Portugal

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01/04/08 | Second home buyers pointed towards Portugal: Second home buyers have been advised to look at a largely overlooked part of central Portugal.The Alentejo region was flagged up as a good location for...Read more
17/03/08 | Irish enter Portuguese property market: Lifestyle buyers from Ireland are increasingly choosing to purchase holiday homes in Portugal, a newspaper has revealed.According to the Irish Independent,...Read more
28/02/08 | Portugal 'a popular destination for second home seekers': Portugal is a popular destination among those seeking a second home abroad, one expert has said.Rhiannon Williamson, the director of ShelterOffshore.com,...Read more
14/02/08 | Portugal 'could attract more Canadian visitors': People who have invested in Portuguese rental accommodation could soon see more demand from across the Atlantic, a news website has suggested.Canada.com...Read more

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Portugal

The Portuguese Republic is a European country with a population of around 10.6 million people.

It can be found in the south-western portion of the Iberia peninsula and is bordered by Spain to the north and east and by the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. The Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira are also part of Portugal.

Portugal's economy is growing at a healthy rate and its major industries include oil refineries, automotive, cement production, textiles, furniture, pulp and paper and cork manufacture. Portuguese wines are exported worldwide and tourism is also a major sector, especially in the southern Algarve region and in the Atlantic Madeira archipelago.

Recent research from the Economist Intelligence Unit placed Portugal as the country with the 19th best standard of life in the world - ahead of such countries as France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The country is a democratic republic and is ruled by the constitution of 1976, with Lisbon as its capital city. Powers are divided into four main governing components: the president of the republic, the assembly of the republic, the government, and the courts.

The president has a non-executive supervising role and is elected to a five-year term - while the government is headed by the prime minister.

Portuguese summers are generally very hot and dry, particularly in the Algarve, were very little rainfall is recorded. Winters are normally cold and wet however, particularly in the northern west coastal regions.

Portugal enjoys full travel links with the UK, with numerous flights available to and from all parts of the country. The country is also accessible by rail, with a trip from London Waterloo taking approximately 24 hours.