Portugal is a democratic nation and is a country of nearly 92,000
square kilometers of land areas that include the 9 Islands of the Azores
and Madeira. It encompasses a beautiful topography of hills and mountains
\north of the Rio Tejo with rolling plains to the South. The climate is varied with
considerable rainfall and marked seasonal temperatures in the North, while dryer
conditions and mild temperatures along the coast can be found in the Southern regions.
The Portuguese are known for their hospitality, great wines, cork, and famous navigators. Among
these 15th century explorers are Magellan, Cabral, and Da Gama. In fact, America is named after the Italian Navigator, Amerigo Vespucci who sailed under the Portuguese flag.
The Portuguese influences along the New England coast has been often subtle, but in the last 50 years has increased immensely. John Philip Souza, Supreme Court Justice Cardoza, a Jew of Portuguese descent, and Peter Francisco, a revolutionary war hero are just a few of the Portuguese who have made significant contributions to our country.
The Portuguese are mostly Roman Catholic. They are a homogeneous, Mediterranean stock with lest than 100,000 of it’s citizens of Black African descent who immigrated in the 1970’s to Portugal from its former colonies in Africa. Also, among its citizens are a small number of gypsies, Jewish and Arab communities.
The Portuguese language is the third most spoken language of western countries after English and Castillian. It is one of the official languages of the European Union. Portuguese is currently the official language of seven countries which include, Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, the Cape Verde Islands, Angola, Guinea Bissau and Sâo Tome & Principe.
In 1939, Portuguese owned three-fourths of all cattle in California. In 1930 about seven percent of Hawaii’s population was Portuguese and in 1640, five Portuguese horsemen took part in Coronado’s search for the Seven Cities of Cibola.
One can definitely concur that the Portuguese have played a significant part in the formation of the world. From the early days of our Republic, men and women of Portuguese extraction have made important contributions to American history and culture. Among these people, a number of them have made significant contributions to the Tucson region.
The Portuguese call themselves Lusitanos or the Lusitanian People. |
