Lisbon
''(This article is about the capital city of Portugal. For other uses, see Lisbon (disambiguation).)
Lisbon (Portuguese Lisboa), population (2001) 550,000 (2,600,000 in the metropolitan area), is the capital city of Portugal.
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2 Highlights 3 History 4 Economy 5 Miscellaneous |
Lisbon is located in the west of the country, on the Atlantic coast, where the Tagus river (Portuguese Tejo), flows in the ocean.
The heart of the city is the Baixa or lower town, location of the São Jorge Castle and the Santa Maria Maior Cathedral. The oldest district of the city is Alfama, close to the Tejo.
Other monuments include:
Lisbon has been the capital of Portugal since 1260 and reached its peak of prosperity during the period of the Portuguese Empire in the 16th century.
On January 26, 1531, the city was hit by an earthquake which killed thousands.
On November 1, 1755, Lisbon was destroyed by another earthquake, the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which killed 90,000 and destroyed eighty-five percent of the city.
[1] Voltaire mentioned it in his 1759 novel Candide, and Oliver Wendell Holmes (the elder) mentioned it in his 1857 poem, The Deacon's Masterpiece, or The Wonderful One-Hoss Shay.
Major industries in Lisbon include steel, textiles, chemicals, pottery, shipbuilding and fishing.
Expo '98 was held in Lisbon.
People born in Lisbon include:
Geography
Highlights
Panoramic view of Lisbon from Miradouro da Santa Lucia with Mosteiro de São Vicente
on the left and St Michael's church in the Alfama on the far right. ()History
Economy
Miscellaneous
