Portugal

The Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa) is a democratic republic located on the west and southwest parts of the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, and is the westernmost country in continental Europe. Portugal is bordered by Spain to the north and east and by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south. In addition, Portugal includes two archipelagos in the Atlantic, Azores (Açores) and Madeira Islands.

Sports and games

European football is the most popular and practised sport in Portugal. As of November 2004, the country is ranked 8th of 205 countries by FIFA. Luís Figo is one of the world's top players, but the legendary Eusébio, Rui Costa and Cristiano Ronaldo are also noteworthy and Vitor Baia is the player in history with most titles won, including all european club cups. The main domestic football competition is the Superliga where the dominating teams are Boavista FC, SL Benfica, FC Porto and Sporting CP. Many other professional and well organized sport competitions take place every season in Portugal, these include: Basketball, Futsal, Handball, Volleyball, Rugby, Cycling and Athletics. Portugal is also very well represented in other sports, such has Rink hockey, being the country with most world titles. Golf is also worth mentioning, since its greatest players play in the sunny region of the Algarve during the "Algarve Open". The Autódromo Fernanda Pires da Silva in the Estoril, near Lisbon, is the main Portuguese race track where many car and moto racing competitions are organized.

Related Topics:
European football - November 2004 - Ranked 8th - FIFA - Luís Figo - Eusébio - Rui Costa - Cristiano Ronaldo - Vitor Baia - Superliga - Boavista FC - SL Benfica - FC Porto - Sporting CP - Basketball - Futsal - Handball - Volleyball - Rugby - Cycling - Athletics - Rink hockey - Golf - Algarve - Estoril

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The country has an ancient martial art known as "Jogo do Pau" (Portuguese Stick Fencing), used for self-protection and for duels between young men in disputes over young women. Having its origin in the Middle Ages, Jogo do Pau uses wooden staves as a combat weapon. Other sports are the "Jogos Populares", a wide variety of traditional sports played for fun.

Related Topics:
Martial art - Jogo do Pau - Middle Ages

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