We are the capital and the largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 3 million people living in the metropolitan area.

Lisboa is one of the oldest cities in the world, and the second-oldest European capital city, predating other modern European capitals by centuries.

Although Lisboa's history predates it's reconquest by D. Afonso Henriques in 1147, this major event made Lisboa the capital city of the Portuguese territory in 1255. Most of the Portuguese expeditions of the Age of Discovery left Lisbon during the period from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century, including Vasco da Gama's expedition to India in 1498. The following years of the 16th century began Lisbon's golden era: the city was the European hub of commerce between Africa, India, the Far East and later, Brazil, and acquired great riches by exploiting the trade in spices, slaves, sugar, textiles and other goods. This period saw the rise of the exuberant Manueline style in architecture, which left its mark in many 16th-century monuments

On 1 November 1755, the city was destroyed by another devastating earthquake, which killed an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Lisbon residents, and destroyed 85 percent of the city's structures. Among several important buildings of the city were lost. In coastal areas situated about 80 km (50 mi) north of Lisbon, many people were killed by the following tsunami.

After the 1755 earthquake, the city was rebuilt largely according to the plans of Prime Minister. Instead of rebuilding the medieval town, Pombal decided to demolish what remained after the earthquake and rebuild the city centre in accordance with principles of modern urban design. It was reconstructed in an open rectangular plan with two great squares: the Praça do Rossio and the Praça do Comércio.