 ortugal's geographic location in southwest Europe provides not only ready access to the European market but also relative proximity to the east coast of the USA and the African continent. Indeed, its historic and cultural links are reflected in the fact that Portuguese is the first language of nearly 200 million people throughout the world, in continents as diverse as Europe, Africa and South America.
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 he population of Portugal amounts to 10 million, nearly half of which are active in the labour market. The biggest concentration is in the city of Lisbon and other main coastal cities, especially Oporto in the North. By land area, Portugal is more than twice the size of Switzerland, and about a quarter of that of Germany.
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