The country is also one of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council[9] and a leading member of the European Union and many other organizations[10]. When D. Henrique died, his wife took the county of Portucale, much to the chagrin of their son D. Afonso Henriques. www.numbeo.com/quality-of-life/rankings_by_country.jsp [21] “SOCIAL PROGRESS INDEX 2015 : EXECUTIVE SUMMARY” (PDF). 1997. LE-MERIDIAN FUNDING SERVICES. No civilization or historic impact! 12th/13th century, conquered by Portugal, border between Portugal and León/Castile. The Portugal-Spain border is 1,214 km (754 mi) long and considered the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union. Error type: Your comment has been saved. This is the result of the birth rate falling to almost one child per couple, after standing at more than two back in 1982. [18][18] “Fragile States Index 2017”. The land within the borders of current Portugal has been continuously settled and fought over since prehistoric times. Learn more about Portugal. Portus Cale referred to either the port town of Cale (Gaia today, on the Douro River) or Cale and its neighboring town and today Portus is known as Porto. Those empires consisted largely of city-states and/or fiefdoms, and bear little resemblance to our modern notion of countries or nation-states. Which was a sanctioned as a Kingdom by the Pope in the year 1000. [25] GBD 2013 Mortality and Causes of Death, Collaborators. Institute for Economics and Peace. This is the result of the birth rate falling to almost one child per couple, after standing at more than two back in 1982. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.). The Treaty of Verdun divided Francia into three parts: the east, the west, and the middle. Please enable JavaScript if you would like to comment on this blog. Required fields are marked *. | Central Intelligence Agency. The Kingdom of France emerged from the western part of the Carolingian Empire, known as West Francia, and would serve as the beginnings of modern France. 101 More Interesting Trivia Facts That Will Blow Your Mind. They called it Portucale, a name that had been used as early as the days of ancient Carthage. This prevents automated programs from posting comments. photo source: Credit Most provinces of the Netherlands achieved independence through The Act of Abjuration, which was signed during the Dutch Revolt. The Kingdom of Portugal, which has origins in the County of Portugal, gained independence when its ruler King Afonso I broke the Treaty of Tui and invaded Galicia in the Kingdom of León[16]. Next, the fiery D. Afonso tuned his attention to the Moors, pushing them back beyond the Mondego River expanding his county. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. Sun-drenched beaches, exclusive resorts, medieval towns, colorful fishing villages, a cosmopolitan capital, wild remote mountains, Portugal has it all. Here are 10 of the oldest countries in Europe. In 1139 D. Afonso won a legendary battle at Ourique, defeating five Caliphs and declaring his nation’s independence. 1139 Portugal becomes independent from León-Castile, border between Portugal and León-Castile. After a brief civil war following the death of Louis the Pious, the Treaty of Verdun was signed in 843. Monaco continues to be ruled by The House of Grimaldi and its defense is France’s responsibility, even though Monaco is independent and has two small military units. Formed: August 843 AD Gained independence from: N/A Founder: Charles the Bald Known today: France. Today, Switzerland is easily one of the most developed countries in the world[26]. England’s parliamentary system is also widely adopted by many other nations[12] and the UK is permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. When does Bulgarian history begin? And when you leave Portugal, you will probably feel saudades (a feeling of longing for something that is gone but might return). According to the Jelling Stones uncovered in Jelling, Denmark, the country formed its first nation-state-like governance in 965 AD, when Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson introduced Christianity to the people of the kingdom, although the monarchy on Denmark itself traces back slightly further.