Short answers, pulled from the story.
The westernmost point of continental Europe is a rugged cliff in Portugal where the land ends and the Atlantic Ocean begins. This geographical reality has defined the nation's destiny for millennia and turned a small corner of the Iberian Peninsula into a gateway to the unknown.
The true birth of Portugal occurred on the 2nd of May 1128 when Afonso Henriques, Count of Portugal, defeated his mother Countess Teresa and her lover Fernão Peres de Trava at the Battle of São Mamede. This victory established him as the sole leader and led to his proclamation as King of Portugal by his soldiers in 1139.
The Treaty of Zaragoza signed in 1529 divided the Pacific Ocean between Spain and Portugal. This agreement cemented a global empire that stretched from the Americas to Asia and followed the earlier Treaty of Tordesillas which divided newly located lands outside Europe.
The Estado Novo dictatorship began in 1933 under António de Oliveira Salazar following the 28th of May 1926 coup d'état. This political regime lasted until it was finally overthrown in 1974 leading to the Portuguese legislative election of 1976 and the full establishment of democracy.
As of 2010, 70% of Portugal's electricity comes from renewable sources including hydropower and wind power. The country phased out coal-fired generation in 2021 and is developing renewable energies to support its advanced economy.
Portugal has a total fertility rate of 1.36 children born per woman which is one of the lowest in the world. This rate is well below the replacement rate of 2.1 since the 1980s and contributes to the nation ranking as the 11th oldest in the world in 2024.