Portugal is located in southwestern Europe. Moreover, it is situated in the western portion of the Iberian Peninsula. It is surrounded by Spain to the north and east and by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south. The Azores and Madeira, which is Islands of Atlantic, considered integral parts of Portugal. The official name of the country is the Portuguese Republic. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal was one of the world's major economic, political and cultural powers. It is a well-developed country and member of European Union and a founding member of NATO and Euro zone. Lisbon is the capital of the country.

Portugal got an independent nation's existence on 24th of June 1128. When Count Afonso defeated his mother in battle, and became sole leader. Afonso proclaimed himself king of Portugal on 25th of July 1139 after the Battle of Ourique. Afonso and his successors expanded the territory of Portugal with the help of military. In 1249, this Reconquista ended with the capture of the Algarve. In 1373, Portugal made an alliance with England, which is the longest standing alliance in the world. In the following decades, Portugal spearheaded the exploration of the world and undertook the Age of Discovery. Prince Henry the Navigator became the main sponsor and patron of this endeavor.

In 1383, the king of Castile, who was a husband of the daughter of the Portuguese King, became the ruler. An ensuring popular revolt led to the 1383-1385 Crisis. John of Aviz and General Nuno Alvares Pereira were leaders of commoners and noblemen. They succeeded to win the Castilians in the Battle of Aljubarrota. This battle is a symbol of glory and the struggle for independence. In 1415, the Portuguese empire arose when a flat conquered Ceuta an Islamic trade center, which was situated in North Africa. After that the first discoveries in Madeira and the Azores (Atlantic) led to the first colonization movements. In the 15th century Portuguese explorers tried to develop their trades, at international level. In 1498, Vasco-da-Gama reached India and brought economic prosperity to Portugal.

In 1500, Perdo Alvares Cabral landed in Brazil and claimed it for Portugal. After 10 years, Afonso de Albuquerque conquered Goa, in India, Ormuz in the Persian Strait and Malacca in Malaysia. So the Portuguese empire held dominion over commerce in the Indian Ocean as well as South Atlantic.

Due to the death of the heirless king Sebastian, Portugal's independence was interrupted during 1580 to 1640. Philip II of Spain became ruler of Portugal and became Philip I of Portugal. But Portugal did not lose its formal independence. In 1640, John IV was proclaimed king. By this time the Portuguese empire was already under attack from other countries, such as the Britain and the Netherlands. Portugal began a slow but inexorable decline until the 20th century. In 1910, a revolution deposed the Portuguese monarchy but its military coup was defeated in 1926 due to economic problems. This in turn led to reformation of a right-wing dictatorship by Antonio de Oliverira Salzar. In 1960, independence movements resulted in the Portuguese Colonial War. In 1974, a bloodless left-wing military coup led the way for a modern democracy.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, with its vast transcontinental empire Portugal was one of the world's major economic, political and cultural powers. Portugal is a developed country, which became members of the European Union in 1986 and started a process of modernization within the framework of a stable environment. Portugal becomes successful to gain rapid economic growth. The government of Portugal took reforms and it privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy. Moreover, Portugal became a founding member of NATO and Euro zone. Oil refineries, automotive, cement production, pulp and paper industry, textile, footwear, furniture and cork are major Portuguese industries, which contribute maximum part of its income.

Portuguese is the official language of the country. Today, English is Portugal's second language, which taught in its schools. A Romance language, Portuguese is derived from Latin. Portuguese contains Arabic and Germanic words as well as some words from the languages of Asian groups. Today, about 200 million people worldwide speak Portuguese, making it one of the world's most widely spoken languages.