Lisbon

Lisbon (Portuguese Lisboa), population (2001) 550,000 (2,600,000 in the metropolitan area), is the capital city of Portugal. It is located in the west of the country, on the Atlantic coast, where the Tagus river (Portuguese Tejo), flows in the ocean. The heart of the city is the Baixa or lower town, location of the San Jorge Castle and the Santa Maria Maior Cathedral.

Major industries in Lisbon include steel, textiles, chemicals, pottery, shipbuilding[?] and fishing.

History

Lisbon has been the capital of Portugal since 1260 and reached its peak of prosperity during the period of the Portugese Empire in the 16th century.

On January 26, 1531, the city was hit by an earthquake which killed thousands.

On November 1, 1755, Lisbon was destroyed by another earthquake. [1] (http://nisee.berkeley.edu/lisbon/index.html) Voltaire mentioned it in his 1759 novel Candide.

Famous people born in Lisbon include:

• Anthony of Padua (1195)
• Fernando Pessoa (1888)

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Lisbon is also a the name of some places in the United States of America: see

• Lisbon, Connecticut.
• Lisbon, Maine.
• Lisbon, Maryland[?].
• Lisbon, North Dakota.
• Lisbon, Ohio.
• Lisbon, Wisconsin.