Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, and is also the largest city in the country. Lisbon covers almost 33 square miles and is home to about 564,477 people. Lisbon is considered as a financial hub because of its rapid economic growth. The city is considered as the richest city in Portugal, which can be clearly seen from the fact that Lisbon alone makes 37 percent of the total GDP of Portugal. As it is the capital of the country so all the politicians also have houses insides Lisbon which makes it a political city as well. Lisbon is considered as a big market place for different types of businesses.
Lisbon is located in the west side of the country, basically on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The climatic conditions are one of the mildest in Europe. Almost throughout the year the city receives beautiful sunshine. The summer season is very warm and somewhat hot as the temperature ranges between 25 to 30 degrees. On the other hand winter season is cold with heavy rainfalls throughout the season; the temperature varies between 8 to 15 degrees in winters. On average Lisbon receives about 750mm of rainfall. The city mostly gets its rainfall season from October to May.
Lisbon is culturally very rich with architecture and some beautiful sights which has made it one of the top destination for tourists. Classical structure of buildings as well as the modern ones can be seen all over Lisbon. Among these beautiful sights Museums are also of major importance. Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Ancient Art) is regarded as the biggest museum in Portugal. Also the museum (Lisbon Oceanarium) is the world’s second largest museum.
In the field of sports, football is the major sport in Portugal so there are two Lisbon based clubs which compete in the top division. One is named as “Benfica” and the other is “Sporting Lisbon”. Both clubs have a very rich history and are considered as the top dogs in Portuguese football. Benfica have also competed several times in the UEFA Champions League, while Sporting has produced some of the great football talents which includes the legend Luis Figo and their latest product has become the most expensive footballer in the world, recently signed by Spanish Club Real Madrid from England’s Manchester United is Christiano Ronaldo. Basketball and handball can also be seen commonly in the streets of Lisbon.
In the education sector Lisbon is not behind the other cities of Portugal. As the city has many schools which include primary schools, secondary schools etc. The city of Lisbon is also home to some great universities of Portugal. Among these universities “The University of Lisbon” is sometimes also referred to as the classical university of Lisbon as the university was established in 1911 and is the oldest university of Lisbon.
Economically the Lisbon region is considered as the strongest and richest economy in all of Portugal. As the statistics tell that Lisbon alone has a contribution of about 45 percent of the total GDP of the country.