Portuguese Republic

Portugal became a republic on October 5, 1910, following a revolution that deposed King Manuel II and ended the Portuguese monarchy. The First Portuguese Republic lasted until 1926, when a military coup led to the establishment of the Estado Novo dictatorship under António de Oliveira Salazar. The current democratic republic, the Third Republic, was established after the Carnation Revolution of April 25, 1974.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal pioneered the Age of Discovery, becoming the first global maritime empire with colonies and trading posts across four continents. Portuguese explorers like Vasco da Gama, who reached India in 1498, and Pedro Álvares Cabral, who reached Brazil in 1500, expanded European geographic knowledge dramatically. The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 divided the newly discovered lands between Portugal and Spain.

At its peak, the Portuguese Empire included territories in South America (Brazil), Africa (Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, and others), Asia (Goa, Macau, East Timor), and the Atlantic islands. Brazil was the largest and most valuable colony, remaining under Portuguese rule from 1500 until independence in 1822. Portugal was the last European colonial power to relinquish its African colonies, which gained independence in 1975 following the Carnation Revolution.

The Portuguese Republic is a parliamentary democracy with a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of government. The current constitution was adopted in 1976 following the Carnation Revolution of 1974 that ended the Estado Novo dictatorship. Portugal has been a member of the European Union since 1986 and uses the euro as its currency.