Portugal snapshots, including introduction, tourist attractions, and photographs.

Portugal is located in Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and west of Spain. Included Azores and Madeira Islands, Portugal has total land area about 91,951 square kilometers, slightly smaller than Indiana of the United States.

Portugal has 10,048,232 (July 2000 estimate) population. Portuguese is the official languages.

With maritime climate, Portugal is cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south region.

Portugal is an upcoming capitalist economy with a per capita GDP two-thirds that of the four big West European economies. In 1999, it continued to enjoy sturdy economic growth, falling interest rates, and low unemployment. The country qualified for the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and joined with 10 other European countries in launching the euro on 1 January 1999.

Portugal uses Portuguese escudo (Esc) as its currency but the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002. Based on January 1999 data, US$1 is equal to 172.78 Portuguese escudos.

Lisbon is the capital of the Portuguese Republic. With Portugal's centuries of rich history, this lovely city has many attractions to offer to visitors. The noble Monument to the Discoveries, the Jeronimos Monastery, St. George's Castle, the Gulbenkian Foundation Museum, the Museum of Ancient Art, the Belem Tower, are some sightseeing highlights in Lisbon.

Traveling north from Lisbon, you will find the Serra d'Aire Mountains, the famous shrine of Fatima, Portugal's one-time capital Coimbra, the famed city of Porto, and the terraced hillsides of the Douro River Valley.

Portugal, an elegant country with warm people, will give you an unforgettable journey.