Portugal, Federated States of - Economy, People, Culture and Flag

PEOPLE OF PORTUGAL : The total population of Portugal is almost 10,605,870. The various ethnicities of the country are the black Africans, East Europeans, and some native races and tribes. The official language of the country is Portuguese. However Mirandese is also spoken in some areas of the country.

ART, CULTURE AND MUSIC OF PORTUGAL :

•  Art : Literature is considered a very important section of art in Portugal. Poetry is also an important artistic expression. Besides that some local handicrafts such as leather goods, ceramic works, silver and gold jewelry, copper works, woodcarvings, embroidery and tapestry, porcelain works, china utensils, cork products, crystals, glassworks and so on are also practiced in various regions of Portugal.

•  Culture : Portuguese culture is a reflection of various foreign cultures. Some of the cultural institutions of the country are Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Belém Cultural Center, Serralves Foundation, Casa da Música and so on.

•  Music : Portugal is very popular for its music. Among the modern music forms rock and hip-hop are very popular. Various music bands such as Madredeus, Da Weasel, Moonspell, Wraygunn etc are very famous in the country. However the traditional music and folk music are also practiced in various parts of the country.

FLAG OF PORTUGAL : the flag of Portugal is very colorful. It has two vertical bands. The hoist side band is green and the fly side band is red. The green bands covers only two-fifth of the entire flag. However the red portions is three-fourth of the flag. The coat of arms of Portugal is featured in the flag on the margin that separates the two colors.

ECONOMY OF PORTUGAL : The economy of Portugal is stable. The country has developed its service sector very much. It enlisted its name as a member of the European Community in the year 1986. The agriculture is also developed. Grain, tomatoes, olives, grapes, potatoes etc are the primary agricultural products. Some of the fast growing industries are textile and footwear industry; wood pulp industry, paper industry, oil refining industry; fish canning industry; rubber and plastic industry and so on. The export materials of the country are primarily machineries, chemicals, clothing, footwear, cork products, paper products and many more. Spain, Germany, France, UK, US and Italy are the main partners of Portugal in this export business.