wood products, and other goods. Portugal
sells many of those goods to other
countries.
Farming is a small part of the economy.
However, Portugal is famous for its port
and Madeira wines, which are made
from local grapes. Other crops include
potatoes, tomatoes, olives, and grains.
History
Iberian peoples settled in what is now
Portugal more than 7,000 years ago.
Celtic peoples began to arrive about
3,000 years ago. Ancient Rome ruled
the Iberian Peninsula from the 100s BC
to the AD 400s. Germanic peoples controlled
much of the land until Muslims
invaded in 711.
The Muslim invasion left only northern
Portugal in Christian hands. In 1179 the
kingdom of Portugal was established
there. It expanded as it reconquered the
Muslim-held lands. The reconquest was
done by about 1250.
Age of Discovery
The kingdom of Portugal soon became
one of Europe’s great powers. At the
same time the Portuguese forced many
Jews to become Christians or to leave
Portugal.
In the 1400s Portuguese explorers began
sailing to Africa, India, Indonesia,
China, the Middle East, and South
America. Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da
Gama discovered new routes from western
Europe to Asia. In 1500 Pedro Alvares
Cabral claimed Brazil for Portugal.
By the 1500s Portugal had a huge overseas
empire.
Foreign Control
Spain took over Portugal in 1580. A
Portuguese revolution forced out the
Spanish in 1640. France attacked Portugal
in the early 1800s. The Portuguese
royal family escaped to Brazil. In 1821,
after France was defeated, the Portuguese
king returned to Portugal.
Modern Portugal
Portugal overthrew its monarchy in
1910. The military seized power in
1926. A dictator (a leader with absolute
power) ruled the country for many years
after that. Portugal finally held free elections
in 1976. Today Portugal is a member
of the European Union.
..More to explore
Dias, Bartolomeu • European Union
• Gama, Vasco da • Lisbon
Portuguese folk dancers perform a traditional
dance.
Facts About
PORTUGAL
Population
(2008 estimate)
10,649,000
Area
35,580 sq mi
(92,152 sq km)
Capital
Lisbon
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Lisbon, Porto,
Amadora, Braga,
Coimbra
134 Portugal BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea in
ancient Greek mythology. According to
legend, he was one of the 12 chief gods
who lived on Mount Olympus.
Poseidon also was said to have a palace
under the sea. Poseidon’s main symbols
were the dolphin and the trident (a
three-pronged spear). The name
Poseidon means “husband of Earth” or
“lord of Earth.” The ancient Romans
called Poseidon by the name of
Neptune.
According to legend, Poseidon was the
son of Cronus and Rhea, who were
Titans. The Titans were a race of giants
who once ruled the world. Poseidon had
two brothers, Zeus and Hades. Together
they defeated the Titans and took power.
Zeus became the supreme ruler on
Earth, and Hades became the lord of the
underworld. Poseidon became the ruler
of the oceans.
The ancient Greeks believed that
Poseidon could use his trident either to
stir up storms at sea or to calm the
waves. He also used his trident to
shatter rocks. Because of this, he
became known as the god of
earthquakes.
The Greeks also honored Poseidon for
creating the horse and giving it to
humans. He was the father of the
winged horse called Pegasus. Poseidon’s
own horses had golden manes and
pulled his chariot over the sea. In
ancient works of art Poseidon is sometimes
shown riding on the backs of dolphins
or carrying his trident.
#More to explore
Hades • Mythology • Titans • Zeus
In ancient Greek mythology, Poseidon was
the god of the sea.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Poseidon 135
Postal Service
A postal service is a system used to send
mail (letters and packages) from one
place to another. Today people can send
mail nearly anywhere in the world.
How Postal ServicesWork
People pay for using postal services in
several ways. Senders may pay by putting
a stamp on the mail. They may also
take their mail to the post office and pay
a clerk or a postage machine. Heavier
mail costs more to send. People mail
their letters and packages by placing
them in a mailbox or taking them
directly to the post office.
At the post office, postal workers sort
the mail by size. Letters go through a
machine that cancels the stamps. This
means that the machine prints lines over
the stamps so that they cannot be used
again. The machine also prints the date,
the time, and the place of stamping.
This is called the postmark.
Postal workers then sort the mail according
to its destination (the place where it
is going). They may sort it by hand or
with the help of machines.
Postal workers send the mail to its
destination by truck, train, ship, or
airplane. Postal services around the
world cooperate so that mail can even
travel between countries. At the
destination, letter carriers deliver the
mail to each address. Many letter
carriers travel on foot or in small mail
trucks.
History
Postal services have been an important
method of communication for thousands
of years. Egypt had a postal service
in about 2000 BC. The Chinese used
riders on horseback to deliver mail by
