Short answers, pulled from the story.
Lisbon had an estimated population of 575,739 within its administrative limits as of 2024, an all-time high since the 1991 census. The wider metropolitan area holds about 3.01 million people, roughly 28 percent of Portugal's population.
Lisbon is the second-oldest European capital after Athens, predating other modern European capitals by centuries. It was settled by pre-Celtic tribes, founded by the Phoenicians, and made a Roman municipium called Felicitas Julia by Julius Caesar.
On the 1st of November 1755, an earthquake destroyed 85 percent of Lisbon's structures and killed an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 residents. A tsunami followed, killing many in coastal areas such as Peniche, about 80 km north of the city.
Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, the 1st Marquis of Pombal, led the rebuilding. He demolished the medieval town and replaced it with a grid plan known as the Baixa Pombalina, one of the first examples of earthquake-resistant construction.
Lisbon became Portugal's capital in 1255, replacing Coimbra. Afonso Henriques had conquered the city from Muslim rule in 1147 with the aid of crusader knights.
During World War II, Lisbon was one of the very few neutral, open European Atlantic ports, serving as a major gateway for refugees and a haven for spies. More than 100,000 refugees fled Nazi Germany through the city.