Portugal emerged as a nation state in the early 12th century, and is one of the world's longest established countries (of course, not as old as Great-Britain, but quite impressive). In 1143 Portugal was turned into a kingdom. Dom Afonso Henriques became King of an independent Portugal . He had taken three quarters of present day Portugal from the Arabs, including Lisbon . After his death in 1185 the conquest was completed by his successors. Her boundaries have been unchanged since the 13th century.

Portugal is the westernmost point in Europe . It was from this little country that Prince Henry the Navigator financed expeditions, which led to the discovery of the New World . From his School of Navigation - which you can visit in Sagres - ships started their exploration of the boundless seas and the unknown world beyond.

The Fifteenth Century was Portugal 's age of Discovery . First came Madeira Island , then the Azores, Cape Bojador , and Cape Verde . Then the Portuguese explorers reached Africa, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, giving Portugal its own route to India . Vasco da Gama reached India, establishing Portuguese colonies, and Pedro Cabral discovered Brazil. Other Portuguese explorers reached the Far East, China and Japan . For that short moment in time, also known as The Age of Discovery , Portugal was the richest country in Europe .