Portugal is the westernmost country of continental Europe. It lies on the Iberian Peninsula. Spain--Portugal's neighbour to the east and north--covers most of the peninsula. Western and southern Portugal face the Atlantic Ocean. Lisbon is the country's capital and largest city.

Most Portuguese live in rural villages. The villagers include skilled people who brave the rugged Atlantic waters to fish in small boats, and farmers who grow grapes that are used to make fine wine. Fish and wine from Portugal are enjoyed by people in many parts of the world.

During the 1400's and 1500's, daring Portuguese explorers launched the Great Age of European Discovery. Bartolomeu Dias led the first European voyage around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. Vasco da Gama sailed around the cape and discovered a sea route to Asia. Pedro Alvares Cabral sailed to what is now Brazil. These expeditions and many other daring voyages led to the establishment of a vast Portuguese empire that included colonies in Africa, Asia, and South America.

Portugal's power and influence began to weaken in the late 1500's. But the country held on to much of its empire for more than 400 years. In the 1960's and 1970's, however, all but three of its remaining overseas territories gained independence. These territories are the Azores and the Madeiras, Portuguese islands in the North Atlantic Ocean; and Macao, a tiny Portuguese territory located on the southern coast of China.

The 1970's brought about a major political change within Portugal. Dictators had ruled the country from 1926 to 1974. During this period, personal freedom was limited and opposition to the Portuguese government was crushed. In 1974, a group of young military officers staged a revolution and overthrew the country's dictatorship. Portugal adopted a democratic system of government in 1976.

Portugal is a republic. Its Constitution, adopted in 1976, grants the people such rights as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press. Portuguese citizens 18 years or older may vote in elections.

A parliament called the Assembly of the Republic makes Portugal's laws. It has 230 members. The members of the Assembly are elected by the people and serve four-year terms.

The president appoints a prime minister. The prime minister heads the government. The person chosen by the president for the office is usually the leader of the political party that has the most seats in the parliament. The prime minister chooses members of a Cabinet. The prime minister and the Cabinet carry out the operations of the government.

Portugal--including the Azores and Madeiras--is divided into 22 districts for purposes of local government. Voters in each district elect a governor and legislature to run the district government. Cities and towns within the districts also have local governments.

Portugal has a large number of political parties. Among the largest and most powerful parties in the country are the Social Democratic Party and the Portuguese Socialist Party. Portugal's other important political parties include the People's Party and the Unified Democratic Coalition.

The Supreme Court of Portugal is the country's highest court of appeal. Portugal also has four lower courts of appeal, and a variety of district and local courts.

About 54,000 people serve in Portugal's armed forces. The country has an army, navy, and air force. The armed forces include both volunteers and conscripts. People who have finished their terms in the active military remain in the military reserves until the age of 35. Portugal's military reserves have about 210,000 members.

For Portugal's total population, see the Facts in brief table with this article. About two-thirds of the country's people live in rural areas.

Lisbon is Portugal's largest city. It is also the country's economic, political, and cultural centre, and it has one of the world's finest harbours. Porto is the only other large city in Portugal. Porto is the major economic centre of northern Portugal. About a third of the Portuguese people live in or near Lisbon and Porto.

People called Iberians were the first known inhabitants of what is now Portugal. They lived there before the beginning of recorded history--about 5,000 years ago.

Through the centuries, various other groups came to Portugal. They included Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Celts, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, and North African Muslims. Today's Portuguese people are a mixture of all these groups. Since the mid-1960's, thousands of blacks from Portugal's former African colonies have moved to Portugal. These blacks form the country's only minority group.

Most rural Portuguese live in small fishing or farming villages. Fishing villages line the country's coast. The people of these settlements have long relied on fishing for their livelihood. The men brave the rough waters of the Atlantic Ocean in small boats to catch fish. The women and children do such chores as cleaning the fish and mending the nets.

Portuguese farmers grow a variety of crops, but they are best known for their fine grapes that are used to make wine. Wines from Portugal are enjoyed by people in many parts of the world. Some Portuguese winemakers still follow the colourful old custom of crushing the grapes with their bare feet.

Although Portugal remains a rural country, its cities--especially Lisbon and Porto--are growing rapidly. Each year, a large number of the nation's rural people move to urban areas to find jobs in industry or other city activities. Portugal's cities have buildings that are hundreds of years old as well as modern apartment and office buildings.

The Portuguese maintain close family ties. Often, two or more generations of a family live together in the same house. Men and women who move to cities from villages tend to keep in close touch with their relatives back home.

Most Portuguese in both cities and rural areas wear clothing similar to that worn in other countries of Western Europe. But some rural people dress in styles similar to those of their ancestors. Berets, stocking caps, and baggy shirts and trousers are common among men. Many women wear long dresses and shawls. In some places, the people dress entirely in black or another dark shade for everyday activities. But they put on brightly coloured costumes for special occasions.

The chief foods of Portugal include beef; pork; chicken; fish, especially sardines; rice; and potatoes. A favourite dish is bife com ovo a cavalo--steak with chips and an egg on top.

The people enjoy such recreational activities as folk songs, bullfights, and soccer. Portuguese bullfights differ from those of Spain and Latin America in a major way. In Spain and Latin America, the bulls are killed at the end of the bullfights. In Portugal, it is illegal to kill the bulls during the fights.

Portuguese is the official, and the only widely used, language of Portugal. Like Spanish, it is one of the Romance languages that developed from Latin. Portuguese and Spanish are similar in many ways.

Most Portuguese who practise a religion are Roman Catholics. The country also has small groups of Jews, Muslims, and Protestants.

Until the early 1900's, the Roman Catholic Church was, in effect, part of Portugal's national government. The church and state were separated in 1911. But Catholicism remains important to the Portuguese, especially the rural people. In many rural areas, Catholic priests have major roles in local government, education, and social life. Traditional Catholic celebrations, processions, and pilgrimages are important activities for the people. Each year, thousands of people make a pilgrimage to the Portuguese town of Fatima. There, in 1917, the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared to three children who were tending sheep.

Portugal's educational system is weak compared with those of most other western European nations. About a fifth of the adults cannot read or write. By law, Portuguese children must attend school between the ages of 6 and 14. But many children leave school before 14. In most cases, they come from poor families and leave school to begin work. Primary education is available throughout Portugal, but many parts of the country have no secondary schools.

Portugal has ten universities, four of which were opened after the 1974 revolution. The largest one, Lisbon University, has more than 18,000 students. Portugal's oldest university is based in Coimbra. Less than 2 per cent of the people attend a university.

The golden age of Portuguese art began in the 1400's, at about the same time that the country emerged as a world power. It lasted until the 1600's. The art of the golden age was influenced by the Catholic Church, the tastes of the royalty, and the Portuguese love of the sea.

During the golden age, architects built many beautiful churches and artists decorated them with religious paintings and sculptures. These architects and artists developed a striking style noted for its elaborate use of decoration. The style is called Manueline, after King Manuel I, who ruled from 1495 to 1521 and sponsored many artists. A famous example of Manueline art is a church window frame at Tomar, shaped to resemble such marine items as coral, seaweed, and ship nets and ropes. Nuno Goncalves, the best-known artist of the golden age, gained fame for fine paintings of saints, kings, and princes.

The most famous literary work of the golden age was Os Lusiadas by Luiz de Camoes. Published in 1572, this long epic poem praises Portugal's historical accomplishments and heroes.

After about 1800, religious art gave way to art that reflects everyday life. The Portuguese became known for their novels, poetry, and political cartoons.

The Portuguese also have a wealth of folk art. Their folk songs range from lively dance music called chulas and viras, to fados (sad songs sung to the accompaniment of a guitar). Portuguese handmade pottery, lace, and linen are prized by people in many countries.

Portugal covers 88,941 square kilometres. This figure does not include the Azores or the Madeira island groups. The Azores cover 2,247 square kilometres, and the Madeiras cover 794 square kilometres. Most of Portugal is relatively flat and lies at a low altitude above sea level. But there are mountain ranges in northeastern, central, and southwestern Portugal.

Portugal can be divided into four main land regions: (1) the Coastal Plains, (2) the Northern Tablelands, (3) the Central Range, and (4) the Southern Tablelands.

The Coastal Plains are flatlands that lie along and near the western and southern coasts. In some areas, the region is narrow, but in other places it extends into the centre of the country. This region supports numerous farming and fishing villages. Portugal's main cities, Lisbon and Porto, lie on the Atlantic Coast in the region.

The Northern Tablelands, Central Range, and Southern Tablelands are extensions of the Meseta, a huge plateau that covers most of Spain. The regions consist mainly of plains broken by mountain ranges. Farmers in these regions grow crops and raise livestock on the plains. The mountains yield a high percentage of Portugal's minerals.

Portugal's highest mountains are in the Serra da Estrela range in the Central Range region. Peaks there rise more than 1,800 metres above sea level. Estrela, Portugal's highest mountain, rises 1,993 metres in the region.

Two major rivers, the Douro and the Tagus, cross Portugal from east to west. The Douro, in the north, empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Porto. The Tagus, in the centre of the country, flows into the ocean at Lisbon. The Guadiana, another important river, forms part of Portugal's boundary with Spain in the southeast.

The Tagus River divides Portugal in several ways. The area north of the river is much cooler than the area south of it. The northern area is heavily populated, while the south is thinly settled. Farms in the north tend to be small, but the south has many huge farms. In addition, the people north of the Tagus are generally more conservative politically than those south of the river.

Portugal has a mild climate. The country receives a lot of sunshine, especially in the south. Holiday-makers flock to resorts in the south to enjoy the warm, sunny climate there.

In spring and summer, Portugal's weather is generally warm and dry, with little or no rain. In autumn and winter, the weather is cool and heavy rains fall on much of the country. Southern Portugal receives no snow, but parts of the north receive a little. Snow generally covers the highest peaks of the Serra da Estrela range for several months each year.

Average temperatures in Portugal range from about 21 °C in July to about 10 °C in January. Average annual precipitation totals about 140 centimetres in parts of the inland north, but only about 50 centimetres in the coastal south.

Portugal ranks as one of the poorest countries in Europe. Since the 1960's however, the country has experienced economic growth.

Until the mid-1900's, Portugal's economy was based chiefly on agriculture and fishing. Today, manufacturing is the most important single element in the economy. It accounts for about 30 per cent of Portugal's economic production. Agriculture and fishing together account for about 10 per cent. Service industries, taken together, account for about 60 per cent of the economic production.

Portugal has some valuable mineral resources, but--for the most part--these resources have not been well developed. The most important developed mineral resource is building stone, which is found throughout the country. Decorative marble is the most valuable type of building stone quarried in Portugal. Portugal also has deposits of coal, copper, and wolframite. Wolframite is used to make tungsten.

Forests cover about a third of Portugal. Large pine forests stand in the north. Forests of cork oak trees in central and southern Portugal yield large quantities of cork.

Portugal's rivers, especially the Douro and Tagus, provide hydroelectric power. The Atlantic Ocean is another important resource. Many Portuguese have long depended on its fish for their livelihoods.

Government and trade are the most important service activities in Portugal. The federal government heavily controls several industries, including banks, mineral processors, and utilities. Portugal's retail trade establishments benefit from the large numbers of tourists that visit the country. Other service industries include education and health care.

The production of textiles is the leading manufacturing activity in Portugal. Cotton fabric is the most important type of textile produced in the country. Other leading manufactured goods include food products, paper products, and electrical machinery. Portugal's food-processing activities include meat packing and the production of animal feed, canned sardines, and wine. Portuguese factories also produce cement, ceramics, cork products, shoes, and fertilizer.

Wine grapes are grown in the river valleys that cut across Portugal. The vineyards of the Douro Valley yield grapes for port wine, which is named after the city of Porto. Grapes from the Madeiras are used for Madeira wine. Other crops grown in Portugal include almonds, maize, olives, potatoes, rice, tomatoes, and wheat. Farmers rear cattle, chickens, pigs, and sheep. Fishing crews catch cod, sardines, and tuna.

Most crop farms in Portugal are small. The majority of the farmers own the land they work. But some farms, especially in the south, are state-owned collective farms. Large numbers of Portuguese farmers still use old-fashioned methods and equipment, but the use of modern farm methods and equipment increased greatly during the 1980's.

Portugal's major exports include clothing and textiles, cork, paper, and wine. The country imports large amounts of chemicals, grain, iron and steel, petroleum and petroleum products, textile yarn and fibre, and transportation equipment.

From 1959 to 1986, Portugal was a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), an economic organization of nations. In 1986, Portugal left EFTA and joined the European Community (now the European Union), a larger European economic organization of nations. Germany, a member of the European Union, is Portugal's chief trading partner. Portugal also trades heavily with other Union members, including France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and with some other European countries. It also trades with the United States.

A railway network connects most of Portugal. The national government owns and operates the main railway system. The government also owns and operates the national airline, Air Portugal. Lisbon Airport is Portugal's main international airport. Lisbon is the country's chief port.

Portugal has an average of about one car for every seven people. In cities, cars, buses, and electric trams provide much of the transportation. In rural areas, some people still travel by oxcart, horse, or mule.

The national government owns and operates Portugal's telephone, telegraph, and postal systems. Portugal has an average of about one radio for every five people and one television set for every six people. Many Portuguese watch television in public places, such as restaurants, taverns, and shops. Portugal has about 25 daily newspapers. The major dailies include Correio da Manha of Lisbon and Jornal de Noticias of Porto.

Prehistoric people probably lived in what is now Portugal more than 100,000 years ago. But the first known inhabitants of the area were members of a tribe called Iberians. These people lived on the Iberian Peninsula--in both present-day Portugal and Spain--at least 5,000 years ago.

A number of groups invaded the Iberian Peninsula during early times. Phoenicians from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea established settlements there in the 1000's B.C. Celts, from northern Europe, settled in the area during the 900's B.C., and Greeks arrived in the 600's B.C. Invaders from the powerful North African city of Carthage took control of much of the Iberian Peninsula in the 400's B.C.

In 201 B.C., the mighty Roman Empire defeated Carthage in the Second Punic War. As part of the peace settlement, Rome gained the right to the Iberian Peninsula. Little by little, the Romans conquered the peoples on the peninsula. They completed their conquest of what is now Portugal by about the time of Christ.

The Romans did much to build up the area that is now Portugal. They established cities and a network of roads there. Latin, the language used by the Romans, became the basis of both the Portuguese language and the Spanish language. The Roman Empire adopted Christianity as its official religion in the late A.D. 300's. Under Roman rule, Portugal began developing into a Christian land.

The Romans called the Portuguese portion of the Iberian Peninsula Lusitania. They named the port and city at present-day Porto Portus Cale. These words were the origin of the name Portugal.

Germanic tribes swept across the West Roman Empire in the A.D. 400's, and helped bring about its collapse in 476. The Visigoths, one of the tribes, conquered the Iberian Peninsula. The Visigoths were Christians, and Portugal remained a Christian land under their rule.

In the early 700's, North African Muslims (followers of the Islamic religion) conquered most of what are now Portugal and Spain. They influenced Portuguese civilization in many ways. They constructed Arab-style buildings, introduced new crops, and improved education and the system of roads.

Many Christians of the Iberian Peninsula opposed Muslim rule. Christian opposition was especially strong in the north. The Christians struggled to retake their land for hundreds of years. In the 1000's, they gained the upper hand. By the mid-1200's, the Christians had driven the Muslims from Portugal and from most of Spain.

Henry of Burgundy, a French nobleman, had joined the Iberian Christians in their fight against the Muslims. In 1094, Alfonso VI, a Christian king of Spain, rewarded Henry with the counties of Porto and Coimbra, in what is now northern Portugal. Alfonso named Henry the Count of Portugal. Portugal was then considered a part of Spain.

Henry of Burgundy's son, Afonso Henriques, won many victories over the Muslims. In 1143, he took the title of king of Portugal, and established Portugal as a kingdom independent from Spain.

In 1385, a new royal line, the House of Aviz, came to the Portuguese throne. King John I became the first Aviz king. His armies defeated Spanish forces and helped guarantee the future independence of Portugal from its powerful neighbour to the east. King John also made an alliance with England. This alliance, still in force, is the oldest existing political alliance in Europe.

Even before the 1400's, Portuguese traders and fishermen had sailed far from home into the Atlantic Ocean. By 1400, the Portuguese had gained much knowledge about the sea. They had also mastered navigational skills and the ability to build ships capable of making long voyages.

Henry the Navigator, a son of King John I, was a leading figure in Portugal's rise as a sea power. He never went on a voyage himself. But his studies contributed much to the Portuguese marine skills, and he encouraged and sponsored many explorations.

Portuguese seamen reached the Madeira Islands in 1419 and the Azores in 1431. By the time of Henry's death in 1460, the Portuguese had explored the west coast of Africa as far south as what is now Sierra Leone. In 1488, a Portuguese vessel commanded by Bartolomeu Dias sailed all the way around the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern tip of Africa. The voyage marked the first time Europeans had rounded the cape.

Manuel I, called Manuel the Fortunate, became king of Portugal in 1495. Determined to increase his country's power and importance, he decided to sponsor a daring voyage around southern Africa to Asia. Vasco da Gama undertook this task in 1497. He led four ships around the Cape of Good Hope, and reached India in 1498. Manuel soon sent Pedro Alvares Cabral to follow Da Gama's route, but Cabral drifted off course. In 1500, his fleet reached the east coast of what is now Brazil. The Portuguese also reached the coasts of Africa, the Arabian and Malay peninsulas, the East Indies, and the Orient.

Settlers and soldiers followed closely behind the Portuguese explorers, establishing colonies. By the mid-1500's, Portugal controlled a vast overseas empire that included colonies in what are now the African countries of Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and Sao Tome and Principe; and in Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China.

Portugal gained great wealth from the resources of its colonies. It profited from the spice trade in Asia. It got gold from Africa and also took part in the slave trade there. Brazil yielded such valuable items as diamonds and gold. The empire also gave Portugal vast amounts of new land. Portuguese planters in Brazil, Africa, and elsewhere raised crops that contributed to the country's economy.

Portugal held on to much of its empire well into the 1900's. However, the country declined as an economic and world power much earlier.

As far back as the late 1500's, there were signs that Portugal had overextended itself. The small nation found that it had too few ships, settlers, soldiers, and sailors to manage and defend its vast empire well.

During the 1600's, rival European states, including England, the Netherlands, and France, began to take over parts of the empire.

Internal policies and the effects of the Inquisition also contributed to Portugal's decline. Its kings had gained enormous power, and they ruled the people with strict measures. The Inquisition was an effort by the Roman Catholic Church to end heresy (opposition to its teachings). It further hurt the country's cultural and economic development. Many Portuguese Christians and Jews were killed or imprisoned during the Inquisition, and thousands of Jews were expelled from the country.

Spain invaded and conquered Portugal in 1580, and ruled the country for 60 years. In 1640, John, Duke of Braganza, led a rebellion that drove out the Spaniards and restored Portugal's independence. John became the first king of the House of Braganza, the last Portuguese line of monarchs. He took the title of John IV.

Portugal entered a period of economic revival in about 1660. Revenue from Brazil's gold, diamonds, and farm products contributed greatly to the upsurge. A trade agreement made with England in 1703 also aided Portugal. Called the Methuen Treaty, it ensured steady trade between the two countries that benefited both.

England also helped Portugal maintain its status as an independent nation. Spain sought to regain control of Portugal, but England--an enemy of Spain--pledged aid to Portugal against foreign invaders. Between 1703 and the mid-1800's, the English acted several times to defend Portugal from invasion or threats by Spain or Spain's allies. In 1807, French forces under Napoleon I invaded and conquered Portugal. But England raised an army under the Duke of Wellington that finally drove the French forces from Portugal in 1811. The brief period of French rule marked the last time Portugal was controlled by outsiders.

King John VI of Portugal fled to Brazil during the French occupation. He returned to Portugal in 1821. By that time, a spirit of political reform had grown strong in Europe. Many Portuguese demanded a more representative government and a limit to the power of the king. Portuguese army officers had revolted in 1820. In 1821, King John agreed to a constitution that provided for some representative government.

In 1822, the Portuguese empire suffered a major blow. Brazil, the wealthiest part of the empire, declared its independence.

For many years, Portugal made little actual progress toward true representative government. The monarchy remained strong and the people had little voice in government. Opposition to the government grew steadily. In 1908, King Carlos I and his eldest son were assassinated in Lisbon by revolutionaries who wanted to end the monarchy's power. The king's young son, Manuel II, then came to the throne, but revolutionaries overthrew him in 1910 and established Portugal as a republic.

Portugal's first attempt at parliamentary democracy was a failure. It was marked by excessive government interference in society and political instability. In 15 years, the country had 45 different governments. The republic's leaders faced labour unrest and revolts by the military and civilians. Portugal fought on the side of the Allies during World War I (1914-1918), and the war costs weakened its already shaky economy.

In 1926, army officers overthrew Portugal's civilian government. They abolished parliament, suspended civil rights, and set up a dictatorship. The officers were unable to solve the country's economic problems. In 1928, they chose Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, an economics expert, to serve as minister of finance. But Salazar's role soon extended far beyond financial matters. Salazar soon took control of the government and began to rule as a dictator. He was named prime minister in 1932.

Salazar's government was a right-wing (conservative) dictatorship. It allowed the people few rights, and it included a secret police organization that crushed all opposition. Salazar's economic policies favoured the wealthy, and poverty spread during his dictatorship.

In the mid-1900's, most European nations began granting independence to colonies they still held. But Salazar refused to give up Portugal's remaining colonies in spite of demands from the colonies' peoples and the United Nations. Salazar continued to stress the unity of Portugal and its colonies, which, after 1951, were called overseas provinces.

In 1961, Indian troops forced Portugal to give up its last colonial holdings in India. At about the same time, rebels in Portugal's black African colonies of Angola, Mozambique, and Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau) began armed struggles against their Portuguese rulers. Portugal sent troops to fight the rebels. Thousands of people on both sides were killed, and the cost of the fighting further weakened Portugal's economy.

Salazar suffered a stroke in 1968, ending his long public career. He died two years later. Marcello Caetano replaced him as Portugal's ruler in 1968. Caetano took steps to reduce the harsh rule of the dictatorship, but not enough to suit many Portuguese.

Military officers overthrew the dictatorship in 1974. They called their revolution the Armed Forces Movement. The movement abolished the secret police, restored rights to the people, and established a provisional government to run the country.

As part of the reforms, political parties were permitted in Portugal for the first time since the 1930's. Communists, Socialists, and parties that favoured free enterprise sought to control the new government. In 1974 and 1975, violence between Portuguese people of differing political views broke out.

Portugal's new government promised to end the country's control of its colonies. The African land of Portuguese Guinea gained independence as Guinea-Bissau in 1974. Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, and Sao Tome and Principe--also in Africa--all gained independence from Portugal in 1975. In 1976, Portugal's colony of Portuguese Timor in the East Indies was taken over by Indonesia.

Portugal thus rules only its mainland territory and the Azores and Madeira Islands. Technically, Portugal also has one other small territory--Macao, on China's southern coast--but actually has little control over it.

In 1976, Portugal held its first free general elections in more than 50 years. The elections established a constituent assembly to write a constitution for the country. The voters elected a Parliament and a president. The prime minister, who is usually the leader of the political party with the most seats in Parliament, heads the government. The Portuguese military retained an advisory role in the government until 1982.

Since 1976, control of Portugal's government has changed hands a number of times. Political parties, such as the Social Democratic Party and the Socialist Party, have usually found it necessary to band together in coalitions. Such coalitions are then able to gain enough seats in Parliament to control the government.

The need to establish greater cooperation among political groups is one of Portugal's major problems today. Portugal has experienced economic growth since the 1960's. But it has also faced economic problems. Its costly wars in Africa and the internal violence that followed the 1974 revolution helped bring the economy to a state of near collapse temporarily. Since the revolution, there have been periodic problems of inflation and high unemployment.

In 1986, Portugal joined the European Community, an economic organization of European nations. From 1959 until it joined the European Community, Portugal had been a member of an economic organization called the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). In 1993, Portugal became a member of the European Union, an economic and political association into which the European Community was incorporated.

On Jan. 14, 1996, the Socialist Party's Jorge Sapaio was elected president of Portugal after defeating Anibal Cavaco Silva of the centre-right Social Democratic Party (PSD) in the presidential elections.

Algodres e uma pacata vila do distrito da Guarda. Tem 16 freguesias e cerca de 6500 habitantes. Passa por perto o rio Mondego. É atravessada pela estrada nacional n.16 pela IP5 a poucos quilómetros. Dista 37 quilómetros tanto da Guarda como de Viseu. É servida pela linha férrea mas só com paragem para comboios regionais. A principal economia é o pinheiro e sua rezina e azeite. Tem muita emigração na grande maioria para França.

O nome de Fornos de Algodres advém de Algodres que na altura era a sede de concelho. Nessa altura o povo de Algodres ia cozer o pão em 9 fornos que existiam onde actualmente hoje está a vila. Dai a expressão que se dizia "vou cozer o pão nos fornos de Algodres".

Algodres a 4 km de Fornos de Algodres tem uma rampa de descolagem de parapente. Esta rampa fica em um vale muito apertado com 230 metros de desnível e a 630 metros de altitude. Vento de leste, bom para térmico, dinâmico e sustentação. Muito cuidado com o vento nordeste. Esta rampa é uma Alternativa á descolagem de Linhares da Beira que fica a cerca de 20 Km.