JohnnyPT

1. Some years ago I read the book and later saw the film "The Man Who Planted Trees", a story written by Jean Giono. It is curious how the reflection on a simple fable teaches us so much about Resilience, Silence and Time. And how small gestures that cost us so little can make such a difference, wherever we find ourselves, like here, with a simple tablet in our hands... Almost of the environmental news published these days refers to the terrible global scenario we are facing today: the impact of climate change, extinction of species, increased deforestation, disaster caused by litter at sea, all events caused by human actions. After reading such news, the feeling of powerlessness becomes evident, and the understanding arises that a change of scenery requires an army of human beings united around one ideal. But with this story we can see the opposite point of view, which is presented to us by the main character Elzéard Bouffier, found by a traveller in a french region. The way Bouffier lived and carefully handled the seeds intrigued the traveler, who spent the years visiting him. Each year he noticed that the landscape changed positively and that man increased the number of species he planted. Persistence and resilience walked together in this process. The silence appears in different senses, a sensation that arises during the reading and also in the form of Bouffier's behaviour, which promotes a transformation without the need to promote oneself, a complex challenge in times of ego-centered social networks... ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. I have already lived in other countries and I know how important it is to receive useful information that helps in everyday life, even about basic things, in a reality that we did not know or sound to us weird initially. This is what led me to sign up for this forum. Unfortunately, what I sometimes see in the forum is that some expats live in Portugal to enjoy the advantages of being a Non-Habitual Resident (NHR), living in a safe place and with good climate, while showing lack of knowledge about Portugal and the Portuguese. What Portugal was in the past, what it is today, and the potential it has to have a future that, if desired, promising. Its History and the Legacy it has left and represented to the world. The numerous monuments: findings with origins dating back 4500 years ago, legacies of the Roman Empire or Arabic presence in Iberia, or buildings from all kind of ages and styles: Romantic, Gothic, Baroque, Neoclassical,... The popular culture still preserved in this country, and almost swept away from many european countries. These are aspects that must be perceived and valued by those who come from other places, in order to better understand this country and its people, its qualities and its handicaps. The rich historical legacy, often almost ignored by the tourist routes that always direct tourists to the same places, the varied popular culture, the gastronomy richness, the diversity of landscapes and well preserved historical places, fit in a country with a small geographical area but with one of the largest maritime Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the world... _______________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Portugal is one of the oldest countries in the world, with well defined borders since 1139, almost 900 years ago and its capital city Lisbon is known to be much older than Rome. The first inhabitants confirmed in Lisbon were the Phoenicians in 1200 BC, although there are suspicions that there was already a human presence in the city around 2500 BC. Over many centuries, the Portuguese have spent much time and strength defending themselves against the Spanish. Along the border, they built plenty of powerful castles and fortresses whenever there was no river to separate both nations, in order to prevent invasions for centuries. And because of this permanent threat, they turned to the immense and unknown sea in front of them, and turned their backs on Spain. __________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This was the trigger, an opportunity to initiate a new Era. The Portuguese started to discover the islands of Madeira and the Azores. With Pedro Alvares Cabral, they arrived in Brazil in 1500. They reached by sea in countless regions of Africa (Morroco, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Principe, Guinea, and so on...), from coast to the inland, from north to south, from east to west. All this, 400 years before the 1884 Berlin Conference which divided what remained of Africa among the European powers of that time... In 1498 with Vasco da Gama, they circumvented the Cape of Storms in present-day South Africa, connecting the Atlantic with Indian Ocean, something none had never done before, and managed to discover the sea route to India (until then, only reached by land, thanks to Marco Polo). They established trade routes with Persia (Ormuz), India (Goa, Daman, Diu, Calecute, Cochim, Ceylon/Sri-Lanka) and China (Macao). Almost two centuries later did the British and Dutch get there to explore the trade and take advantage of it. The Portuguese established colonies in Malacca (now Malasia), East Timor (near Australia) and were the first Europeans to reach the Empire of Japan in 1543. Also Fernão de Magalhães/Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who organised and started the Spanish expedition to the East Indies, resulting in the first circumnavigation of the Earth. With these discoveries and these new alternative trade routes to the Mediterranean sea, cradle of the Greek-Roman civilizations, the Portuguese initiated the Age of European Discoveries and were responsible for important advances in nautical technology and science, cartography and astronomy, developing the first ships capable of sailing safely in open sea in the Atlantic ocean. _______________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Portuguese are naturally peaceful, hospitable and friendly to foreigners. Even though we do not speak other languages, we try to help and understand those who come from outside. Because we have been there and made ourselves understood without automatic translators. As we did in 1500 with the indigenous people of Brazil. Or with the Japanese in 1543, as shown by the Namban Biombos, exhibited at the Arte Antiga National Museum, in Lisbon. ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Camões (1524-1580) is considered the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare, Dante and Virgílio. He wrote a considerable amount of lyrical poetry but is best remembered for his epic Work "Os Lusíadas" that describes this glorious epoch of Discoveries. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In the 15th and 16th centuries, two thirds of the world was reached by the Portuguese. Before any other European people. They left the testimony of their presence where they passed through, with monuments still preserved, memories that remain between generations, and the still visible presence of the Portuguese language in those places. _____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Timeline: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ @ - AFRICA - : Ceuta (1415), Cape Bojador/Saara Ocidental (1434), Cape Verde (1456-1462), Sierra Leone (1460), Sao Tome & Principe & Guinea (1470), Nigeria & Cameroon (1472), Congo (1482), Angola (1485), Ethiopia (1487), Cape of Good Hope/South Africa (1488), Mozambique (1488), Mombasa and Melinde/ Kenya (1498), Zanzibar/Tanzania (1499), Mogadishu/Somalia (1499), Madagascar (1500), Comoros islands (1505) ____________ @ - AMERICA - : Newfoundland and Labrador/Canada (1495-1500), Brazil (1500) _______________________________ @ - MIDDLE EAST - : Ormuz (1507), Socotra Island (1507), Bahrain (1510), Red Sea (1513) ______________________ @ - INDIA / INDIAN OCEAN : Goa, Daman, Dio, Calecut, Bombay, Cochin/India (1498-1510), Seychelles (1502), Ceylon/Sri-Lanka (1505), Mauritius (1507), Maldives (1518) ______________________________________________________ @ - EAST / PACIFIC OCEAN - : Malacca/Malaysia (1511), Siam/Thailand (1511), Sumatra/Indonesia (1511), East Timor (1512), Macao and Canton/China (1513-1517), Vietnam (1516), Australia (1522), Papua New Guinea (1526), Japan (1543) _____________________________________________________________________________________________ @ - NORTH AND SOUTH ATLANTIC - : Madeira Islands (1419), Azores Islands (1427-1452), Santa Helena Island (1503), Tristan da Cunha Island (1506) _________________________________________________________________________ @ Thousands of Portuguese played a decisive role in the construction of the Spanish empire, a fact systematically ignored... Some of them: Fernão de Magalhães/ Beginning of the world circumnavigation (1519-1522), João Cabrilho/California (1542), João Fernandes/ Mexico, Guatemala and Peru (1532) and New Zealand (1550), ... ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ @ And beyond all this, and without making out of polemics, there are evidence-based studies well sustained that prove that Christopher Columbus (America's discoverer, 1492) was a Portuguese corsair, born in Coimbra and called Pedro de Ataíde. He was also called Pedro Culão (or Colon) when Venetian and Genoese merchants (who complained about him for plundering their ships) referred to him in letters addressed to the king of Portugal between 1469 and 1476. He lived, learned the navigation skills and techniques and formed a family in Portugal. Like any Portuguese of his time, he had in his mind the idea of discovering new lands. In 1485, probably because of his troubled past in Portugal as an irresponsible young man stealing ships, he went to offer to the Spanish Queen the possibility of reaching unknown seas and lands - the "Indias" (America), as he called. And later, in the Spanish court they referred to him as "the Portuguese captain". All of this is available for those who are interested in these subjects... __________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Portugal's rich and wide legacy to the world, its language and history common to other countries. With architectural testimonies of the Portuguese presence in so many places, today declared World Heritage by UNESCO. @ In Brazil, some examples like the rich and well preserved historical centres of Olinda (1537-1815), São Salvador da Bahia (1549-1815), Ouro Preto (1640-1815),... The Portuguese Royal Library in Rio de Janeiro (1770-1815), ... @ In Africa: Mazagão (now called El Jadida) (1540-1769), in Morocco; Ribeira Grande Old Town (1462-1970) in Cape Verde; the Mozambique Island Old Fortress (1590-1970), ... @ In Asia, Catholic Churches and Convents (1510-1955) in Goa, India, the Historic Centre of Macao (1543-1998), in China, ... @ Also Malacca (1511-1681) in Malaysia; Muscat (1507-1622) in Oman; Ormuz (1508-1620) in present-day Iran, and so on... ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. But just as in human lives, countries alternate their existences between light and shadow, construction, stagnation and decline. World history is full of such examples, cycles of greater prosperity and more difficult times. The decline began with a weak and ill-prepared young king who lost a battle against the Arabs in Africa in 1578 on a foggy morning. He never appeared again and left no descendants. Because of this event, a vacuum was created in monarchy, a dynastic crisis followed, also due to the huge reduction in trade because of fights and collisions with countless pirate ships from northern Europe which piled up on the maritime trade routes started by Portugal with India, China, Africa and Brazil. That 's why we ended up belonging to Spain for 60 long years, between 1580 and 1640... ____________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ After the restoration of Portugal's independence on December 1st, 1640, many years of crisis followed. To consolidate the independence gained and minimise political difficulties, the new king signed alliances with other european kingdoms. The most important in 1703, guaranteed England's political protection, provided there were economic concessions by counterparty... With the increase in imports of english products, the Portuguese Crown's coffers were emptied, further accentuating the imbalance in the trade balance. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In 1755, Lisbon was completely destroyed by an earthquake, followed by tsunami and firestorm. All hit the city at once in a tragic morning. There are many youtube videos explaining this event such as the 3 minutes video "The Lisbon 1755 Earthquake". 100,000 people died. 90% of the city's buildings disappeared, including rich palaces, opera theatres and churches. Mostly medieval constructions and without today's construction techniques. All destroyed on the morning of November 1, 1755, All Saints' Day. A highly irony in a deeply Catholic country that was inside the churches praying and lighting candles to all the Saints, candles that turned out to be a tragedy, resulting in countless fires that ended up destroying everything that remained standing. After this horrible destruction, the Portuguese economic backwardness continued between 1790 and 1940... Some reasons are as follows. Between 1806 and 1811, with the 3 terrible french invasions led by Napoleon Bonaparte, which destroyed and plundered much wealth and works of Portuguese art, the Portuguese royal family fled to Brazil. In 1821, Brazil became independent. Between 1828 and 1834, due to the enlightenment new ideas of thinking brought with the french revolution, a bloody war was unleashed in Portugal to obtain the right to royal succession between two brothers with different ideas about what the monarchy should be. Pedro, liberal with new ideals, and the other, Miguel, absolutist conservative, each wishing the death of the other, and leading to the death plenty of supporters on both sides. Pedro won and became the first King of Brazil and his daughter, Maria, Queen of Portugal, by right of succession. ____________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Portugal, which had begun its maritime empire over 100 years before the english, was reduced to insignificance, in the shadow of the british empire. This was the price Portugal paid for the aid the english had gave us in the battles against the spanish from 1385 (which resulted in the closeness of relations between Portugal and England in a permanent military alliance with the Treaty of Windsor, the oldest still active in existence in the world between 2 nations), in the restoration of independence in 1640, and the military aid during the french invasions with Napoleon in the early 19th century. With the industrial revolution, at the height of european economic development, while the english invented machines and innovative means of production, the portuguese were left to agriculture and poverty. Portugal thus became totally dependent on England (Its oldest ally but which proved to be very bitter indeed...), with its coasts turned towards Spain (its enemy of centuries) and without access to sea trade, with the sea invaded by pirates from northern Europe... Portugal produced almost nothing and became poorer and more and more indebted. We were too late in catching the train of the industrial revolution and the development it brought to Europe. Because of so much misfortune, in 1820, Fado the national song, appeared, sadly singing our fate, a mixture of regret, suffering and longing, which only the Portuguese understand. ____________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In the last 110 years, after a regicide, we stopped being a monarchy and became a republic. This was followed by a dictatorship of 50 years in a row, which isolated us even more from Europe and kept a significant part of the population without having access to school education and with very limited financial resources.... but which saved us from the tragedy that was the World War II. Bloody colonial wars followed between 1961 and 1975 with the former Portuguese territories in Africa, which further impoverished Portugal and unfortunately destroyed an entire generation. The Portuguese experienced the bitterness of this bloody, traumatic and unnecessary war. @ Bloody because the Colonial War lasted 13 long years, more than twice as long as World War II, and killed thousands of portuguese and africans. @ Traumatic because it left thousands of former soldiers with permanent deficiency (physical or psychological), until now. More than half a million people arrived in Portugal from Africa between the summer of 1974 and 1975. They were called the "returnees". They left behind a life, and had to start again with practically nothing. They had only memories left and the greatest being the feeling of loss and emptiness. @ Unnecessary because Portugal was unable to keep up with the decolonisation that had taken place by its European allies, remained faithful to its colonialist principles, and began to suffer economic and political blockages at international level. And to avoid this war, many young boys run away and emigrated to other countries. But also whole families without having had opportunities to live in Portugal had to emigrate, to France, Germany, Switzerland, USA, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, Australia... and with their hard and honest work, make the other countries even richer and, simultaneously, making Portugal even poorer in terms of knowledge and labour force.  ___________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Why hasn't this decolonisation process happened with other European colonial powers, where this decolonisation was smoother? With the end of the first war, Italy and Germany had to give up their status as colonising countries, as the colonies they controlled were assigned to the winning countries. Later, the World War II, to which Portugal was spared, also made it possible for the African peoples to discover their own strength, as several of them helped their colonising countries during the conflict. On the other hand, the war left the european colonial powers unable to maintain economic and military dominance in their colonies in Africa. These problems, coupled with an independence movement that took a more organised form, led the former colonial powers to negotiate the independence of their colonies much earlier than Portugal. Portugal did not perceive the signs of the times and stayed for the end of this process and paid a too high price for it... ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ After the 1974 carnation revolution, which served to end the long-standing dictatorship, the colonial wars and start the democratic system, very complicated years of internal political struggles followed. In 1986 it joined the old EEC, ironically on the same day as our Spanish neighbour, with whom our ancestors fought and died for centuries... ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Portugal is also the only country in the world that celebrates its National Day on the day of the death of one of its Poets: 10 June, death of Luís de Camões in 1580, officially the Day of Portugal, Camões, and the Portuguese Communities. Except Ireland, which celebrates St Patrick's Day (patron Saint of Ireland), all the other countries celebrate their National Days because of other factors related to less peaceful aspects and unanimously recognized by all: national days Independence, unification/revolution, conquest of something or coronation date/birthday day of its kings. In this way, the Portuguese want to value the beauty of words and poetry, not the strength and the power of arms. Beautiful, isn't it? And in spite of all this, we have a great affection for the English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Italians and all the other peoples. We have respect for all and we know how to welcome them :) ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ And just a few more words about the UK, England in particular, and the decision of the British to go alone from now on without EU. The Portuguese have always had a strong affection with England, more than with any other European nation (beyond the bad counterparties I've mentioned before, like it happens in any relationships of any kind). As I have already wrote here, the first treaty between Portugal and England was officially signed in 1373, but the link between Portugal and England began more than two centuries earlier. In 1147, the English helped D. Afonso Henriques (the first Portuguese king) conquer Lisbon and other Portuguese cities from the Moors. And so Portugal managed to extend its territory south of the Tagus river. These English were part of the second crusade and had left Dartmouth, in the south of England, on their way to the Holy Land, Jerusalem, by sea. Forced by bad weather conditions, they had to land in Porto, and there they were convinced to help the Portuguese king to conquer Lisbon. _______________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Portugal also helped England militarily. Portuguese troops took part in the First World War to fight alongside France and the old ally England. In this war effort, almost 200,000 soldiers were deployed. The losses reached almost 10,000 dead and thousands injured, in addition to economic and social costs seriously exceeding national capacity.  During the Second World War, Portugal allowed the establishment of English military bases in the Azores. And in 1982, during the Falklands War, the military bases in the Azores were again at the disposal of the British Royal Navy. __________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ For all this, we can say that we owe England, throughout our history, the survival of Portugal as a nation. The Portuguese hold the English in high esteem and regret this Brexit as well. We have assimilate from them various attitudes that distinguish us from the other latin peoples who are closer to us. The typical English humour, the subtle irony, more low profile manners, less latin attitudes... And if we travel back in time to 1662, we see how a portuguese habit has become a "very british" feature recognized throughout the world. That year, the Portuguese princess Catarina de Bragança, daughter of a Portuguese king, married the English king Charles II with the help of a huge dowry that included money, treasures and the lucrative trade ports of Tangier/Morocco and Mumbai/India. When princess Catarina headed to England to her marriage, she also carried in her suitcase many tea leaves. By that time tea was already popular among the Portuguese aristocracy because of Portugal's trade route with China through its colony in Macao, established around 1500. Used to drinking tea as part of her daily routine, the young queen made it so popular that she made it a social drink, influencing the English court to do the same. And so it was born the typical british 5 o'clock tea. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ With this text, I hope to contribute something to the knowledge of this country and the Portuguese. Because of such diaspora with so many Portuguese spread throughout the world (more than 5 million), we have learned to live with other peoples, to be kind and hospitable, as very few nations in the world know how to do it better. I tried to be faithful to history. All this is explained in any history book about Portugal and in detail. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. And Portugal today ? __________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (A) It has two of the best prepared and educated generations than all the previous ones. A reasonable % speaks good English, besides its native language, only comparable to the northern european countries. The EF English Proficiency Index 2019 (EF EPI) attempts to rank countries by the average level of English language skills amongst adults (non-native speakers of English) and Portugal is scored in 12th (very high proficiency). At our size, we are trying to catch the train of another revolution, that of the digital age. For some reason the Web Summit chose Portugal to be here in the coming years. We have a better industry and innovation capacity than we have ever had in the past. ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (B) Metalomechanics: Growing and innovative shipbuilding industry with shipyards in Aveiro, Viana do Castelo, Peniche, Almada, ... From building new ships like the "Explorer" to cruise Antarctica, to repairing ships from several other countries. But also solar, water and wind infrastructure industries for clean energies. In what concerns the car industry, today we produce more cars (350,000) than we buy from abroad yearly. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (C) @ Textile, Clothing and Footwear Industry: they are considered one of the best in the world, in quality and innovation. The Portuguese textile sector has reinvented itself and today is a successful international case study that many countries would like to see replicated in their own industries and sectors. In footwear, the Portugal brand economic value is only surpassed by that of Italy. 95% of production is exported to 163 countries. @ Furniture: The portuguese furniture industry has been showing continuous growth at all levels, namely in the way it has achieved the highest quality standards in materials, innovative techniques and design and it has positioned itself as one of the most dynamic and important national exporting sectors. It has been a revolutionary and creative industry, some brands focused on luxury target markets, a companies cluster where designers, architects, field experts and selected exceptional brands come together for a portuguese design and craftsmanship celebration. ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (D) Aeronautics: in Évora we have the AED Cluster Portugal - Aeronautics, Space and Defence. AED Portugal represented more than 20,000 jobs among a total of 80 companies and 20 university institutions involved. It produces for companies such as Boeing, Airbus, Nasa and Embraer. ________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (E) Biomedicine: we have world reference centres such as Centro Champallimaud in Lisbon and INL International Nanotechnology Laboratory in Braga. Medical and pharmaceutical technology are the two most represented areas in patent applications originating in Portugal in 2019. The largest pharmaceutical group in Portugal, Bial is one of the leading companies in the Research and Development of new drugs, with a focus on neurosciences, Epilepsy and Parkinson's, with a subsidiary in the USA and affiliates in Spain, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy and Switzerland. ________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (F) Cork Industry: Portugal is the largest producer in the world, innovating with new applications of this reusable and biodegradable raw material, in several productive areas. Thanks to advances in R&D and innovation, all over the world, architects, designers, engineers and scientists explore the potential of cork in many different sectors. Cork is everywhere. From the floor we step on to the projects we devise. In fashion and design. In modern buildings, bridges, dams, cars, surfboards, shoes, football stadiums, airports, ships, turbines, walls, balls, carpets, playgrounds, high-speed trains and even in thermal shields and cladding plates of NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) for spacial vehicles. _______________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (G) Education: For years Portugal has been known for having excellent universities. Amongst them, the ones that stand out are the business schools (Masters & MBAs), which have been increasingly praised and recognised by top entities, such as the Financial Times and Eduniversal. All of them are schools that promote international cooperation/teachers and welcome international students: @ Nova School of Business and Economics/The Lisbon MBA (thelisbonmba.com/), @ ISCTE Business School: (ibs.iscte-iul.pt/), @ Porto Business School: (pbs.up.pt/en/); @ ISEG Lisbon School of Economics and Management: (iseg.ulisboa.pt/) In 2019 there were more than 60,000 from +85 countries for these courses as well as for Erasmus high studies at portuguese universities. Portugal has universities in the overall Higher Education World University Rankings (Porto: up.pt, Lisbon: ulisboa.pt, Coimbra: uc.pt, Minho: uminho.pt, New Lisbon: unl.pt, Aveiro: ua.pt, Catholic: ucp.pt, Beira Interior: ubi.pt, Algarve: ualg.pt, Evora: uevora.pt, ...). _____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (H) Chemical and Petrochemical Industry: Sines is a national reference in the petrochemical industry. It has a deepwater port with specialized terminals that allow the movement of different types of goods and Transshipment and Hinterland Border or Trans-European network. Soon, it is planned to invest there in the production of Green Hydrogen for exportation. _______________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (I) Energy: Portugal ranks 19th out of 115 countries in the transition to clean energies. Portugal is the 5th largest producer of electricity from renewables in the EU. @ Energy production in 2020: 70% clean energy and only 30% fossil fuels. There are no nuclear power plants. @ It has increasing the installed capacity of Hydro (36% from clean energies production in 2020), Wind (25%) and Solar Photovoltaic Energy (2%) from year to year. @ It was the first country in the world to commit to being Carbon Neutral by 2050, in the Climate Action Summit in New York in September 2019. __________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (J) innovation & Creativity: @ The annual European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) provides a comparative assessment of research and innovation performance of in EU countries, other European countries, and regional neighbours. In 2020's edition, Portugal (previously a Moderate Innovator) joins the group of Strong Innovators. Innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - Portugal is the leader followed by Finland, Austria and Belgium. These countries are characterised by high shares of SMEs with innovative products and business processes. North is at the forefront of creative industries in Portugal, in sectors linked to design based consumer goods, namely fashion, textiles, clothing, footwear, accessories, furniture, jewellery,... @ But the cities themselves have been investing in clusters of creative activities. For example, Óbidos (Literature), Idanha-a-Nova/Amarante/Leiria (Music), Barcelos/Caldas da Rainha (Handicrafts and Popular Arts), Braga (Digital Arts) have been called creative cities by the Unesco Network. For example, Óbidos, Literary Village, has converted its noble spaces, like old churches, into artistic and cultural spaces: bookstores, exhibition galleries and concert halls. @ Lisbon is also building the HCB (Hub criativo do Beato), which aims to become one of the largest hubs of innovation and technology in Europe, to host projects and companies dedicated to multimedia, design and virtual reality. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (K) Notable Persons related with Portugal right now: Besides our President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a case study of empathy with all the people, from left to right wing parties, I also remember: @ #International Politics#: António Guterres, General Secretary of the United Nations, in New York. @ #Catholic Religion# : José Tolentino de Mendonça, is currently the Archivist of the Vatican Apostolic Archives and Librarian of the Vatican Apostolic Library at the Roman Curia. He is a poet and theologian, and for those who understand Portuguese, I suggest to listen "Sete pausas na beleza", with texts written by him, and available at Spotify... @ #Religious Tolerance with other Beliefs#: In 2018, His Highness Aga Khan IV, direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed and Religious Leader of more than 15 million Muslims Ismailis, has chosen Portugal as the headquarters of Imamato Ismaili. He pointed out 4 determining reasons for this choice: 1st: Portugal is a country where one can observe a "social construction working in progress". 2nd: Being a secular country, there is in Portugal a political will to recognize the structures of Faith, and to give them an important role for their development - something that does not happen in other secular countries. 3rd: Portugal has a unique history of Pluralism. Over 700 years of Portuguese history, Jews, Christians, Muslims and even non-believers have worked and governed on the basis of pluralist political and cultural models. 4th: Portugal is a strong, massive and active civil society. In a world of enormous governance weaknesses, He recognises Portugal's ability to help other developing societies strengthen their own civil society. ____________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (L) ICT, Entrepreneurship & Digital Nomads: In recent past, Portugal has been rich in growing number of entrepreneurial companies and market leaders in all Information and Communications Technology (ICT) related in its most diverse areas (hardware, software, telecoms, ERP, SSC, BPO, Security, Compliance, etc.), providing services for different sectors such as defence, aviation, health, education, security, banking, railway sector, telecommunications and distribution, amongst others. The actual economic and start-up ecosystem in Portugal has created great potential in the ICT industries, not forgetting the recent contribution of the Web Summit events, which increased the country's visibility in this sector and has changed its international image. With all this tech-ecosystem, Portugal has imported qualified young people to work in this industries but also many of them with communications skills in their native languages to work in call-centers/customer management services for companies all over the world. More and more young entrepreneurs are emerging from portuguese universities and international companies with digital development centers or online business network are setting up digital operations across the country, such as: Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Cloudflare, Huawei, Fujitsu, CGI, Cisco, Oracle, Nokia, Dell, HP, Cilnet, Canon, BP, Bosch, Siemens, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Volvo, Nissan, Fiat-Chrysler, Renault, Xing, Critical Techworks, Blip, Natixis, National Instruments, Colt Technology services, BNP Paribas, Euronext, Revolut, Cloudflare, Farfetch, Talkdesk, Unbabel, Uniplaces, Outsystems, Uber, Zalando, Vestas, Pipedrive,... Online luxury fashion platform Farfetch, coding software provider OutSystems and cloud-based contact centre Talkdesk have put Portugal on the technology map in recent years. The country has produced an impressive number of large tech businesses. A new crop of startups are coming too, with companies such as Unbabel and Uniplaces growing rapidly. Google, for example, opened a support centre on the outskirts of Lisbon, creating 500 tech jobs. Cloudflare, one of the world's leading web infrastructure and cybersecurity companies, looked at 45 potential cities across Europe for its third European office, after London and Munich. Like many others it chose Lisbon. Portugal is not only a market open to innovation and vibrant eco-system of ICT startups but also the best gateway to ICT companies in the Lusophone markets. From financial services, to software, hardware and telecommunications, Portuguese companies have achieved a high level of excellence and international recognition with ICT state-of-the-art products and services. ________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (M) International Events: according to the International Association of Congresses and Conventions (ICCA), Lisbon ranks 2nd in the cities with the most international events in 2019, after Paris, while Portugal ranks 10th in the countries. One of this events is Web Summit, one of the largest and most prestigious global tech conferences. Last year 2019 edition it gathered 80,000 attendees, including some 2,000 startups and 1,500 investors. It will set up in Lisbon for at least 2028. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (N) Tourism: @ #2019#: for the 3rd consecutive year, at the World Travel Awards (WTA) in November 2019, Portugal is elected the best place in the world to visit and won 13 tourism oscars. The work carried out in the requalification of the heritage, the promotion of the destination and the improvement of the cultural, gastronomic and touristic offer, have positioned the country as a reference in terms of good practices. We have excellent hotels, high standard short-term & long-term leds of any typology, restaurants with recognised portuguese and international chefs (almost 30 with Michelin stars all over the country), river beaches, bird watching tourism, nature walkways trails and bike paths, some of the best rivers for the practice of activities in the white waters during the winter, such as rafting, kayaking, hydrospeeding and canoeing, plenty of golf courses of world quality, and not only in the Algarve... @ #2020#: In November, 1st 2020, Portugal has been chosen for the 4th consecutive year as the Best Destination in Europe at the 2020 World Travel Awards, known as "Oscars of Tourism". From the extensive list of awards, Portugal collected 21, among them: Madeira was voted 'Europe's Leading Island Destination' and Azores named 'Europe's Leading Adventure Tourism Destination'. The city of Porto claimed the award for 'Europe's Best Destination City Break', Lisbon won 'Best European Cruise Destination', Algarve again won the 'Best European Beach Destination'. Other portuguese awards were Europe's Leading Design Hotel (1908 Lisboa Hotel), Europe's Leading Luxury Hotel (Belmond Reid's Palace), Europe's Leading Lifestyle Resort (Conrad Algarve), Europe's Leading Tourism Development Project (Dark Sky Alqueva), Europe's Leading Luxury Resort & Villas (Dunas Douradas Beach Club), Europe's Leading Wine Region Hotel (L'AND Vineyards), Europe's Leading Cruise Port (Lisbon Cruise Port), Europe's Most Romantic Resort (Monte Santo Resort), Europe's Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction (Passadiços do Paiva, Arouca UNESCO Global Geopark), Europe's Leading Lifestyle Hotel (Pestana CR7 Lisboa), Europe's Leading All-Inclusive Resort (Pestana Porto Santo), Europe's Leading Boutique Hotel (Sublime Comporta) and Europe's Leading Luxury Boutique Hotel (Valverde Hotel). _____________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (O) Internet: Portugal is the country with the largest fibre optic coverage (FTTH) in rural areas of the European Union, with 53% of houses covered. By 2020, 70% of Portuguese families and 86.5% of households have high-speed internet access. @ It has a strong mobile sector and a growing broadband customer base focussed on the delivery of fibre-based services. @ Telecom market: There are 4 operators (nos.pt, meo.pt, vodafone.pt, nowo.pt) and they essentially work with packages that include 16:9 HD television, internet and landline/mobile services. Using the world ranking of Speedtest, at the end of 2019, the average internet access speeds in Portugal were: @ Landline: download 105.78 Mbps/upload 48.63 Mbps (world ranking 22 out of 176 countries). Mobile: download 37.71 Mbps/upload 11.60 Mbps (world ranking 39 out of 140 countries). The mobile internet network (3G and 4G, and in 2021 5G) has been improving year by year. Many municipalities, public services, shopping centres, etc. offer free Wi-Fi. __________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (P) Rich Historical, Cultural and Natural Heritage: Classified as World Heritage, Portugal has 17 sites on the UNESCO Cultural List and 6 on the UNESCO Intangible List: @ Patrimonio Cultural da Humanidade: Região Vinhateira do Alto Douro / 2001; Zona Central da cidade de Angra do Heroísmo nos Açores / 1983; Convento de Cristo em Tomar / 1983; Paisagem Cultural de Sintra / 1995; Cidade-Quartel Fronteiriça de Elvas e as suas Fortificações / 2012; Centro Histórico de Évora / 1986; Centro Histórico de Guimarães / 2001; @ Centro Histórico do Porto / 1996; Paisagem da Cultura da Vinha da Ilha do Pico / 2004; @ Floresta Laurissilva da Madeira / 1999; Mosteiro de Alcobaça / 1989; Mosteiro da Batalha / 1983; Mosteiro dos Jerónimos e Torre de Belém em Lisboa / 1983; Sítios de Arte Rupestre do Vale do Côa e Siega Verde / 1998; Universidade de Coimbra, Alta e Sofia / 2013; Museu Nacional Machado de Castro em Coimbra/ 2019; Edifícios Reais de Mafra - Palácio, Basílica, Convento, Jardim do Cerco e Tapada de Caça em Mafra / 2019; Santuário do Bom Jesus do Monte em Braga / 2019; @ Patrimonio Imaterial da Humanidade: Falcoaria /2010; Dieta Mediterrânica /2013; Fado /2011; Canto Alentejano /2014; Arte Chocadeira /2015; Caretos de Podence /2019 ________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (Q) Wellness Vacation / Health Retreat: Portugal also has important valences in the area of medical tourism, and is already attracting citizens from other countries to health care and senior care in Portugal. Some of the reasons are as followed: @ A mild climate (about 3000 hours of sunshine) throughout the year; clean, fresh air - excellent combination for good mood, recovery and convalescence. It is the opportunity to enjoy the outdoor activities, such as cycling, walking on nature paths or by the sea. @ Healthful Mediterranean cuisine with a variety of fresh fish and seafood, alongside olive oil, fruits and vegetables. Visitors can enjoy healthy meals in a variety of eateries ranging from a simple beach terrace to refined Michelin-stars restaurants. @ Over 850 kms/500 miles of splendid beaches bathed by the Atlantic can be an opportunity to learn a new fitness activity like surfing. Portugal is one of the world's top surf spots. In 2011, Hawaiian Garrett McNamara caught the biggest wave (30 m/90 ft) ever surfed to date at Nazaré, a fishing village in Central Portugal. @ Hot springs, thermal spas and thalassotherapy treatments: A variety of hot springs ("Termas") with different therapeutic properties can be found as well as rich seawater directly from the Atlantic Ocean, an excellent source for thalassotherapy. Thermal spas and thalassotherapy treatments are also available in many hotels and resorts throughout the country. Eg. Termas do Vidago (northeast), Monção & Gerês (northwest), Unhais da Serra (Estrela Central Highlands), Curia/Bussaco, Luso & Monte Real (centre west/coastline), São Pedro do Sul (centre, Viseu), Monchique (south, Faro), Caldas de Aregos (north, Douro river), Monfortinho (center east, Castelo Branco),... @ Value for money:  Spa and relaxation breaks, detox holidays, fitness retreats, boot camps, weight loss programs, holistic and stress management programs, health and medical programs offering cutting edge preventive medicine and anti-aging programs are available at very competitive prices. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (R) Exclusive Economic Zone: EEZ is a region in the Ocean in which each country has special strengths in terms of exploitation and use of marine resources. Despite our small territory, Portugal's EEZ is 19 times larger than Portugal. Since 2017, the UN has been studying its enlargement to 42 times larger than Portugal, becoming the 10th largest in the world. In addition to the exploitation and management of natural resources, each country will exercise jurisdiction in its EEZ with regard to the establishment and use of artificial islands, facilities and structures, scientific research, and the protection and preservation of the marine environment.  ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (S) Agriculture: @ Innovation in the agricultural sector has been key to increasing exports in 2019 to 185 markets, more than 50 have been opened in the last five years. @ In the last decade, export growth has been remarkable and only possible because agriculture has modernized, incorporated technology, integrated a vision of sustainability and improved management models. The trade balance in agriculture is balanced. @ In major international wine competitions, Portuguese wines continue to win awards. This year it has 2 brands in the first 13 places of The World's Most Admired Wine Brands 2020 list. __________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (T) Television production: @ The most recent study by the European Audiovisual Observatory says that Portugal is the 3rd country to produce the most hours of television fiction across Europe, much of it due to Soap operas (telenovelas) and mini-series broadcast worldwide. National TV stations, RTP, SIC and TVI sell content to over 80 countries on 5 continents and are then dubbed into each other's languages. @ In the case of foreign audiovisual production broadcast on Portuguese channels on television and in cinemas, there is no dubbing, everything is broadcast in the original language, with subtitles in Portuguese. A few countries in Europe where this really happens... @ For those who are interested in learn portuguese: The 888 (or 887) number on the top right/left corner of your TV at the start of/during most TV portuguese programmes, is a notification for you that there are subtitles available in portuguese. To set them on, you will need to press the teletext button on your remote control, followed by pressing the number. ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (U) Sustainability: @ According to Eurostat, Portugal is the largest European producer of bicycles. Around 2.7 million bicycles were produced in Portugal in 2019. @ The production cluster for bicycles and components is growing in Portugal, with almost all production being for export. @ Lisbon is the European Green Capital 2020. It is the first time that a city in southern Europe is recognised as the European Green Capital and, therefore, Lisbon City Council is implementing a set of goals to be met over the next decade. It seeks to be a reference of sustainability and environment at the level of recycled and reused water, recycling of solid waste, increasing cycle paths, encouraging bicycles usage and green spaces valorisation. All this with a view to resilience to climate changes and sustainability. This concern is being felt throughout the country. _________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (V) Traditions: We seek to maintain popular traditions, with many hundreds of years old, others more recent, which are valued by younger generations and finally, they have been discovered by tourists. I mention few: @ Holy Week in Braga: events to celebrate Easter; @ Festa de Santo António, in Lisbon, 12,13th June: @ Feast of São João, in Porto and Braga, 23,24th June; @ Lady of Agony pilgrimage, in Viana do Castelo, in August; @ Feast of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres, in Ponta Delgada, Azores, in May; @ Flower Festival in Funchal, Madeira; @ Flower Festival in Campo Maior, Alentejo; @ Caretos de Podence, in Bragança, at Carnival. It is a patrimony of humanity; @ Tabuleiros Festival, Tomar, held every 4 years; @ Feast of Our Lady of Remedies, in Lamego, in August; @ New Festivities, in Ponte de Lima, in September; @ Antique Portuguese Bull Race, in Lisbon; ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (W) Music Festivals where well-known international artists participate, but also a recent internationalisation of portuguese music and its increasing consumption by younger generations: @ EDP Cooljazz, in Cascais, @ EDP Vilar de Mouros, in Minho, @ Festival Med, Loulé, @ MEO Marés Vivas, Gaia, @ MEO Sudoeste, @ Zambujeira do Mar, Alentejo, @ NOS Alive, Oeiras, @ NOS Primavera Sound, Porto, @ Rock in Rio, Lisbon, @ Sol da Caparica, Costa de Caparica, @ Fado Santa Casa Alfama, Lisbon, @ Sumol Summer Fest, Ericeira, @ Super Bock Super Rock, Sesimbra, @ Vodafone Paredes de Coura, ... _____________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (X) Security: Some points to be considered: @ At the internal level, Portugal has not and never had, separatist movements of regions, contrary to what still happens today in some European countries. Our territory has remained stable over the centuries. @ Portugal has the fifth most powerful passport in the world, entering without a visa in 185 countries. @ According to the Global Peace Index 2020, Portugal is the safest country in Europe and the 3rd in the world after Iceland and New Zealand (both islands), but that doesn't mean tourists are immune. In fact, pickpocketing and bag snatching is quite common in tourist/busy areas, so foreigners must be always vigilant there, especially in public transports (eg. tram nr. 28 !), inside shops and crowded streets. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (Y) Human Rights & Others: @ We speak Portuguese with 400 million people in all parts of the world, North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Portugal has no friction with any other country, despite our colonial past, with some mistakes, but I should say, fit in with the times when they happened, centuries ago. In what slavery is concerned, Portugal was the first country in Europe to abolish it in 1773. @ Portugal also took the lead, compared with the rest of Europe, in abolishing the death penalty. Portugal was in fact the first country to abolish the death penalty in the form of a law in the 1867 Penal Reform. @ Citizens of Portuguese-speaking States may be granted rights not granted to other foreigners. Brazilians, for example, enjoy a special status of equality. And nationals of EU Member States - who are not exactly "foreigners", given the status of European citizenship - cannot be treated differently according to their nationality. @ The Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the General Assembly at the United Nations on 20 November 1989 and ratified by Portugal on 21 September 1990. @ In Portugal, between 2009 and 2015, laws were created for the accountability and criminalization of animal abuse, and these situations are currently punishable by law with a prison sentence of between 1 and 8 years.  ___________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (Z) Place to Live: Last but not least, World Press opinion for Expats. The world press confirms Portugal as one of the best destinations. @ In April 2020, the American magazine Forbes elected Portugal as the best country in the world to live in after the Covid-19 pandemic, and the only possible choice within Europe. Forbes chooses the Algarve as the quietest, safest and nicest place to live, both to retire and to start a new active life, or even to diversify investments. It believes that most Portuguese speak fluent English and the population is hospitable, and has high ratios of security and political cohesion. @ The 3rd best country in the world and the 1st European country to live and work ("Expat Insider 2019" by expats, i.e. a network of 3 million expatriates working abroad). Among the foreigners living in the country, 83% agree that it is easy to settle in Portugal. Quality of life puts Portugal at the top of the index. Among the subcategories, Portugal ranks among the top 10 in Leisure Options (2), Personal Happiness (2), Health and Welfare (7), Security and Protection (8), and Personal Finance (15). @ New Eldorado for European pensioners (French newspaper Le Monde); @ One of the best destinations for foreign retirees (magazine and US website International Living); @ One of the best health systems in the world (English BBC network); @ One of the safest countries in the world (US State Department); @ One of the most attractive places in Europe to study abroad ("Topuniversities" by Quacquarelli Symonds). ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Most of my postings are in the English forum because I found useful to create some dynamism in the answers for those who are interested in knowing better or living in this country. Fortunately I have noticed that there are already some expats that help, mainly in tax issues, and this is quite good to clarify expats from other countries looking for these kind of infos. I don't participate much in the French, Italian and Spanish speaking forums. The French one is the most dynamic, also because of the number of registered members. But both in the French and Italian forums, there is already a daily ongoing support from some French and Italian members who have been living in Portugal for a few years and are very helpful and affordable to their compatriots. Thank you for them. Well done! As far as I can and have time for it, I will try to meet what expats are looking for in these available languages. The themes for each of the forums are different, since I try to tailor my participation according to the needs I perceive in each one. And finally, many thanks for reading this. All the best to you, whether it is in Portugal or in any other country where You feel good and enjoy a Good Life. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Quoting James Joyce, "Nations have their ego, just like individuals" . Only History makes us understand who we are, why we are here, and why we are as we are. Without resentments of any kind, not only with other peoples, but above all with ourselves, as a nation for 900 years. And always with hope and commitment in a promising future. I've tried with this introduction to present this welcoming country to all the Expats who have elected this country to live or wish to be informed about it. Portuguese are, for the most part, peaceful, educated, hardworking, friendly and generous. Open to the world and, simultaneously, love their culture and their country. Enjoy the best that this country has to offer to you. You will always be WELCOME TO PORTUGAL :)