Lisbon Facts

This article on Lisbon facts deals with various important features of the city such as its location, population, language, currency and much more. All the important facts on Lisbon are necessary for travelers who are visiting the city for the first time.

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and is situated on the right bank of River Tagus, in the heart of the country. It is located on the westernmost tip of the European continent.

The climate of Lisbon is pleasantly warm. During summer it can get hot at times, when the maximum temperature reaches roughly 28°Celsius. The coldest months are December and January, but the temperatures do not fall to 0°Celsius.

Visitors from different countries should possess a passport that is valid for 3 months. However, visitors from European countries can only bring along a national identity card. Travelers from Australia, EU, Canada, Japan, U.K., New Zealand, and U.S. do not require a visa if they intend to stay in the country for up to 60 days.

Some of the significant facts about Lisbon are given below:

• The chief airport of Lisbon is Portela de Sacavem and it is situated about 7 kilometers to the north of the city. There are Green line buses and taxi services from the airport to the city.
• The telephone code of Lisbon is 21, while the international dialing code is 351.
• Euro is the standard currency of the city. Earlier the currency was the Escudo.
• In 1999, Lisbon had a Population of 535,740 people. The people of Lisbon are made up of different ethnic groups. 70% of the inhabitants of Lisbon are Portuguese, 20% belong to minority communities of Brazil, Macau, and certain European region and the rest are of African origin.
• The predominant religion in Lisbon is Roman Catholicism, people are also free to follow any religion of their choice. 94% of the population are Roman Catholics.
• Portuguese is the official language in the city.
• Lisbon follows the time zone of Greenwich Mean Time.
• The banks remain open from 8:30 AM to 3 PM, from Monday to Friday.
• Some of the important public holidays in Lisbon are January 1 (New Year's Day), April 25 (Freedom Day), May 1 (Labor Day), June 10 (Portugal Day), August 15 (Assumption Day), November 1 (All Saints' Day), December 1(Restoration of Independence Day) and October 5 (Republic Day).
• Lisbon shares excellent trading relations with Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Italy, UK and the US. The important industries of Lisbon are paper, wood pulp and cork, textiles and footwear, oil refining, metalworking, chemicals, wine, fish canning and tourism.

Some of the important emergency numbers in Lisbon are:

• Emergency -112
• Fire - 342-2222
• Police - 726-8022
• Ambulance -301-7777
• Information on Accidental Poisoning - 795-0143

Lisbon facts help both business as well as leisure travelers to get a proper overview of the city.