Portugal (The Portuguese Century)

Portugal is a Mediterranean country located in Southern Europe bordering Spain to the east within the Iberian Peninsula. It is the westernmost sovereign state of mainland Europe, being bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean. Founded in 868 AD, it gained prominence by June 24th, 1128 during the Battle of São Mamede. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal established the first global empire, becoming one of the world's major economic, political and military powers. During this period, today referred to as the Age of Discovery, Portuguese explorers pioneered maritime exploration, notably under royal patronage of Prince Henry the Navigator and King John II, with such notable voyages as Bartolomeu Dias' sailing beyond the Cape of Good Hope (1488), Vasco da Gama's discovery of the sea route to India (1497–98) and the European discovery of Brazil (1500). During this time Portugal monopolized the spice trade, divided the world into hemispheres of dominion with Castille, and the empire expanded with military campaigns in Asia.

After surviving the Napoleonic Wars, followed by the independence of Brazil, Portugal began consolidating its colonial holding in Africa throughout the 19th century all while industrializing and modernizing itself into a major power. It took part in the First World War as a member of the Central Powers alongside Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, Japan, Italy, and the United States. By the end of the war in 1919, Portugal became the sole superpower of the globe, controlling most of Africa as well as parts of the Pacific and Central America. During the Second World War, it was invaded by Falangist Spain, but regained its independence with the aid of American, Dutch, and German forces. By the mid-1950's, it was one of the four superpowers during the Cold War, the other three being the United States, Japan, and Germany.

Government and Politics
The Portuguese Empire is an authoritarian single-party regime under an absolute monarchy with the Portuguese National Union as the de facto ruling government within the country's capital of Lisbon. Under this political system, power is often shared between the monarch and the prime minister and the government allows limited political freedom with strict controls imposed on political institutions.