Forgotten World (122): Portugal
By the 16th century, the seafaring nation of Portugal had built a huge empire embracing Brazil as well as swathes of Africa and Asia. There are still some 200 million Portuguese speakers around the world today. Now though it is simply a small member of the European Union with less than 11 million citizens. Although having one of the lowest GDP per capita of Western European countries, it has a high Human Development Index and is among the world’s 20 highest rated countries in terms of quality of life.
The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance between England (succeeded by the United Kingdom) and Portugal is the oldest alliance in the world which is still in force. It was signed in 1373. This alliance, which goes back to the Middle Ages, has served both countries. It was very important throughout history, influencing the participation of the United Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsular War (the UK’s major land contribution to the Napoleonic Wars), among other things.