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Lisbon is the capital and the
largest city of Portugal, with an estimated
population of 505,526 within its administrative
limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban
area extends beyond the city's administrative
limits with a population of around 2.8 million
people, being the 10th-most populous urban area
in the European Union. About 3 million people
live in the Lisbon metropolitan area, which
represents approximately 27% of the country's
population. It is mainland Europe's westernmost
capital city and the only one along the Atlantic
coast. Lisbon lies in the western Iberian
Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean and the River
Tagus. The westernmost portions of its metro
area form the westernmost point of Continental
Europe, which is known as Cabo da Roca, located
in the Sintra Mountains.Lisbon is recognised as
an alpha-level global city because of its
importance in finance, commerce, media,
entertainment, arts, international trade,
education and tourism. Lisbon is one of two
Portuguese cities (alongside Porto) to be
recognised as a global city. It is one of the
major economic centres on the continent, with a
growing financial sector and one of the largest
container ports on Europe's Atlantic coast.
Additionally, Humberto Delgado Airport served 29
million passengers in 2018, being the busiest
airport in Portugal, the 3rd busiest in the
Iberian Peninsula and the 20th busiest in
Europe. The motorway network and the high-speed
rail system of Alfa Pendular links the main
cities of Portugal to Lisbon. The city is the
9th-most-visited city in Southern Europe, after
Rome, Istanbul, Barcelona, Milan, Venice,
Madrid, Florence and Athens, with 3,320,300
tourists in 2017. The Lisbon region has a higher
GDP PPP per capita than any other region in
Portugal. Its GDP amounts to US$96.3 billion and
thus $32,434 per capita. The city occupies the
40th place of highest gross earnings in the
world. Most of the headquarters of multinational
corporations in Portugal are located in the
Lisbon area. It is also the political centre of
the country, as its seat of government and
residence of the head of state.Lisbon is one of
the oldest cities in the world, and the
second-oldest European capital city (after
Athens), predating other modern European
capitals by centuries. Julius Caesar made it a
municipium called Felicitas Julia, adding to the
name Olissipo. Ruled by a series of Germanic
tribes from the 5th century, it was captured by
the Moors in the 8th century. In 1147, the
Crusaders under Afonso Henriques reconquered the
city and since then it has been the political,
economic and cultural center of Portugal. |
