Portugal

G

Culture

Portuguese culture is closely related to Spanish culture and has been influenced by the three primary cultures from which it derives: Latin, Visigoth (see Goths), and Muslim (see Islam).

Lisbon has a number of important libraries, including the Library of the Academy of Sciences, the Ajuda Library, the National Library, and the Military Library. The National Archives of Torre do Tombo, also in Lisbon, is noteworthy for its collection of historical documents dating from the 9th century. The provincial libraries in Porto, Évora, Braga, and Mafra contain many rare old books and large manuscript collections. Various specialized libraries are attached to the universities.

Museums of archaeology, art, and ethnography are found in the principal cities and towns of each district. The art museum in Coimbra is famous for its collection of 16th-century sculpture; the museum in Évora is known for Roman sculpture and 16th-century paintings. The National Museum of Ancient Art, in Lisbon, houses decorative art and paintings from the 12th to the 19th century. Also in Lisbon are the National Museum of Contemporary Art; the National Museum of Natural History; the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, with a collection of fine art dating from 2800 bc to the 20th century; the Ethnographical Museum; and the Archaeological Museum.

Some of the relics found in Portugal date from prehistoric times. Dolmens, ancient stone burial chambers, have been found along the Atlantic coast, and in the Algarve region, tombs dating from the Iron Age have been discovered. Some of the country’s most important monuments were constructed during the Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula (2nd century bc-5th century ad). The so-called Temple of Diana in the south-east, the ruins of the city of Conimbriga on the west coast, and the bridge of Chaves in the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro in the north-east are fine examples of Roman architecture. Subsequent occupation by the Visigoths in the 5th century and by the Muslim Moors in the 8th century can be discerned in the styles of many of Portugal’s buildings and churches.

The 14th century was the golden age of Portuguese sculpture, at which time such fine monuments as the tombs of the kings at Alcobaça were produced. The sculptors of the Renaissance and Baroque periods in Portugal did their finest work for the Church.

The Portuguese are a musical people, and their folk music ranges from very lively songs and dances to passionate laments. Similar to other music of the Iberian Peninsula, Portuguese music reflects three major influences: the Roman Catholic Church, the troubadours of the kings, and the wandering minstrels who sang their stories across the countryside.

For a discussion of the literature of the country, see Portuguese Literature.

IV

Economy

The Portuguese economy grew by 2.8 per cent in 1995, 1996, and 1997. The country’s GNP in 2004 (World Bank) was $US149,305 million, or about US$17,850 per capita. The estimated budget for 2006 included $75,112 million in revenue and $82,403 million in expenditure. Modernization and privatization was in progress in the mid-1990s and the unemployment rate was among the lowest in the European Union (EU).

A

Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing

Agriculture engages some 12 per cent of the Portuguese working population (1993) and accounts for about 4 per cent of the yearly gross domestic product (GDP). Chief crops (with production figures for 2006 in tonnes) are potatoes (577,034), maize (535,789), grapes (973,369), and wheat (259,851. Sugar beet (319,246), a highly profitable crop, is replacing wheat and maize. Portugal is one of the world’s leading producers of wine, particularly port wine, and olive oil. Livestock numbered approximately 1.44 million cattle, 3.58 million sheep, 2.34 million pigs, and 43.2 million poultry.

The country is one of the largest producers of cork in the world. In 1992 the output of cork products was 154,000 tonnes. The timber harvest in 2006 amounted to 10.8 million cu m (382 million cu ft).

Commercial fishing is important to the Portuguese economy. The fish catch in 2005 totalled 218,866 tonnes, of which more than 35 per cent was sardines.

B

Mining

Mineral production in Portugal in 1994 included 147,000 tonnes of coal, 130,255 tonnes of copper-bearing iron pyrites, 60,000 tonnes of tungsten concentrates, and smaller quantities of copper, gold, silver, and tin. Mining of uranium deposits (32,000 tonnes) began in 1979.

C

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is of increasing importance to the economy of Portugal, employing about 23 per cent of the workforce (1995). Major manufactured goods include wine; processed food and canned fish; textiles, clothing, and footwear; machinery; chemicals; wood, cork, paper, glass and pottery items; refrigerators; refined petroleum; and building materials. Output in 1993 included about 40,000 tonnes of processed fish, 303,000 tonnes of refined sugar, 444,000 litres of wine, and 15,400 tonnes of cigarettes. An oil refinery and petrochemical complex opened south of Lisbon in 1979. Products of cottage industries, such as lace, pottery, ceramics, and tiles, are world famous. Over 71,000 tonnes of household ware in porcelain, china, and other ceramics were made in 1993.