PORTUGAL 



1782 



PORTUGAL 



Government and History 



Government. A republic tred in Por- 



tugal on October 5, 1910. A provisional gov- 

 ernment was established which lasted until 

 August 20, 1911. when a constitution was 

 adopted. This provides for a li-jishitivc body 

 of two chambers; the lower chamber, or Na- 

 tional Council. ( 164 members, elected 

 directly by the people for a term of three 

 years; the upper chamber has seventy-one 

 memb. 1 by the municipal councils, 

 one-half of the membership being renewable 

 every three years. The President is elected 

 by both chambers for one single term of four 

 and he must be at least thirty-five years 

 of age. He may not be present in the Cham- 

 bers during debates. He appoints the Premier 

 and seven ministers of state, all of whom are 

 responsible to Parliament. The constitution 

 may be revised every ten years. 



The country is divided into 193 judicial dis- 

 tricts, each having one court. There are courts 

 of appeal at Lisbon and Oporto; the Supreme 

 Court is at the capital. 



Colonies. The estimated population of the 

 colonies of Portugal is 9,144,310, about double 

 the population of Portugal itself; their area 

 is more than twenty-two times that of the re- 

 public. The Azores archipelago and the is- 



FLAG OF PORTUGAL 



Verticil lines, rod ; slanting lines, green; strap- 

 work and castles, gold : shields, blue, on white 

 field. 



land of Madeira are considered a part of the 

 republic, and are a part of the home govern- 

 ment. The Cape Verde Islands, 300 miles from 

 the west coast of Africa, peopled by the Portu- 

 guese and the negroid race, are of strategic 

 and commercial importance. In Africa, Portu- 

 guese Guinea, a territory of 14,000 square 

 miles in French Senegambia, inhabited by war- 

 like natives, refugees, and exiles, was impor- 



tant in the days of the slave trade. Other Afri- 

 can possessions are Prince's and Saint ThomusV 

 islands, which, though fertile, are not of great 

 value because they arc not improved and are 

 \ny unhealthful; Angola on the west coast, and 

 Mozambique in East Africa. The Asiatic colo- 

 nies are largely in the Indian Archipd 

 Damao, Diu, Goa, and Macao in China are 

 important commercial centers for Portugal's 

 far Eastern trade. 



Cities. Lisbon, the capital and largest city 

 of Portugal, is famous as being the most beau- 

 tifully-situated capital city of Europe, with the 

 exception of Constantinople. It is notable also 

 as having one of Europe's most attractive pub- 

 lic squares, but this and its situation are its 

 only beauties. Picturesque Oporto, the great 

 seaport; Setubal, the warmest city of Portugal 

 and notable for the export of salt; Faro, in 

 the south, and Vianna, in the northernmost 

 province, are Portugal's other principal cities. 



Early History. The earliest historical colo- 

 nists of Portugal came from Carthage and Phoe- 

 nicia. Later Greek colonies were founded at 

 the mouth of the Tagus, and during the Roman 

 Empire Latin settlements were made. Some 

 historians have identified Portugal as ancient 

 Lusitania. In the fifth century the whole pen- 

 insula was overrun by the Visigoths, and in 

 the eight century Portugal was conquered by 

 the Moors. The rule of the Moorish Caliphs 

 was wise, and the country prospered until the 

 tenth century, when their power weakened. 

 Centuries of fierce warfare between the Moors 

 and Christians followed. Ferdinand the Great, 

 in a series of battles, conquered the Moors, and 

 his son, Alfonso IV of Spain, united the con- 

 quered provinces, giving the fief of Coimbra 

 and Oporto to Henry of Burgundy; in 1095 

 he was made the first count of Portugal. Here 

 Portuguese history begins. 



The Line of Kings. Henry's son, Alfonso 

 Henriques, was the first king of Portugal. He 

 extended the kingdom by repeated victories 

 over the Moors. His son, Sancho I, won the 

 name of "The City Builder." During his reign 

 and those of his successors, Alfonso II and 

 Sancho II, the country was chiefly occupied in 

 quarrels with the Papal power. Under Alfonso 

 III (1248-1279), Portugal attained its European 

 limits, Mohammedan warfare was concluded, 

 and the constitutional history began. 



From 1325 to 1337, under Denis, peaceful prog- 

 ress succeeded warfare; the first commercial 



