Lisbon
Capital of Portugal, and of the Lisboa district, in the southwest of the country, situated on a tidal lake and estuary formed by the River Tagus; population (2003 est) 559,400, urban agglomeration 2,618,100. It is a major commercial and industrial centre, and industries include steel, textiles, chemicals, pottery, shipbuilding, oil refining, food processing, and fishing. The city has one of the best harbours in Europe, handling a large volume of trade. Lisbon has been Portugal's capital since 1260 and reached its peak of prosperity in the period of Portugal's empire during the 16th century. In 1755 an earthquake accompanied by a tidal wave killed 30,000–60,000 people (the estimates vary) and destroyed much of the city.
History
Lisbon has been an important centre since Roman times. It was occupied by the Romans in 205
BC, and was conquered by the Moors in 714
AD. The fortress of Sã Jorge, which dominates the city and may have been built by the Romans on the site of an earlier citadel, was taken from the Moors by Alfonso I in 1147. Alfonso III transfered his court here from Coimbra around 1260, and the city rose to great prosperity during the 16th century with the establishment of Portugal's empire in India and Africa.
Features Points of interest include the cathedral, a Moorish citadel founded in 1150, the nearby 15th-century Batalha Abbey, the palace of the National Assembly (formerly a Benedictine monastery), the Palacio das Necessidades (formerly the royal palace), the museums of ancient and contemporary art, and the English cemetery, where the novelist Henry Fielding is buried. The present university dates from 1911; the university founded in 1290 was transferred to Coimbra in 1537. In 1998 Lisbon hosted the international trade fair Expo '98. |
| In preparation for Expo '98 Lisbon underwent what was estimated to be the most dramatic change since the earthquake of 1755. One of the biggest urban renewal projects in Europe involved transformation of old docks, waste disposal sites, and gasworks, as well as construction of new railway stations, hotels, marinas, and new housing. The longest bridge in Europe, the 11-mile Vasco da Gama Bridge across the Tagus estuary north of Lisbon, opened in March 1998, in time for the exhibition. |
Lisbon
| Town in southwest Maine, on the Androscoggin River, southeast of and adjacent to Lewiston; population (1990 est) 9,500. It includes Lisbon Falls (population (1990 est) 4,700) and Lisbon Center. The main products are linoleum, textile, and gypsum products. |
Lisbon
| Town and administrative headquarters of Columbiana County, northeastern Ohio, 37 km/23 mi southwest of Youngstown; population (1990 est) 3,000. It is noted for its coal, clay, and limestone. Local products include ceramics, leather goods, and electrical appliances. |
| John Morgan's Confederate forces were defeated by Union troops near here in one of Ohio's few Civil War encounters on 26 July 1863; a monument 13 km/8 mi south of Lisbon marks the site. |
