Portugal

American  

[pawr-chuh-guhl, pohr-, pawr-too-gahl] / ˈpɔr tʃə gəl, ˈpoʊr-, ˌpɔr tʊˈgɑl /

noun

1. a republic in SW Europe, on the Iberian Peninsula, W of Spain. (Including the Azores and the Madeira Islands) 35,414 sq. mi. (91,720 sq. km). Lisbon.

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Portugal British  

/ ˈpɔːtjʊɡəl /

noun

1. a republic in SW Europe, on the Atlantic: became an independent monarchy in 1139 and expelled the Moors in 1249 after more than four centuries of Muslim rule; became a republic in 1910; under the dictatorship of Salazar from 1932 until 1968, when he was succeeded by Dr Caetano, who was overthrown by a junta in 1974; constitutional government restored in 1976. Portugal is a member of the European Union. Official language: Portuguese. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: euro. Capital: Lisbon. Pop: 10 799 270 (2013 est). Area: 91 831 sq km (35 456 sq miles)

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Portugal Cultural  

1. Republic in southwestern Europe, bordered by Spain to the north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. Its capital and largest city is Lisbon.

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Discover More

Portugal has been independent since the twelfth century, except for sixty years of Spanish rule in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.

Portugal has been a member of NATO since 1949.

Famous for its explorers in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Portugal followed such exploration closely with colonization. By the middle of the sixteenth century, Portugal controlled a vast overseas empire, including Brazil.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Portugal

American Airlines this week announced seven new international routes, including nonstop flights to Vienna and Porto, Portugal, from its Philadelphia hub.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

On the 28 April last year, Portugal and Spain went dark for several hours.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

As a practical matter, nearly all these students will likely move to the mainland unless things change, said Miguel Nunes, an aerospace engineer recruited from Portugal to join the project.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

The Sun newspaper said the couple would keep their Montecito home in California, as well as a house in Portugal where they are believed to have enjoyed some vacation time this summer.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

There are some wooden fish hanging on the wall and a poster of a Portugal map over the couch.

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt