Portugal
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Portugal. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
THE REPUBLIC OF, forming the W. portion of the Iberian peninsula; bounded by Spain and the Atlantic; area 36,038 square miles; pop. about 6,000,000. Topography. The country generally inclines from N. E. to S. W. Several of the great mountain chains of Spain intersect it from E. to W. and terminate in large promontories in the Atlantic. The most remarkable of these chains is the Serra de Estrella, nearly in the center of Portugal. This chain is a continuation of the Serra de Gata, and culminates in an elevation of 7,524 feet above the level of the sea. Another chain is the Serra de Monchique, the extremity of which, Cape St. Vincent, is the S. W. point, not only of Portugal, but of Europe. The principal rivers are the Tagus, the Douro, the Minho, and the Guadiana. Productions. Wheat, barley, oats, flax, hemp, vines, and maize in the elevated tracts; rice in the low grounds, wth olives, oranges, lemons, citrons, figs, and almonds. Silk is made of a very good quality. There are extensive forests of oak in the N., chestnut in the center, and the sea pine and cork in the S. Oxen are employed as beasts of draught, and mules and asses as those of burden. Cattle, sheep, goats, and swine are numerous, and fish abound in the rivers and on the coasts. Iron mines are worked, and the mountains abound in fine marble, and contain traces of gold quantities are and silver. Of salt, large formed in bays along the coast, by natural evaporation. There are numerous salt marshes, and upward of 200 mineral springs. The manufactures are limited, principally consisting of woolens, silk, and earthenware. Cotton spinning is followed, and paper, glass, and gunpowder are made in a few places. The state religion is the Roman Catholic; but The peace all others are tolerated. strength of the army is 30,000 men, and the personnel of the navy is 6,000. History.-Portugal forms the greater part of ancient Lusitania. It was subjugated by the Romans, in the time of Augustus, and was constituted into a province. In the 5th century, on the overthrow of the Roman supremacy, Portugal was invaded by the Alans and Visigoths, and suffered with Spain, of which it was then a part, all the troubles and vicissitudes endured by the inhabi tants of the peninsula till the 8th century, at which time the Arabs, called indifferently Saracens or Moors, possessed themselves of the whole of Portugal, and kept absolute dominion for nearly 400 years. In the 12th century, Don Alonzo Henriquez, a Spanish prince of Leon and Castile, gained a great victory over the Moors of Portugal and was made Don Alonzo had no sooner re- King. ceived the crown, than he renounced all dependence on Spain and established a free and sovereign state. Under the descendants of Don Alonzo I., especially Dennis I. and Alonzo IV., Portugal, during the next two centuries, rose in political importance and commercial prosperity. In 1385, the King of Castile having laid claim to the crown of Portugal on the death of Ferdinand, was opposed and defeated by Don John, Ferdinand's brother, and ascending the vacant throne, ruled his subjects with justice and prudence. Under John I. the Portuguese first projected those Atlantic discoveries on the African coast, fraught with such territorial and commercial advantages to the nation; and, under John II. and Emanuel, between 1481 and 1521, Vasco de Gama explored the Indian Ocean; the riches of the East began to pour into Europe; Goa became a prosperous possession, and Brazil was added to the possessions of the crown of Portugal. Sebastian III., fired with a holy zeal to exterminate the infidels from his country, commenced a sanguinary crusade against the Moors, which he carried on through such repeated defeats, that he eventually lost PORTUGUESE EAST AFRICA 321 both his crown and life in the struggle. Henry the Cardinal, his uncle, an old man of 70, ascended the throne, but died without heirs, after a reign of only two years, in 1580. With Henry terminated the male line, after enduring for 460 years. Spain once more laid claim to the vacant throne, and Portugal again became a dependency of the Spanish crown, the nation suffering all the injustice, exactions, and tyranny usually inflicted on a conquered country by its haughty masters. After enduring 60 years of intolerable hardships and exactions, a Portuguese nobleman named John, Duke of Braganza, pitying his unfortunate countrymen, excited a revolution, which again broke the Spanish fetters, while the people hailed their deliverer as their king, who, being crowned as John IV., commenced the dynasty of the House of Braganza, a family whose descendants held sway until the Republic. When Napoleon, in 1807, entered the country, and declared the family of Braganza had ceased to reign, the royal family of Portugal, and all the court, set sail from the Tagus to Brazil. After the downfall of Napoleon, the history of Portugal is composed of a long succession of political disturbances. At the death of Queen Maria da Gloria her eldest son ascended the throne, in 1853, as Pedro V., and died prematurely in 1861, leaving the throne to Louis I., second son of Dona Maria. In October, 1889, Carlos I., his son, succeeded to the throne. His reign created great discontent and on Feb. 1, 1908, the King and Crown Prince were assassinated. The second son was raised to the throne as Manuel II., but was deposed in the revolution of Oct. 1910, when a republic was proclaimed under Theo. Braga. The republic was formed in September, 1911, with Dr. Arriaga as President. Shortly after the outbreak of the World War in 1914, Portugal took sides with England and aided in the South African campaign. PORTUGUESE EAST AFRICA OR MOZAMBIQUE, a possession of Portugal on the E. coast of Africa, having an area of 293,400 square miles and population of about 4,000,000. Almost all of the inhabitants belong to to the Bantu race, although in the southern portion there are a number of Zulus. The colony is rich in mineral resources, but because of the tropical unfavorable climate, well as the bad transportation facilities these have been little developed. The chief mineral deposits are coal, iron and gold and thus far have been exploited mostly by British subjects. The principal products are cocoanuts, banānas, indigo, coffee, and rubber. Three ports do almost all the export and import trade, the coast affording but few har bors. The capital is Lourenço Marques with a population app. 10,000.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
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: Land area, square miles ...35,490 Population .5,594,275 Lisbon ...356,000 Oporto ...168,000 Emigrants (1907) ..42,000 Number of counties 21 Members of state senate ..110 Representatives ..148 Salary of King Manuel ...$400,000 Bonded indebtedness .$600,000,000 National revenue (1909) ..$75,000,000 Percentage of waste land 43.1 Products- Corn, bushels .16,000,000 Wheat, bushels .6,000,000 Wine, gallons 107,000,000 Fishermen .35,000 Exports, total ...$34,000,000 Wine .$11,000,000 Cork ..$4,600,000 Olive oil ...$620,000 Copper ore $1,340,000 Tons of coal mined .9,600 Output of gold $7,000 Output of tin ore $14,000 Arsenic, pounds 3,000,000 Horses 90,000 Mules .59,000 Cattle ...817,000 Sheep ..3,000,000 Goats 214,600 Swine ..1,200,000 Value of fisheries $5,200,000 Miles of railway ...1,742 Number postoffices .1,526 Percentage of adult illiteracy 75 Public schools .5,119 See Lisbon ; Oporto 2026 Editor's Note: Timing is everything: Portugal's monarchy fell in October 1910 — the king this entry likely names was deposed as the volumes shipped, two years after his father's assassination. See the 1910 revolution . (Ed: BR 2026-07-05)