10/06/2022
Dear Speech Repository Community,
On 10 June we will be marking Portugal Day, which commemorates the death of Luís Vaz de Camões in 1580. Luís Vaz de Camões was a poet and national literary icon. He was the author of ‘Os Lusiadas’ [The Lusiads], Portugal’s national epic poem celebrating the country’s most memorable historical achievements during the 15th century. Since the dates of his birth and death are unknown, his death is celebrated on 10 June as ‘Portugal Day’.
Let us share with you some interesting facts about Portugal!
- Portuguese is the 6th most widely spoken language in the world with 240 million speakers;
- The longest bridge in Europe is in Portugal: the six-lane, cable-stayed Vasco de Gama Bridge crossing the river Tagus to the north of Lisbon is over 17 km long;
- Signed in 1373, Portugal and England have the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world;
- Established in 1732, the Bertrand bookstore in Lisbon is the world’s oldest bookstore;
- The Portuguese eat more fish and shellfish per capita than any other country;
- In 1761 Portugal became the first colonial power to abolish slavery;
- Portugal produces more than a half the world’s cork;
- Porto holds a nickname of Invicta, because during the civil war of the 19th century, Porto was never conquered and even survived a year-long siege.
We invite you to browse our large collection of speeches in Portuguese.