A section of the south western part of Europe is occupied by the magnificent country of Portugal which is famous world wide for its wine reserves and vineyards. Once a part of the Roman Empire, Portugal came to be recognized as independent since the 12th century. The country which played a significant role in encouraging the Age of Discovery colonized various nationalities world wide and was at its peak during the 15th to 17th centuries. It was however as late as 1974 that Portugal became a democratic country and in 1986 it merged as a part of the European Union.

Portugal boasts of pretty pleasant climatic conditions on the whole, Oceanic and Mediterranean types being the dominant climatic trends observed in the country. While absolute temperature conditions can be observed in certain regions, it is more or less pleasant year long which is conducive to the growth of population and settlements. According to the statistics revealed in the 2001 census, the total population amounts to about 10, 356, 117, of which about 48% are the males and 51.7% are females. The native residents derive their origins from the pre-Roman Celts and Iberians with suitable contributions by Jews, Moors, Germans and Romans. A huge section of the Portuguese population is also made up of the immigrant population who has settled down from countries like Cape Verde, Angola, Russia, Ukraine etc. The total number of legal immigrants comprise of about 5% of the total population. Maximum amount of immigrants come from Brazil with which Portugal has a dual citizenship alliance. The biggest and most populous cities of the country include Setubal, Aveiro, Lisbon, Braga, Porto and Coimbra. About 84% of the total population constitutes Roman Catholics. The economic self sufficiency leading to great quality of life has made Portugal a very popular and wanted destination for settling down.