Portugal Languages

Although Portugal’s official language is Portuguese, a significant portion of its population also speaks English, Spanish, or French. The native alphabet consists of twenty four letters. As one of the Romance languages Portuguese follows the Latin alphabet with a total of six special characters. The vocabulary also includes three accents; the acute, circumflex, and grave. The language also has numerous dialects throughout the country which vary from region to region. Examples of these variations include the southern and central Alentejano and Madeirense as well as the northern dialects of Nortenho and Transmontano.

Portuguese, the language spoken by most citizens in Portugal, can be traced back to the country’s northern area as well as the region of Galicia. Other languages spoken in the nation include English which is spoken by 27% of the population and French, spoken by 24%. Spanish, a language linguistically very similar to Portuguese, is spoken by approximately 10% of the Portugal’s residents.

Some common phrases in Portuguese include the morning greeting, “Bom dia” and “Boa noite” which translates to a wish for a good night. A welcoming greeting depends on the gender of the person being addressed. For a male the correct term is, “Bem-vindo” while if addressing a female the correct term would be, “Bem-vinda”.

Among the minority languages spoken in the European nation of Portugal are English, French, and Spanish. In a variety of municipalities located in the north eastern portion of the country the Mirandese language shares the distinction of being the co-official regional language along with Portuguese. A recent estimate cites that approximately six to seven thousand residents of Portugal speak Mirandese.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

More on Graphicmaps

Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Lisbon
Languages	Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official, but locally used)
Ethnic Groups	Homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000; since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal
Religion	Roman Catholic 81%, other Christian 3.3%, other (includes Jewish, Muslim, other) 0.6%, none 6.8%, unspecified 8.3%
Government	Semi-presidential republic
Independance	1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed)
Area	92,090.00 km²
Water Area	620.00 km²
Land Area	91,470.00 km²
Population	10,833,816.00 Concentrations are primarily along or near the Atlantic coast; both Lisbon and the second largest city, Porto, are coastal cities
Location	Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
No. Bordering Countries	1
Bordering Countries	Spain 1,224 km
GDP(PPP)	$297,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$28,500.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Spain, France, and Germany.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine, and oil products.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Spain, Germany, and France.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include agricultural products, chemical products, and vehicles.
Climate	Tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain	The west-flowing Tagus River divides the country: the north is mountainous toward the interior, while the south is characterized by rolling plains
Learn More	Portugal

Portugal Languages

More on Graphicmaps

What is a Trade Embargo?

Which Two Countries Used to Have the Same Flag?

What Is the Only Two-Sided State Flag?

Which Country Flag Looks Like the Texas Flag?

Flags That Resemble the US Flag

What is Demography?