Portugal

por'tu-gal, a kingdom of Europe. It occupies the most southwesterly part of the Spanish peninsula, lying between Spain and the Atlantic Ocean. Although geographically it is a natural part of Spain, it has never been united closely with that country. The boundary between the two is the eastern limit of heavy Atlantic rains. It is a natural faunal and floral boundary. From the eighth to the twelfth centuries Portugal was occupied by the Saracens or Moors. At the beginning of the great period of maritime discovery Portugal was the leading seafaring nation of western Europe. Portuguese explorers, among whom Vasco da Gama was first, found the way around southern Africa to the East Indies and laid also the foundation of extensive Portuguese claims in South America. Brazil was a Portuguese possession until 1822.

TOPOGRAPHY. In shape Portugal is oblong. Its greatest length from north to south is about 345 miles. Its greatest breadth is 140. It has an area of 35,490 square miles, the Azores and Madeira Islands included. Lisbon, the capital, is the largest city. Oporto is the chief port. The surface rises from the coast rapidly. The interior is mountainous. The ranges include many fertile, well watered valleys. The Douro and the Tagus are the chief rivers. The mountains are, at foundation, granite. The mineral wealth consists chiefly of lead, iron, cobalt, slate, lithographic stone, millstones, and kaolin. Gold has been found in small quantities. There are salt and mineral springs.

CLIMATE AND PRODUCTS. The air is pure. Spring appears in February. July is usually a season of drouth. Toward the end of September, the fall rains set in, producing a second season of verdure and flowers, so that Portugal is said to have two springs. The chief industries of the country are agricultural. Twenty-two acres out of 1,000 are under vineyards; 72 under fruit trees; 125 in grain; 27 in peas and similar crops; 267 in pasture and fallow; 29 under forests; and 455 are waste lands. Valuable mines remain unworked. Considerable cork oak is raised. Large droves of swine maintain themselves in the forests, living on acorns. Indian corn, rice, wheat, olives, figs, tomatoes, oranges, onions, and potatoes are important food crops. Cattle and sheep are raised.

Wine, cork, and fish are the most important exports. Sheep and olive oil come next in order of importance. A great many eggs are exported. The country has 1,742 miles of railway, of which the state owns a little more than one-third. The country is covered by a complete system of telegraph and telephone lines. The national coin is the milreis, worth rather more than a dollar of our money. The unit of weight is the libra, a trifle greater than our pound avoirdupois.

POSSESSIONS. Although Portugal has lost Brazil, it still has important possessions in Africa and Asia. The African possessions have a total area of 793,000 square miles and a population of 8,000,000. The Asiatic possessions in India, the Indian Archipelago, and China have an area of about 9,000 square miles and a population of somewhat less than a million. Goa is the seat of Portuguese trade in India. Macao, on a small island of the same name at the mouth of the Canton River, is the seat of Portuguese trade with China.

POPULATION. The population of Portugal was returned in 1901 at 5,594,275, an average of 157.6 per square mile. About three-fifths of the people are engaged in agriculture and one-fifth in manufactures and commerce. Lisbon, the chief city, has a population of 356,000; Oporto, 167,000. Several other cities have a population between 10,000 and 25,000.

EDUCATION, ETC. The Roman Catholic faith is the state religion. All forms of worship are tolerated. In 1844 a system of common school education was established. Although attendance is nominally compulsory on the German plan, it is nevertheless irregular. Less than one-fifth of the people are able to read. A system of normal schools and secondary schools has been established. There are several institutions of higher learning, including schools of engineering, medicine, agriculture, a naval school, a school of fine arts at Lisbon, and another at Oporto. The national university, now at Coimbra, was founded in 1290. It has several faculties and an attendance of 1,684 students.

GOVERNMENT. The government of the kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The congress is known as the Cortes. The Portuguese language resembles the Spanish, of which it is, indeed, a branch. The Portuguese people have, however, strong admixtures of Jewish, Arabic, African, and Basque blood. Owing to former attempts of Spain to reduce their country to the rank of a province jealousy exists.

STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources:

See Lisbon; Oporto