2. Portugal, officialy the Portuguese Republic is a country on the Iberian Peninsuka. Located in south-western Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Sapin to the north and east. The Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira are also part of Portugal.
5. Lisbon is the capital of Portugal. In fact this is the largest city. It has a population of 564,477 while the Lisbon Metropolitan Area in total has around 2.8 million inhabitants. It is located in the west of the country, on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the point where the river Tagus flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
7. The Vasco da Gama Bridge, is a cable-stayed bridge flanked by viaducts and roads that spans the Tagus River near Lisbon, capital of Portugal. It is the longest bridge in Europe and 9th longest in the world, with a total length of 17.2 km.
8. The bridge was opened to traffic on March 29, 1998, 18 months after construction first began, just in time for Expo 98, the World's Fair that celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery by Vasco da Gama of the sea route from Europe to India.
9. The bridge carries six road lanes, with a speed limit of 120 km/h (75 mph), the same as motorways, except on one section which is limited to 100 km/h (60 mph). On windy, rainy and foggy days, the speed limit is reduced to 90 km/h (56 mph). The number of road lanes will be enlarged to eight when traffic reaches a daily average of 52,000.
10. END By: Álvaro Manuel Bohórquez Heredia and Francisco José Ruiz Fernández
