ABSTRACT
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a sovereign state located in southwestern Europe, specifically the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal may enjoy great safety and political stability today, along with a strong democracy and freedom of press, but this has not always been the case. In recent years, however, many foreign communities have passed through or made a home in Portugal. The tumultuous decolonization process has brought immigrants from Angola and Mozambique, some of whom are Hindu and Muslim. Communities from Eastern Europe and China are now also significant, as well as communities from Britain and Central Europe, who mainly choose the country as a retirement destination. The archipelagos of Azores and Madeira have their own regional governments, but even in these regions, the territory is divided into municipalities and civil parishes. The current Portuguese Constitution ensures the separation of powers among four bodies: the President of the Republic, the Government, the Assembly of the Republic, and the Courts of law.
