A long, long time ago...
It was the year 868 when Vímara Peres helped create the County of Portugal. The vassal of the King of Asturias had recaptured the territory from the Moors, who had occupied it a century earlier during the fall of the Roman Empire.
In 1097, the County of Portugal became part of the Kingdom of León, but continued to be run independently. So much so that in 1139, it proclaimed its independence: the Kingdom of Portugal was founded.
The declaration of independence was not well received in the Kingdom of Leon. Only in 1143, after a war between a mother and son, would Portugal be recognised as a sovereign country. Afonso Henriques then became the first - and idolised - King of Portugal, with the signing of the Treaty of Zamora. You will find a statue in homage to this King in Guimarães, which is today regarded by the Portuguese as the cradle of the Portuguese nation.
Portugal emerged as a country, but its official borders had yet to be defined. After several conflicts with neighbouring Castile and Leon, Portugal sealed its borders for good in 1297 with the Treaty of Alcanizes. All the lands described in this Treaty as Portuguese still belong to the country to this day.
Portugal is therefore the oldest nation-state in Europe, and also the one with the most stable borders. But it is still a country with many countries within.
The Portuguese Empire is still studied today as the first global empire in human history, and also the longest-lasting. In fact, Portuguese colonialism only really ended in 1999, when the Portuguese government signed the transfer of Macau's sovereignty to China.
The Portuguese colonial movement came to an unsurprising end. After Brazil declared independence, successive armed conflicts separated the colonies from the ruling country. Even so, Portuguese culture endures in many of these places, where Portuguese remains the official language.
It can therefore be said that the Portuguese cultural border is much wider than the geographical border. The "brother countries" of the Portuguese still form an alliance today, called CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries), and cooperate in many areas of governance.
The culture that you find today among the inhabitants of Portugal is the result of the sum of many others. Since the Iron Age, Portuguese territory has been occupied by the Lusitanians, the Celts, the Visigoths, the Suebi, the Slavs, the Romans and the Arabs. Between occupations, wars and conquests, their influence is felt through agricultural and maritime navigation knowledge, the names of everyday objects, traditions and archaeological remains.
In more recent history, migrations (to and from Portugal) have helped to reinforce Portuguese society as a multicultural patchwork. As a gateway to Europe, every year Portugal welcomes thousands of immigrants who become part of civil society. At the same time, the Portuguese are spread all over the world, to such an extent that in Portugal we say "anywhere you go you will always find a Portuguese".
The result is a territory of different landscapes and customs. You will find Catholic churches with typical mosque architecture and towns with names beginning with "al". You will hear Kuduro and Samba in the streets. You will see Chinese New Year celebrations and houses with a Menorah in the window. You'll find Arepa restaurants and Oktoberfest events.
Portugal's multicultural history means that the population has traditionally been very tolerant towards visitors and newcomers. The Portuguese will always do everything to make you feel at home - including improvising in other languages if it helps you understand!
