Roads in Portugal

Roads in Portugal are defined by National Highway Plan, which describes the existing and planned network of Portuguese roads.

The present plan in force is the 2000 National Highway Plan (PRN 2000), approved in 1998. It has replaced the previous PRN 1985, which itself had replaced the PRN 1945.

The Portuguese road infrastructure is considered the best in Europe and the second best in the World by the World Economic Forum in its Global Competitiveness Report for 2014–2015.

The scenic road between Peso da Régua and Pinhão, in Northern Portugal, was considered the World Best Driving Road, accordingly to the Avis Driving Index. This road is a section of the N 222 which route follows the Douro Valley.

History of road classification in Portugal

First road plans

The first real projects for road plans in Portugal date back from 1843 and 1848, and were based on 18th century plans which was based on connections between Lisbon and strategical points of the country, and as a support for fluvial routes. The precognized network was classified in 1850 as estradas (roads) and caminhos (paths), with the estradas being classified as 1st and 2nd class. Caminhos were routes of mere local interest.

Portugal

Portugal (Portuguese: [puɾtuˈɣaɫ]), officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa), is a country on the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, being bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east. The Portugal–Spain border is 1,214 km (754 mi) long and considered the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union. The republic also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both autonomous regions with their own regional governments.

The land within the borders of current Portugal has been continuously settled and fought over since prehistoric times. The Celts and the Romans were followed by the Visigothic and the Suebi Germanic peoples, who were themselves later invaded by the Moors. These Muslim peoples were eventually expelled during the Christian Reconquista of the peninsula. By 1139, Portugal had established itself as a kingdom independent from León. In the 15th and 16th centuries, as the result of pioneering the Age of Discovery, Portugal expanded Western influence and established the first global empire, becoming one of the world's major economic, political and military powers.

Portugal (disambiguation)

Portugal is a country in southwestern Europe.

Portugal may also refer to:

Similar spellings

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Portugal (surname)

Portugal is a surname derived from the country of the same name. People with the name include:

See also