Capital, port and the country's largest city, located on the west coast. It stands on the north bank of the Tagus River, about 15 km (9 miles) from the sea. It was from Lisbon that the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama sailed for India in 1497.
According to legend, the city was founded by the Homeric hero Ulysses (also known as Odysseus). Most modern authorities attribute its foundation to the Phoenicians around 1200 BC. It was conquered by a variety of peoples, including the Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans and Visigoths, before the Moors overran the region in AD 714.
In 1147 Alfonso I, the first King of Portugal, captured the city for the Portuguese and in 1255 Alfonso III made it his capital in place of the city of Coimbra. In the 14th and 15th centuries Lisbon was one of the most magnificent cities in Europe, but on All Saints' Day 1755 much of the city was destroyed by an earthquake and associated wave, followed by fire. About 60 000 people died in the disaster. The city was rebuilt by the Marquis of Pombal, and the 18th-century town plan is still evident today.
One of the best views of Lisbon is from the re-named Ponte 25 de Abril, the city's first bridge across the Tagus; 2278 m (7474 ft) long, the bridge was completed in 1966. The modern centre of the city is Pracca Dom Pedro IV, known as Black Horse Square because of the equestrian statue standing in it.
To the east lies the Alfama, or medieval town, with its 12th-century cathedral and narrow streets. Above these is the Castelo de Sao Jorge, fortified by the Visigoths in the 5th century and modified first by the Moors, then by Alfonso I. Among other places of interest are the Jeronimos Monastery; the Tower of Belem, with carved balconies and domed turrets; the Museum of Ancient Art; and the Monument to the Discoveries, commemorating the great Portuguese explorers.
The city's main industries are textiles, soap, flour, steel, sugar and oil refining, and shipbuilding.
"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page", St. Augustine said. Here at www.travel-university.org we believe that every page must be read and explored. Travel is an avenue of learning that no text or classroom can teach. The world is a living classroom and you the student. We invite you to the www.travel-university.org library where you can read general interest and detail oriented articles.
