Portugal is a country in Southwestern Europe whose mainland is on the Iberian Peninsula and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira. It has the westernmost point in continental Europe, and its Iberian section is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south, and Spain to the north and east, the only country sharing a land border with Portugal. Its two archipelagos are divided into two autonomous areas, each with its own administration. Portuguese is the official and national language. The capital and largest city of Portugal is Lisbon.
Since prehistoric times, Portugal's territory has been continuously populated, conquered, and fought over, making it the oldest nation state on the Iberian Peninsula and one of the oldest in Europe. It was inhabited by pre-Celtic and Celtic peoples, and it was visited by Phoenicians-Carthaginians, Ancient Greeks, and Romans, who were followed by Suebi and Visigothic Germanic invasions. The majority of the Iberian Peninsula became part of Al-Andalus once the Moors conquered it. Portugal was constituted as a country during the early Christian Reconquista. The County of Portugal, founded in 868, rose to prominence with the Battle of So Mamede (1128). Following the Battle of Ourique (1139), the Kingdom of Portugal was established, and the Treaty of Zamora recognized León's independence (1143).
With roughly 250 million Portuguese speakers and several Portuguese-based creoles, Portugal has had a tremendous cultural, architectural, and linguistic effect around the world. It is a developed country with a high level of living and an advanced economy. Peace, democracy, press freedom, stability, social progress, prosperity, and English competence are also high on the list. Portugal is a founding member of NATO, the eurozone, the OECD, and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. It is also a member of the United Nations, the European Union, the Schengen Area, and the Council of Europe (CoE).
