Portugal in brief

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Portugal in brief

Portugal in brief

Capital: Lisbon

Major cities: Porto, Braga, Aveiro, Faro, Coimbra

Official language: Portuguese

Population: 10.4 million

Religion: Roman Catholic (81%)

Area: 35,603 square miles

Number of Korean expats: 148 (2013)



Historic ties

Historical relations between Korea and Portugal date far back to the period of Portuguese discovery. The first Westerner to visit Korea was a Portuguese merchant, Joao Mendes, in 1604, and Korea was represented for the first time on a Western map in 1615, which was a Portuguese map known as the Manuel Godinho de Eredia.

The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1961, and Portugal opened an embassy in Seoul in 1988. For the 50th anniversary in 2011, Park Geun-hye visited Portugal as a special representative of then-President Lee Myung-bak.



A first for Samsung

The balance of trade between the two countries came to a total value of $312 million in 2014. Korea’s main exports to Portugal were synthetic resin, ships, synthetic rubber and wireless phones. Portugal’s exports to Korea were chiefly tires, clothing and footwear.

Last year, the countries signed an agreement on working holiday visas and memoranda of understanding in the fields of tourism and energy cooperation.

Notably, the first Samsung manufacturing subsidiary to be established abroad was in Portugal in 1982.
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