About Portugal

Portugal: An emerging hotspot for international students

“Where the land ends and the Ocean begins.”

In Lusíadas – Luís de Camões

Portugal is a hospitable country, with good opportunities to live and study!
With about 10 million inhabitants, is one of the oldest nations in the world, being independent since 1143.
Result of its history, Portugal is a country of many singularities shaped by Roman, Visigothic and Suevas, Arab, African influences as well as an entire world that crave to discover in the fifteenth century.
It was in this unique period in its history, in which “Gave new Worlds to the World” that Portuguese navigators traveled through the western and eastern coasts of Africa, opening up sea routes to India, Brazil, China, and Japan, making the Portuguese one of the most spoken languages and of the Portuguese

people one of the more open-minded to new cultures and civilizations.
European Union member since 1986, Portugal is a modern country, endowed with good infrastructure and well connected to all other European countries, offering itself as an ideal gateway to Europe.
Simultaneously, it continues to invest and upgrade its vast artistic and archeological heritage. With a rich cuisine and a vibrant cultural life, Portugal is the testimony throughout its long history.
Portugal, a meeting place of distant cultures maintains its own identity as a hospitable people, peaceful and friendly!
Welcome to Portugal!

Location

Located in the extreme southwest of Europe, surrounded by an extensive coastline on the Atlantic Ocean, limited at the north and east by Spain, and at west and south by the Atlantic Ocean. The territory of Portugal includes the Azores and Madeira islands.

Language

The official language is Portuguese.

Climate

Portugal is one of the European countries with a warmer climate, with average daytime temperatures between 5ºC and 15ºC in winter and between 25ºC and 35ºC in summer.
The summers are mild in the highlands of the north and in the coastal region of the far north and center. The autumn and winter are typically windy, rainy, and cool, being colder in the northern districts and central provinces, where freezing temperatures occur during the colder months.
The North records the highest rainfall and the lowest average and annual temperatures but it is in the interior region that takes place in the larger temperature ranges. At the south of Tagus River, it is possible to felt the Mediterranean influences, with very hot summers and short winters and little rainfall. Madeira Island has a Mediterranean-type climate with mild and pleasant temperatures throughout the year, while the Azores have a temperate maritime climate with abundant rainfall.

Religion

Portuguese Constitution emphasizes freedom of expression, religion, and conscience. Churches and religious communities are separate and independent of the State.
For historical reasons, which come from the foundation of Portuguese nationality, the Catholic Church plays a central role.

Currency

Portugal’s currency is the Euro – €.

By car:

• Lisboa – Leiria (1h30);
• Lisboa – Caldas da Rainha (1h15);
• Lisboa – Peniche (1h00);

More information: http://maps.google.com

From Terminal of Sete Rios:

• Bus from Lisbon to Leiria (aprox. time: 1h45);
• Bus from Lisbon to Caldas da Rainha (aprox. time: 1h15);
• Bus from Lisbon to Peniche (aprox. time: 1h30);

More information: http://www.rede-expressos.pt/

By bus:

From General Humberto Delgado´s airport, Lisbon, you can use one of the three options:

• Lisbon’s metropolitan ( Metro Aeroporto Station – Sete Rios Metro de Lisboa

• Direct bus to Sete Rios  o AEROBUS

• Taxi to the Bus Terminal of Sete Rios (Rede Nacional de Expressos) in Sete Rios.

When opening a bank account, in any Portuguese bank, you must submit the following documents:

• tax identification number issued by the Portuguese Tax Offices;
• copy of your ID document (passport);
• proof of residence;
• proof of survival means or scholarship.

By opening a bank account, you’ll be entitled to a debit card that will allow handling the account in agencies or electronic boxes or and also make payments and purchases.

Banks are normally opened from Monday to Friday (8h30 to 15h00), and closed on weekends and public holidays.