their varieties of Portuguese. Moreover, there is a noticeable tendency for the European version to move closer to the Brazilian one, and the Portuguese language is becoming monocentrized. There are also creolized varieties of Portuguese spoken in some countries in Africa and Asia.
The closest language to Portuguese is the modern Galician language, from which it originated. Galicia is the northwesternmost autonomous region of Spain. Another very close language is Spanish. However, the composition of vowel sounds, among which there are open and closed, brings it closer to French and Catalan (a linguistic variant of Spanish).
Interestingly, in 2008, the Portuguese Parliament decided to change the spelling to bring it closer to the Brazilian version of the Portuguese language, since its rules were closer to the real pronunciation of words and phraseological units.
It will be interesting for tourists and guests of the country to know that the residents of Portugal, in addition to their native language, are fluent in English, French and, of course, Spanish. Moreover, Spanish-speaking staff are often involved in hotel services, while in the capital and other large cities - English-speaking staff. In a number of areas neighboring Spain, many Portuguese can speak Spanish fluently, and almost everyone understands it. But the Spaniards have a much more difficult time learning the language of their western neighbor. Residents of the Azores have a good command of English, and its knowledge is typical for people of all ages. In addition to Portuguese, the country has another official language - Miranda. It is commonly spoken in Miranda do Douro and surrounding areas. In order to understand what language is spoken in Portugal, you need to remember that on January 1, 1986, the country joined the European Union, and in 2002, the euro was approved as the currency. All these factors have significantly influenced the life of the Portuguese; the influx of tourists has increased, and in connection with this, communication with people who have come from various parts of the planet has increased.