Instituto Politécnico de Leiria

Portugal is a hospitable country, with good opportunities to live and study! With about 10 million inhabitants, is one of the oldest nations in the world, being independent since 1143. Result of its history, Portugal is a country of many singularities shaped by Roman, Visigothic and Suevas, Arab, African influences as well as an entire world that crave to discover in the fifteenth century. It was in this unique period in its history, in which “Gave new Worlds to the World” that Portuguese navigators traveled through the western and eastern coasts of Africa, opening up sea routes to India, Brazil, China and Japan, making the Portuguese one of the most spoken languages and of the Portuguese people one of the more open-minded to new cultures and civilizations. European Union member since 1986, Portugal is a modern country, endowed with good infrastructure and well connected to all other European countries, offering itself as an ideal gateway to Europe. Simultaneously, it continues to invest and upgrade its vast artistic and archeological heritage. With a rich cuisine and a vibrant cultural life, Portugal is the testimony throughout its long history.