Spring and fall are definitely the best times of year to visit mainland Portugal. Winter starts in November or December and lasts to February or March. Especially in the north and central regions, including Lisbon, the winter is rainy and chilly. The weather usually stays warm from May to September.
The Algarve is moderate year-round, with extremely hot summers and a lot of sun even in the winter. Midsummer is also extremely hot in Alentejo. An evening breeze cools the temperature down along the coast.
In the end of April/beginning of May you can still get the lower winter rates in hotels.
The climate in the Azores is mild year-round.
In Madeira, the climate is mild, more or less constant year-round with high temperatures in the summer. Actually, the island has two different climates. One on the north side, and a different one on the south side. The nearly 2000 m high mountains in the middle stop the rain coming from the north side. That gives a lot of rain in the mountains and on the north side. The south side also gets a lot of rain, but mostly as showers, and primarily in the winter.
On Porto Santo (the other inhabited island of the archipelago of Madeira) the climate is very dry, so it's not the "floating garden" Madeira is.
Peak season in Portugal extends from June to September. The tourist season in the Algarve last from late February until November, and in the north from May until September. In the winter Madeira is always very popular.
The euro (currency sign: €; currency code: EUR) is the official currency of the European Union (EU). Fifteen member states have adopted it, known collectively as the Eurozone (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain).
Portugal is a coastal nation in southwestern Europe. Its mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula and borders only one nation — Spain, to the east and north — with a total of 1,214km of borders. Despite this total of km for the border with Spain, Portugal does not recognise the border from the delta of the River Caia to the delta of the River Cuncos since 1801's occupation of the Olivença territory by the Spanish Kingdom. This territory, though under Spanish occupation remains part of Portugal and no border is henceforth recognised in this area. It is bordered on the west with a 1,793km coastline along the North Atlantic Ocean. Portugal also controls the Atlantic islands of Azores and Madeira Islands, which are strategic locations along western sea approaches to the Strait of Gibraltar between the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. In total, the country has an area of 92,391 km² of which 91,951 km² is land and 440 km² water.
Portugal is a European nation whose origins go back to the Early Middle Ages. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it ascended to the status of a world power during Europe's "Age of Discovery" as it built up a vast empire including possessions in South America, Africa, and Asia. In the next two centuries, Portugal gradually lost much of its wealth and status as the Dutch, English and French took an increasing share of the spice and slave trades (the economic basis of its empire), by surrounding or conquering the widely scattered Portuguese trading posts and territories, leaving it with ever fewer resources to defend its overseas interests.
Signs of military decline began with two disastrous battles: the Battle of Alcácer Quibir in Morocco in 1578 and Spain's abortive attempt to conquer England in 1588 (Portugal contributed ships to the Spanish invasion fleet). The country was further weakened by the destruction of much of its capital city in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars and the loss of its largest colony, Brazil, in 1822. From the middle of the 19th century to the late 1950s, nearly two million Portuguese left Europe to live in Brazil and the United States. In 1910, there was a revolution that deposed the monarchy; however, the subsequent republic was unable to solve the country's problems. Amid corruption, repression of the Church, and the near bankruptcy of the state, a military coup in 1926 installed a dictatorship that remained until another coup in 1974. The new government instituted sweeping democratic reforms and granted independence to all of Portugal's African colonies in 1975.
Portugal is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). It entered the European Community (now the European Union) in 1986.
1 Jan New Year's Day.
24 Feb Mardi Gras (Carnival).
10-13 Apr Easter.
25 Apr Freedom Day.
1 May Labour Day.
10 Jun Portugal Day.
11 Jun Corpus Christi.
15 Aug Assumption.
5 Oct Republic Day.
1 Nov All Saints' Day.
1 Dec Restoration of Independence Day.
8 Dec Immaculate Conception.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
Holidays falling on a Saturday or Sunday are not observed on the following Monday.
The population of Portugal in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 10,062,000, which placed it as number 78 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 16% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 16% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 93 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is 0.13%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 10,030,000. The population density in 2002 was 114 per sq km (294 per sq mi). Approximately two-thirds of the population lives in coastal areas.
It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 38% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, Lisbon, had a population of 3,754,000 in that year. Oporto, the next largest city, had a metropolitan population of 1,179,510. These two metropolitan areas account for most of the urban dwellers in the country. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 1.7%.
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