The westernmost nation of continental Europe used its maritime strength to colonize and forge trade routes to India, China, Japan and the coasts of Africa. Such legendary explorers as Bartholomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama, Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan sailed under Portuguese masts throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, their journeys blessed by ambitious monarchs. Eighty percent of Portugal’s current population is Roman Catholic.

The Discovery Age giant was thrown into economic turmoil after an earthquake ravaged the capital, Lisbon, in 1755, a fall that Portugal has never quite recovered from. Largely dependent on the success of its colonies, the nation’s strained economy was pushed into steeper decline with the independence of Brazil, its wealthiest colony, in 1822 and the flood of emigrants returning home as other African and Asian colonies were relinquished through the next century.

Financial strife continues to haunt Portugal. The nation’s budget deficit, while decreasing, is well above the European Union’s accepted rate, and financial assistance received from the European Commission and International Monetary Fund in 2011 is still being repaid. Estimates show Portugal's public debt will fall to 121.1 percent of its gross domestic product by 2019, down from 130 percent at the end of 2016.

The country’s gross domestic product per capita is one of the lowest among wealthy nations, and unemployment rates are high in this heavily service-based economy. Long stretches of beach, a mild climate and 15 UNESCO Heritage Sites make Portugal an increasingly popular place to visit.