Since 1983, thirteen monuments, sites and landscapes in Portugal meet the necessary selection criteria-some indisputable references for its history-have been inscribed on the World Heritage list.
From its foundation, in the 12th century, Portugal became the gateway between Europe and other continents, promoting exchanges of trade, ideas and lifestyles, the mixing of races and the meeting of distant cultures.
All this reflected in a great diversity of cultural creation, apparent in numerous examples of cultural heritage in Portugal, as well as numerous places throughout the world where Portuguese left a touch of their inspiration, in particular, in twenty-one properties classified by UNESCO in fourteen other countries.
In turn, Portuguese is currently the sixth most spoken widely spoken language in the world and the third most widely spoken European language after English and Spanish. It is one of the few languages present simultaneously in Africa, America, Asia and Europe, and is spoken by more than 200 million people.
Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List:
- Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira Island, Azores (1983)
- Convent of Christ in Tomar (1983)
- Monastery of Batalha (1983)
- Monastery of the Hieronymites and Belém Tower in Lisbon (1983)
- Historic Centre of Évora (1986)
- Monastery of Alcobaça (1989)
- Cultural Landscape of Sintra (1995)
- Historic Centre of Oporto (1996)
- Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley (1998)
- Laurisilva forests of Madeira (1999)
- Alto Douro Wine Region (2001)
- Historic Centre of Guimarães (2001)
- Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture (2004)
