Portugal and it’s capital Lisbon welcome with open arms the World Youth Day in 2023, the biggest meeting of young people from all over the world with the Pope.
Portugal has nine centuries of history and is one of the oldest nations in Europe. We speak the language of Camões, Pessoa and Eça de Queiroz and of our brothers Machado de Assis, Jorge Amado, Pepetela and Mia Couto. Portuguese is also the official language of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor and Macau, in China.
There are many visiting cards in our country: the natural beauties from north to south and in the two Atlantic islans groups, Madeira and Azores, the food, the hospitality, the beaches, the sun and, of course, football (i. e., soccer for our friends in USA).
Portugal has been a member of the European Union since 1986, including the Euro Zone and the Schengen Area, of the United Nations and NATO, and is ranked 38th in the United Nations Human Development Index (2020 data).
The Portuguese population is close to 11 million and is mostly Catholic.
Foreign demand for Portugal as a tourist destination reached historic highs in 2019 with nearly 50 million overnight stays and over 19 million guests. And with very positive results in the external image: in 2019 Portugal was elected, for the third consecutive time, the Best Tourist Destination in the World (World’s Leading Destination); it also won the awards for “Best City Break Destination in the World” (Lisbon) “Best Island Destination in the World” (Madeira) and “Best Tourist Attraction in the World in the Adventure segment” (Passadiços do Paiva), among other awards.
Tourism is now the country’s main export activity
