{"id":24568,"date":"2022-07-12T12:51:29","date_gmt":"2022-07-12T10:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.act-translations.com\/ola-portugal-10-exciting-facts-about-the-country-and-the-language\/"},"modified":"2024-07-30T15:39:26","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T13:39:26","slug":"ola-portugal-10-exciting-facts-about-the-country-and-the-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.act-translations.com\/en-gb\/ola-portugal-10-exciting-facts-about-the-country-and-the-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Ol\u00e1: Portugal \u2013 10 exciting facts about the country and the language"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Historically Portugal has generally been overshadowed by its larger neighbor, Spain. In recent years, the land of seafarers and explorers has become significantly more attractive as a European travel destination \u2013 and with good reason. Portugal not only conquers the hearts of world travelers with culinary delights like its famous past\u00e9is de nata pudding tart, but also enchants with its thrilling culture, world-record surfing and charming bookshops that evoke the world of Harry Potter.<\/p>\n\n

This country on the Iberian Peninsula is also a very attractive target market for international companies. Our list of ten facts below explains precisely what makes Portugal so alluring.<\/p>\n\n

1. Port wine \u2013 Portugal\u2019s most famous export? Not necessarily.<\/h5>\n\n

Along the edges of the historic town of Porto, the Douro River flows through picturesque wine country. The landscape is truly spectacular. A glass of Portugal\u2019s most famous export tastes best on a warm summer evening right here, with a view of the Douro valley.<\/p>\n\n

But the rumor mills have long been churning: Is port wine, named for its birthplace in the town of Porto, really a Portuguese invention? Rumor has it that the English not only have a historical soft spot for the sweet fortified wine, but actually invented it themselves back in the 17th century. It is said that they mixed brandy into red wine from the Douro Valley to keep it from fermenting during the long trip to England.<\/p>\n\n

Whether the famous beverage actually has English origins or not remains uncertain today. Whatever the truth may be, a glass of potent port wine should definitely make the cultural itinerary for your next vacation in Portugal.<\/p>\n\n

2. Fado \u2013 The melancholy side of Portugal<\/h5>\n\n

There\u2019s no doubt that the Portuguese are a vivacious, open-hearted people. But Portugal\u2019s culture also has a melancholy side that finds its best expression in the musical tradition of fado. Born in the poor quarters of Lisbon in the 19th century, today fado singers join their audiences all over the country to sing about love, hard luck, and the hope of a better future.<\/p>\n\n

Fado is Portuguese for \u201cfate\u201d and embodies the concept of saudade: the pain and longing often shared by the inhabitants of this land of emigrants.<\/p>\n\n

3. Bacalhau \u2013 Portugal\u2019s imported national dish<\/h5>\n\n

As a coastal country, Portugal reserves the top spot on its menu for fish. The stockfish bacalhau (cod) is a preferred delicacy \u2013 not just on major holidays like Christmas and Easter. And in fact, the Portuguese consume 20% of the world\u2019s cod. Since Portuguese waters are now running out of cod, however, the country is forced to import most of its supply from Norway.<\/p>\n\n

4. Portugal\u2019s capital used to be located almost 4,800 miles away from its borders<\/h5>\n\n

Portugal\u2019s capital is Lisbon, but this hasn\u2019t always been the case. When Napoleon marched into Portugal in 1807, the royal family fled to Sugar Loaf Mountain in Brazil. And so it also came to be that Portugal\u2019s capital briefly relocated to Rio de Janeiro until the country was liberated from Napoleon\u2019s troops in 1821. The two cities remain united today thanks to their sister landmark Cristo statues.<\/p>\n\n

5. Lisbon is home to the world\u2019s oldest bookstore<\/h5>\n\n

There\u2019s something magic about the curved red staircase and quaint wood paneling. And the place is said to have actually inspired J.K. Rowling in her creation of the wizarding world of Harry Potter.<\/p>\n\n

The locale? The Livraria Bertrand bookshop. Open since 1732, the shop in Lisbon\u2019s Chiado quarter is the oldest in the world. The historic location is worth a visit \u2013 and not only for book lovers looking to immerse themselves in another century.<\/p>\n\n

6. A surfer\u2019s paradise with perfect beaches and huge waves<\/h5>\n\n

With nearly 2,000 miles of coastline, Portugal has plenty of space for picture-perfect landscapes. The Algarve coast, with its bizarre rock formations, caves and powdered-sand beaches tops the list of Portugal\u2019s getaway regions. From Sagres, the southwesternmost point in Europe, you can enjoy a spectacular view of the wide open Atlantic.<\/p>\n\n

But the ocean isn\u2019t an inviting place for swimmers everywhere in the country. In Nazar\u00e9 in eastern Portugal, hundred-foot waves are not an uncommon sight. It was here that a German surfer conquered an 86-foot wave in 2020, shattering all previous Guinness World Records.<\/p>\n\n

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7. Portuguese is spoken on four continents<\/h5>\n\n

Around the world, 270 million people speak Portuguese<\/a> as a native or second language. And less than 5% of Portuguese speakers live in Portugal.<\/p>\n\n

Did you know that Portuguese is also an official language in Brazil, in many African countries, in the Caribbean and even in the autonomous territory of Macau? The origins of this date back to the age of colonialism when Portugal occupied countries across the world.<\/p>\n\n

The result is a diverse international potpourri:<\/p>\n\n