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

Of the 12 top seeds, only co-hosts Canada and Portugal failed to top their group.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026

The focus on oil, inflation and the European Central Bank’s forum in Sintra, Portugal, could limit the downside for German Bund yields, Commerzbank’s Rainer Guntermann said in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026

Cristiano Ronaldo is 41 but has played every minute for Portugal so far, which I think is embarrassing for Roberto Martinez.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026

After watching airfares to Portugal jump from $600 to $1,400, she opted for train and car trips to New York, Philadelphia and Montreal.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026

Portugal controlled the trading city of Bombay, so the Portuguese had a head start in enjoying the drink.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson