10 world records in Portugal you didn’t know about

Portugal is a small country, but a country of great achievements! There are many world records in Portugal, and the country is a pioneer in many fields. In this article, I’d like to take a look at some of Portugal’s world records.

1: World’s top scorer

Portugal is a country where soccer is king. And the country is particularly in the spotlight thanks to Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who hails from the beautiful island of Madeira. He is one of the personalities with the most records in the world.

In fact, the Portuguese footballer broke a new record in 2022 with his current club: Manchester United. He made history by scoring the 805th, 806th and 807th goals of his professional career, equalling the world goal record previously held by Austrian Josef Bican (1931-1957).

2: 3rd largest consumer of fish in the world

With an average consumption of 62 kg of fish per capita(2019 data), Portugal is the 3rd largest fish consumer in the world. At the top of the ranking are Korea and Norway.

Unsurprisingly, cod, of which there are as many recipes in Portugal as there are days in the year, accounts for the lion’s share of Portuguese consumption. Sardines and tuna are also very popular. To find out more about Portuguese gastronomy, don’t hesitate to read my dedicated article.

3: World’s largest cork oak forest

Portugal is the world leader in cork production, processing and marketing. The country boasts the world’s largest area of cork oak forest, known as “les montados”. It covers more than 730,000 hectares (34% of the world total), and produces 100,000 tonnes of cork, i.e. 50% of the world total.

Portugal is the world’s leading exporter of processed products, with 63%, equivalent to 986.3 million euros. Cork from Portuguese forests is protected by law. The cork oak has the status of Portugal’s national tree!

APCOR(Portuguese Cork Association), a cork preparation and processing industry in northern Portugal, sorts third-line cork waste to produce granules. Today, this sustainable material is used to create countless objects, generating millions of euros for the Portuguese economy. No other substitute for cork is as environmentally sustainable.

4: Biggest wave surfed in the world

Nazaré is one of the world’s best-known surfing destinations. One of the reasons for its worldwide popularity is that it holds a world record. That of the biggest wave surfed!

In 2011, the small town of 12,000 inhabitants became THE destination for wave hunters when surfer Garrett Mc Namara surfed a 23.77-metre wave there, breaking the world record. On November 8, 2017, Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa broke the record by 61 centimeters, surfing a 24.38-meter wave. It’s still the biggest wave in the world today.

It’s worth noting that the ocean here is not permanently agitated, and the waves are concentrated in Praia do Norte due to a particular geological phenomenon. A canyon descends to a depth of а 5000 meters and a length of 200km, this immense “hole” generates huge waves. Large waves are most noticeable in winter, particularly in December.

5 : Smallest newspaper in the world

The world’s smallest newspaper comes from the Azores, that pretty Portuguese archipelago. It’s an edition of the local newspaper “Terra Nostra”. It measures 18.27mm by 25.35mm and weighs one gram. It was published in February 2012 and is one copy of an edition of 3,000 newspapers on sale at newsstands.

6: 1st bookshop in the world

Portugal is home to the world’s first bookshop. It’s the Bertrand bookshop in Lisbon. It’s been around since 1732! I’ve walked past this institution countless times without knowing it was the oldest in the world!

Back then, there was no concept of a bookshop, so Pedro Fauré, a Frenchman, came to Portugal and opened his first business on the corner of Rua Direita do Loreto. At the time, it wasn’t under the name Bertrand but under the name Fauré. The name Bertrand only appeared with one of Pedro Fauré’s partners, who later gave it his name. In 1755, during an earthquake, the bookshop was destroyed, but later relocated to the famous Rua Garrett in Lisbon’s Bairro Alto district. Even after the earthquake, when the premises were modified and the names changed, the bookshop never ceased to operate.

If you’re passing through the capital and are passionate about literature, don’t miss this institution.

7: 4th most peaceful country in the world

According to the Global Peace Index 2021, Portugal is the 4th most peaceful country in the world, just behind Iceland, New Zealand and Denmark.

This index measures 22 indicators to analyze the country’s internal and external security, including crime, the existence of wars, prison population, political stability, terrorism..

8: World’s oldest alliance

The alliance between Portugal and England is the oldest in the world, and has lasted since 1373, when the Luso-English treaty was signed, reinforced by the Treaty of Windsor in 1386. The two countries went to war to defend each other and their mutual interests.

England entered the Peninsular Wars to defend Portugal, and Portugal entered the First World War on the English side. During the Second World War, Portugal remained officially neutral, at England’s request.

9: 1st country in the world to abolish slavery and the death penalty

On the initiative of the County of Oeiras, which later became the Marquis of Pombal, Portugal took the first steps towards abolishing slavery in 1761, more than half a century before the other colonial powers: Spain, France, England and the United States. It should be pointed out, however, that the abolition of slavery only concerned new slaves arriving in the country. It wasn’t until 1854 that all remaining slaves were freed, and in 1869, the complete abolition of slavery throughout the Portuguese Empire.

Portugal was also among the first countries to take a step towards abolishing the death penalty, in 1846. In 1852, it was abolished for political crimes, in 1867 for civil crimes(with the exception of war treason), and in 1911, it was totally abolished. It is also one of the few EU countries to have abolished life imprisonment.

10: World’s largest omelette

Let’s finish with a more comical world record in Portugal, that of the world’s largest omelette. This one was cooked in Ferreira do Zêzere, a pretty town in central Portugal.

It took more than 5 hours to cook it in a special pan 10m in diameter. It weighed 6466 kg and had a diameter of 10.3 meters. It was cooked with 150,000 eggs.

In conclusion

I hope you’ve enjoyed this article. If you’d like to discover even more of Portugal’s little-known attractions, I invite you to read these two articles:

All about Portugal: 10 little-known things

Discovering Portugal: 10 things you didn’t know

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