Living here

Portugal is located at the extreme southwest of Europe and is constituted by the continental territory and the Madeira and Azores islands. The Continent is divided in 18 districts. Portugal’s total area is of 92.152 Km2 and there are around 10 million inhabitants. The Portuguese Republic’s northern and eastern borders meet Spain whereas the others make for an extensive atlantic coastline. The country’s capital is Lisbon (Lisboa) and the official language is portuguese.

BRIEF HISTORY
Portugal is one of the world’s oldest nations. Established as a kingdom by Alphonso I in 1139, and recognized by the Pope in 1179, Portugal remained independent until 1580, when an invasion by Phillip II of Spain brought sixty years of foreign domination. The Spanish were overthrown by a revolution in 1640, and Portugal continued as a kingdom until 1910, when the monarchy was expelled, and the First Republic established. Short lived, and often violent, governments ensued, before a military coup in 1926. The ‘Revolution of the Carnations’ ended the authoritarian regime in 1974 and in 1986 Portugal joined the EEC, being now a democratic republic in the EU.

POLITICAL SYSTEM
Portugal is a Parliamentary Republic with a President, elected by direct and universal suffrage for a 5 year term. Government is formed by a Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister.

CURRENCY
Since January 2002 the Euro is the national currency.

RELIGION
Most portuguese citizens are Roman Catholic and most holidays have a religious character. There are as well other religious communities. Religious freedom is the norm, as the State does not intervene in spiritual matters.

HEALTH AND SAFETY
Students from the European Union and Switzerland should bring the European Health Insurance Card to guarantee medical assistance in Portugal. It includes all the necessary medical care in case of an unexpected illness, accident and/or maternity. The student will be treated as a national citizen and accepted by the National Health Service. Students from Non-EU countries should carry insurance from their country or buy health insurance upon arrival in Portugal. For more information please visit: www1.seg-social.pt/ingles

TIME ZONE
Portugal (mainland) is on GMT (one hour earlier than the Continental European Time – CET), just like London. Daylight savings time is applied.

CLIMATE
Climate in Porto is typical of Atlantic regions: damp but temperate, with colder nights. In winter, rainfall is very frequent, but it hardly ever snows and frost is rare as well, as the temperature rise, and the warmest months of the year are June, July and August: temperatures range from 20ºC to 35ºC. September, October, April and May are mild, with periods of atmospheric instability: quite frequently fogy mornings are replaced by sunny afternoons, or rain showers alternate with periods of bright sunshine.

GASTRONOMY
Portuguese food is very diverse. In Portugal, lunch is between 12 pm and 2 pm and dinner is between 7 pm and 10 pm. Dinner is usually a substantial meal, in contrast to what happens in most other countries. To have a glimpse of the main restaurants in town and their specific offerings please click: https://www.portoturismo.pt/index.php?m=3&s=5&c=1

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Porto has an efficient transportation system, composed of a network of bus, subway and trainlines, which can get you pretty much anywhere in town and surrounding areas.
Porto is also served by an international airport: Aeroporto Francisco Sá Carneiro, located 11 km north of the city and served by a subway station. There are a number of airlines in this airport. You can check which ones, and their flight destinations, in the airport’s flight info listings.

FINANCIAL SERVICES
Several international banks are present in Portugal and allow for a seamless interaction both at home and in our country: Barclays, Santander and Deutsche Bank are some of the better known.