Portugal was traditionally a land of emigration: according to estimates, more than one hundred million people could have recognizable Portuguese ancestors, with Portuguese diasporas found in diverse regions in all
continents. However, poor sources for statistics dating hundreds of years ago complicate any estimates. Explorations in the 15th and 16th centuries and
colonial expansion encouraged worldwide emigration to South Asia, the Americas, Macau,
East-Timor,
Malaysia,
Indonesia,
Myanmar and Africa, particularly to former colonies (
see Luso-Africans). Portuguese emigration contributed to the settlement of the
Atlantic islands, Brazil (where the majority of the population is of Portuguese descent), Goa
Catholic Goans,
Portuguese Burghers in Sri Lanka, in Malacca the
Kristang and in Macau the
Macaense. The
Portuguese Empire, which lasted nearly 600 years, ended when
Macau returned to
China in 1999. During the period, millions left Portugal. Inter-ethnic marriage and cultural influences, produced
dialects based on Portuguese in the former colonies (e.g.
Forro) and in other countries (e.g.
Papiamentu). In addition, a considerable segment of the diaspora is due to recent mass emigration, mainly for economic reasons. Between 1886 and 1966 Portugal had more emigrants than any Western European country save Ireland. Nearly two million left to live mainly in Brazil, but also significant numbers settled in the US, Canada, and the
Caribbean. About 1.2 million Brazilian citizens are native Portuguese. By 1989 some 4,000,000 Portuguese citizens were living abroad, mainly in France, Germany, Brazil, South Africa, Canada,
Venezuela, and the US. Estimates from 2021 are that as much as 5 million Portuguese citizens (not descendants or citizens registered within the Portuguese consular authorities) may be living abroad. Within Europe, many Portuguese live in
Francophone countries like France,
Luxembourg and Switzerland, spurred in part by the
linguistic proximity of
Portuguese and French. In fact, according to data from the General Directorate of Consular Affairs and Portuguese Communities of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the countries with the largest Portuguese communities are, in ascending order, France, the UK and Switzerland.
Sephardi Jews , in
Quadros da História de Portugal ("Pictures of the History of Portugal", 1917) Descendants of Portuguese
Sephardi Jews established many communities around the world, including in significant numbers in Israel, the
Netherlands, the United States, France,
Venezuela, Brazil and
Turkey.
Expulsion The Portuguese Jewish diaspora was mainly a result of the
expulsion decree issued in 1496 by the
Portuguese monarchy, which targeted Portuguese-Jews. This decree forced many Jews to either
convert to Christianity (leading to the emergence of
Cristão-novos and of
Crypto-Judaism practices) or to leave, leading Portuguese Jews to settle throughout Europe and Brazil. In Brazil many of the early colonists were originally Sephardi Jews who, following their conversion, were known as
New Christians (see Anusim).
Emigration .Up to 10,000 Portuguese-Jews might have migrated to France from 1497; this phenomenon remained noticeable until the 1600s, when the
Netherlands became a favorite choice. The Netherlands and England became top destinations for these emigrants because those places had no
Inquisition. Adding to the economical and cultural aspects of their host countries, Portuguese-Jews established institutions that continue, such as the
Esnoga, in
Amsterdam,
Congregation Shearith Israel (America's oldest Jewish congregation),
Bevis Marks Synagogue (the UK's oldest synagogue) – the
Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal – (Canada's oldest synagogue) – ,
Mount Sinai Hospital,
City Lights Booksellers, and
David Cardozo Academy in
Jerusalem. Smaller communities thrived in the
Balkans, Italy, the
Ottoman Empire and Germany, especially in
Hamburg (''see
Elijah Aboab Cardoso Joan d'Acosta and
Samuel ben Abraham Aboab''). Portuguese-Jews were responsible for the appearance of
Papiamentu (a 300,000 strong
Portuguese-based creole now the official language in
Aruba,
Curaçao and
Bonaire) and of
Sranan Tongo, a Portuguese-influenced, English-based creole by spoken by more than 500,000 in
Suriname.
Shoah During the
Shoah, nearly 4,000 Jews of Portuguese descent residing in the Netherlands lost their lives, making up the largest group of casualties with a Portuguese background. Among famous Portuguese-Jewish victims of the Shoah is painter
Baruch Lopes Leão de Laguna. Although officially
neutral, the Portuguese regime at that time,
Estado Novo, aligned with
Germany's ideology and failed to protect its citizens and other Jewish people living overseas. Despite the lack of support by the Portuguese authorities, Jews of both Portuguese and other descent were saved thanks to individuals such as
Carlos Sampaio Garrido, Joaquim Carreira, José Brito Mendes and
Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who alone helped 34,000 Jews
Twenty-first century Over 500 years after the expulsion decree, in 2015 the
Portuguese parliament officially acknowledged that the expulsion of its citizens of Jewish descent was wrong. The government then passed a
Law of Return that aimed to address the wrongs of the
Portuguese Inquisition. The law grants citizenship to any descendants of those persecuted Jews able to confirm their Sephardic Jewish ancestry and a "connection" to Portugal. Thereafter, more than 140,000 people of Sephardic descent, from 60 countries (mostly Israel and
Turkey) applied for
Portuguese citizenship. Thereafter, foreigners with no legitimate links were granted Portuguese and thus EU citizenship, including
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. Such abuse prompted the judiciary to review the law. Notable people of Portuguese-Jewish descent include: •
Amatus Lusitanus (1511–1568): Jewish physician said to have discovered the
valves in the
azygos vein. •
Gracia Mendes Nasi (1510–1569): Philanthropist and one of the wealthiest Jewish women of Renaissance Europe •
Leonora Duarte (1610–1678): a
Flemish composer and musician •
Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677): Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin •
Catherine da Costa (1679–1756): English miniaturist •
David Ricardo (1772–1823): a British
political economist •
Rehuel Lobatto (1797–1866): Dutch mathematician whose notable contributions include
Gauss-Lobatto quadrature method and the
Lobatto polynomials •
Isaäc da Costa (1798–1860): a
Jewish poet. •
Pereire brothers (19th century): major figures in the development of France's finance and infrastructure •
Samuel Sarphati (1813–1866): Dutch physician and
Amsterdam city planner •
Solomon Nunes Carvalho (1815–1897): American painter, photographer, author and
inventor •
Grace Aguilar (1816–1847): English novelist, poet and writer on Jewish history and religion •
Camille Pissarro (1830–1903): a Danish-French
Impressionist and
Neo-Impressionist painter considered the "dean of the Impressionist painters" •
Francis Lewis Cardozo (1836–1903): American clergyman, politician, and educator. When elected in South Carolina as Secretary of State in 1868, he was the first
African American to hold a statewide office in the United States •
Maud Nathan (1862–1946): American social worker, labor activist and women's
suffragist •
Federigo Enriques (1871–1946): Italian mathematician, now known principally as the first to give a
classification of algebraic surfaces in
birational geometry, and other contributions in
algebraic geometry •
Frieda Belinfante (1904–1995): Dutch cellist, philharmonic conductor, a prominent lesbian, and a member of the
Dutch resistance during
World War II •
William Leonard Pereira (1909–1985): American architect •
Abraham Pais (1918–2000): Dutch-American physicist and
science historian •
Louisa Benson Craig (1941–2010): Burmese-born two-time beauty pageant winner and
Karen rebel leader of
Portuguese-Jewish descent •
Alberto Portugheis (1941): Argentine pianist •
Henrique Cymerman (1959): Israeli journalist •
Shon Weissman (1996): Israeli
footballer Americas outside of Brazil United States The US established bilateral relations with Portugal when Portugal became the first
neutral country to acknowledge the United States. Despite Portugal never attempting to colonize any territory that became part of the US, navigators such as
João Fernandes Lavrador,
Miguel Corte-Real and
João Rodrigues Cabrilho are among its earliest documented European explorers.
Dighton Rock, in
Southeastern Massachusetts, is a marker of early Portuguese presence.
Mathias de Sousa, who was potentially a Sephardic Jew of mixed African background, is believed to be the first documented Portuguese resident of
colonial United States. Another Portuguese Jew,
Isaac Touro, is commemorated in the name of the US' oldest synagogue, the
Touro Synagogue. Portuguese started to settle in significant numbers only in the 19th century, with major migration waves occurring in the first half of the 20th century, especially from the
Azores. Of the 1,4 million Portuguese Americans found in the US (0.4% of its
population) the majority are originally from the Azores. The arrival of Azorean emigrants was easier because of geographic proximity and was encouraged by the Azorean Refugee Act of 1958, sponsored by then-Senator
John F. Kennedy and
John Pastore to help the population affected by the 1957–58, the
Capelinhos volcano eruption. Moreover, the 1965
Immigration Act stated that if someone had legal or American relatives in the US who would serve as a sponsor, they could obtain the status of
legal aliens. This act dramatically increased Portuguese immigration in the 1970s and 1980s. Major Portuguese communities arose in
New Jersey (particularly in
Newark), the
New England states, California and along the Gulf Coast (Louisiana).
Springfield, Illinois once hosted the largest Portuguese community in the
Midwest. In the Pacific, Hawaii (
see Portuguese immigration to Hawaii) sports a sizable Portuguese population, encouraged by the availability of labor contracts 150 years ago. Elements of
Hawaiian cuisine, such as
malasadas, originate from Portuguese immigrants to Hawaii.
Canada Canada, particularly
Ontario, Quebec and
British Columbia, developed a significant Portuguese community since the 1940s. The availability of more
job opportunities in Canada attracted Portuguese migrants, leading to Portuguese culture to flourish. Many Portuguese residents took the initiative to purchase homes and establish businesses. According to the
2016 Census, 482,610, or 1.4% of Canadians claimed Portuguese ancestry. Two major neighbourhoods where Portuguese are notable include the Little Portugals in
Toronto and
Montréal. Montréal's Little Portugal, known as "
Petit Portugal" in French, hosts Portuguese shops, restaurants, and cafes, and is also home to "
Parc du Portugal" (Portugal's park), featuring vibrant murals and elements inspired by
Portuguese design. The
Portuguese language is spoken by over 330,000 Canadians, making up around 1% of the population. Significant testimonies of the Portuguese presence in Canada include the name of one of the
10 provinces of Canada:
Newfoundland and Labrador.
King Henry VII coined the name "New found land" for the territory explored by
Sebastian and
John Cabot. In
Portuguese, the land is known as
Terra Nova, which translates to "new land," and is also referred to as
Terre-Neuve in French, the name for the province's island region. The name Terra Nova is commonly used on the island, including in the name of
Terra Nova National Park. The influence of early Portuguese exploration is also evident in the name of Labrador, which is derived from the surname of
Portuguese navigator João Fernandes Lavrador. Other remnants of early Portuguese exploration include toponyms such as
Baccalieu (from
bacalhau,
Portuguese for
codfish) and
Portugal Cove. Portuguese cartographer
Diogo Ribeiro is responsible for one of the earliest maps depicting the territory of modern-day Canada.
Caribbean The first Portuguese who settled in the
Caribbean were merchants or Portuguese-Jews fleeing the
Portuguese Inquisition. Migrants from the 1830s came as indentured labourers, especially from
Madeira. The 19th century migration coincided with the
abolition of slavery in the
British colonies. As a result, the Portuguese, along with
Indians and
Chinese, arrived to replace the
slave labor. The Portuguese took a prominent part in shaping the
population of the West Indies. Their descendants form an active minority in many countries. As part of a larger system of low-wage labour, about 2,500 Portuguese left for
Antigua and Barbuda (where, more than 1,000 people still speak the
language),
30,000 to Guyana (4.3% of the population in 1891) and
another 2,000 settled in
Trinidad and Tobago between the mid-1800s and the mid-1900s. Portuguese culture survives in the enterprises established by community members. In 2016
the second international airport of
the country was renamed after a
Portuguese Guyanese individual. Portuguese
fishermen, farmers and
indentured labourers inhabited other
Caribbean countries, especially
Jamaica (about 5,700 people, primarily of Portuguese-Jewish descent),
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (0.7% of the population), and
Suriname, whose first capital,
Torarica (literally "
rich Torah" in
Portuguese), was established by
Portuguese-Jewish settlers. Minor communities exist in
Grenada,
Saint Lucia,
Saint Kitts and Nevis and the
Cayman Islands About 4,000 Portuguese people live in the Caribbean territories of Overseas France, especially in
Saint Barthélemy (where they constitute about a third of the population),
Guadeloupe and
Martinique. Portuguese heritage lives on in
Aruba,
Bonaire and
Curaçao. In the three territories, the official language,
Papiamentu, includes numerous Portuguese elements. The North Atlantic archipelago of
Bermuda (10% to 25% Portuguese communities are also present in countries such as
Cuba,
Dominican Republic, and
Puerto Rico. Notable members of the community include activist
Ada Bello, businessman
Alexis Victoria Yeb, former
Nicaraguan First Lady Lila Teresita Abaunza and
Felipa Colón de Toledo.
Latin America (excluding Brazil) Mexico had flows of Portuguese immigration from the colonial period through the early 20th century, most importantly in northeastern cities such as
Saltillo,
Monterrey,
Durango and
Torreon.
Santiago Tequixquiac, due to its lime and stone mining deposits, was a place of settlement for Portuguese
Crypto-Jews during the colonial period. They were brought there together with the
Tlaxcalans and
peninsular Spaniards to appease the
Otomi indigenous people in that town. Many Lusitanian cultural traits were preserved through the 19th century, such as
forcados,
gastronomy, some Sephardic customs and its inhabitants' surnames.
Bullfighting is a Portuguese tradition that continues in Mexico. A notable Portuguese-Mexican Jew was
Francisca Nuñez de Carabajal, executed by burning at the stake by the
Inquisition for
judaizing in 1596. Venezuela hosts the largest community of Portuguese immigrants in
Latin America after
Brazil. Portuguese nationals began arriving in the country during the early and mid-20th century as economic migrants, particularly from
Madeira. Distinct from this immigrant group, the population of Portuguese descent (lusodescendants) is estimated at approximately 1.2 million individuals.
Colombia did not welcome mass Portuguese immigration. Although Portuguese may have explored the area, they did not establish communities there. Colombia became a Spanish colony, as defined by the
Treaty of Tordesillas. The Portuguese embassy in Bogota estimated that around 800 Portuguese nationals live there. The number with Portuguese ancestry is not known, but they left little mark on the culture, except for some surnames. In
Peru, a modest migration began at the time of the
Viceroyalty of Peru. Sailors who traveled along the Peruvian coast, and later entered the country from the Atlantic via the
Amazon River settled there. Records of
Luso-Brazilians survive in the cities surrounding the
Brazil-Peru border. Portuguese citizens in Peru number about 2,000, Peruvians with Portuguese ancestry could approach 1 million, including direct and indirect descendants, or about 3% of the total. A famous Peruvian of Portuguese descent is popular TV presenter . depicting the foundation of
Colonia del Sacramento, now a
Unesco World Heritage Site, Portuguese Museum The
Cono Sur region had Portuguese immigration beginning in the early 20th century. The
Portuguese and
Cape Verdean community in
Argentina,
Uruguay and Chile numbers around 255,000 people combined Portuguese presence in the country dates to colonial times, in particular to the establishment of
Colonia del Sacramento by the Portuguese in 1680, which eventually turned into a regional
smuggling center. Other Portuguese entered Uruguay from
Brazil. During the second half of the 19th century and part of the 20th, several additional Portuguese immigrants arrived; the last wave came during 1930–1965. As of 2021, 3,069 Portuguese citizens had registered as residing in Uruguay. Many luso-descendants also reside there, but numbers are lacking. A popular member of the Portuguese community in Argentina was best-selling author
Silvina Bullrich.
Africa President
Jorge Carlos FonsecaIn the early twentieth century the Portuguese government encouraged migration to
Angola and
Mozambique, and by the 1970s, up to 1 million Portuguese settlers were living in Portugal's overseas African provinces. Minor communities settled in
Guinea-Bissau,
Equatorial Guinea,
Cape Verde and
São Tomé and Príncipe, Portuguese influences continue there: Portuguese enjoys the status of
official language. Following the
Carnation Revolution, as the country's African possessions gained independence in 1975, an estimated 800,000 Portuguese emigrated from the former colonies. Returnees to Portugal are often referred as
Retornados (literally, those who came back). Some Portuguese moved to South Africa,
Botswana, and
Algeria. In particular, South Africa hosts the largest Portuguese community in the continent, numbering about 700,000 (more than Lisbon). Portuguese descendants make up a significant minority in the former colonies where, they make up the bulk of
Mestiços (Mixed African-European people).
Europe outside of Portugal France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, Andorra and Switzerland .|200x200px on the Portuguese.avenue (
Avenue des Portugais) in Paris|200x200px Portuguese monument (
Monument des Portugais)|200x200px ,
Belgium|300x300px , seen from the
Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris|200x200px in
Richebourg, France|267x267px consulate in Geneva|200x200px Due to the linguistic similarity between
Portuguese and
French and the many
schools in Portugal that promote
French as foreign language, many Portuguese nationals started migrating to
France,
Belgium,
Luxembourg,
Monaco and the
French-speaking part of
Switzerland in the 1960s, for economic reasons, and to avoid conscription to fight in Portuguese colonies. Interestingly, migration to
Andorra - where, although
Catalan is the official language, French is widely spoken - made the Portuguese the third largest ethnic group in the state, after
Andorrans and
Spaniards. Around 15% of Portuguese people are fluent in French. French has been dwindling, often replaced by English. In 2005 French fluency stood at 24%. Nevertheless, 70% of middle school students study French. French media are widely available in Portugal (newspapers, magazines,
radio stations and
TV channels) and many
libraries offer a French-language section. Portuguese migration to the more affluent French speaking countries in Europe continues, although at a lower rate. More than 2,260,000 Portuguese citizens live in these countries. In addition, France alone hosts 450,000 Luso-descendants
. Records of Portuguese living in France date to the early centuries of the Portuguese kingdom, notably merchants,
Portuguese-Jews and
Portuguese nobles:
Louis XIV was of Portuguese descent through his grandfather
Philip II. Despite a centuries-long presence, Portuguese nationals only started to move to France in large numbers following World War 2. From the 1960s,
Brazil's economic stagnation, French efforts to attract Portuguese workers, and
António de Oliveira Salazar's
dictatorship and the
colonial wars were factors that contributed to 1,000,000 people migrating to France from 1960 to 1974. After 1974, Portuguese nationals started moving to Luxembourg and Monaco (1980s), Switzerland (1990s) and – Belgium and Andorra (2000s). This is also due to France's tightened immigration control.
Portuguese constitute 23.4% of
Luxembourg's population, second to native
Luxembourgers; the Luxembourgers of Portuguese blood speak
Letzeburgesch (a German dialect) and
Standard German, aside from French. Andorra is inhabited by 16,300 Portuguese nationals (19.4% of the population) Notable Portuguese Swiss include snooker player
Alexander Ursenbacher, models
Pedro Mendes and
Nomi Fernandes, actress
Yaël Boon and Olympic medalist
Stéphane Lambiel. Notable Portuguese Belgians include – nobles such as
Queen Elizabeth or
King Leopold III, fashion designer
Veronique Branquinho, footballer
Yannick Carrasco, actress
Rose Bertram, sprinter
Jonathan Sacoor, and actress
Helena Noguerra. Portuguese migration towards these countries has steadily declined over the years, although from 2003 to 2022 around 615,000 Portuguese nationals migrated there, especially following the
2008 financial crisis. As of 2021 around 40% had returned to Portugal, as the economic outlook improved.
Germany After WWII hundreds of thousands of Portuguese settled as
guest workers in Western European countries. On 17 March 1964, the recruitment agreement between the
Federal Republic of Germany and Portugal was signed under the Erhard I cabinet. Armando Rodrigues de Sá was officially welcomed in 1964 as the millionth "guest worker" in Germany and was given a certificate and a two-seater Zündapp Sport Combinette – Mokick. The number of Portuguese citizens living in Germany was estimated at 245,000 as of 2021. The largest Portuguese community is located in
Hamburg numbering about 25,000. A
Portugiesenviertel (Portuguese quarter) in Hamburg sits near the
Port of Hamburg and between the subway stations of
Landungsbrücken and
Baumwall.
United Kingdom In the
United Kingdom, people of Portuguese origin were estimated at 400,000 in 2021. Other sources claim as many as 500,000 Portuguese there, considerably higher than the estimated 170,000 Portuguese-born people residing in the country in 2021 (excluding British-born people of Portuguese descent). In areas such as
Thetford and the crown dependencies of
Jersey and
Guernsey, Portuguese form the largest ethnic minority groups at 30%.
London is home to the largest group of Portuguese in the UK, with the majority settling in the Western boroughs of
Kensington and Chelsea,
Lambeth and
Westminster.
Brazil Colonial period to Brazil Portuguese are the
largest European immigrant group in Brazil. In
colonial times, over 700,000 Portuguese settled there, mostly during the 18th century gold rush. Brazil received more European settlers during its colonial era than any other country in the Americas. Between 1500 and 1760, about 700,000 Europeans immigrated to Brazil, compared to 530,000 to the US. They were the only significant migrants to the country during the colonial era, despite
French and
Dutch invasions. The Portuguese migration was predominantly men. The
Jesuits asked the Portuguese King to send any kind of Portuguese women to Brazil, even the socially undesirable (e.g. prostitutes or women with mental maladies), if necessary. The Crown responded by sending groups of orphans to marry nobles and peasants alike. They included many
Órfãs do Rei (orphans of the king) of what was considered "good birth". They were noble and non-noble maidens, often daughters of soldiers killed in battle or noblemen who died overseas and whose upbringing was paid by the Crown.
Bahia's port in the East received one of the first groups of orphans in 1551. Portuguese men also competed successfully for local women with
slaves and
indigenous peoples. Their better
quality of life and lower
mortality rate were important advantages. Then, even though the 700,000 Portuguese colonial migration was smaller than 3.2 million indigenous inhabitants and the 4.8million Africans, their descendants numbered as many as the "non-white" population in the early 19th century. The Portuguese were different from
Germans or
Italians who brought many more women with them. Despite the small female proportion, Portuguese men typically chose Portuguese women, while female immigrants rarely married indigenous men. Portuguese
endogamy was higher than any other European immigrant community, behind only the
Japanese. Many Portuguese-Brazilians identified as Brazilian, perhaps encouraged by the dominance of Portuguese culture there. In 1872, 3.7 million
Whites lived in Brazil (the vast majority of Portuguese ancestry), along with 4.1 million
mixed-race people (mostly of Portuguese-
African-
Amerindian ancestry) and 1.9 million
Blacks. Thus 80% of Brazilians had at least partial Portuguese ancestry in the 1870s. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a new large wave of Portuguese immigrants arrived, including over 1.5 million Portuguese from 1881 to 1991. In 1906, for example, 133,393 Portuguese-born people lived in
Rio de Janeiro, comprising 16% of the city's population. Rio remains the largest "Portuguese city" outside of Portugal, with 1% Portuguese natives. Because of the independence of Portuguese overseas provinces after the
Carnation Revolution in 1974, a new wave of Portuguese settlers arrived in Brazil until the late 1970s as refugees from Portugal and the newly independent countries of Angola and Mozambique..
Genetic evidence Genetic studies confirm the strong Portuguese genetic influence. At least half of the Brazilian population's male inheritance (based on
Y chromosomes) comes from Portugal.
Black Brazilians have an average of 48% non-African genes, mostly with Portuguese ancestors. By contrast, 33% Amerindian and 28% African contribution to the total female inheritance (
mtDNA) of white Brazilians was found. An
autosomal study from 2013, with nearly 1300 samples from across Brazil, found a predominant degree of Portuguese ancestry. European ancestry was the most prevalent in all urban populations (with values from 51% to 74%, increasing northern to southern Brazil). Northern populations included a significant proportion of indigenous ancestry, twice the African contribution. In the northeast, centerwest and southeast, African ancestry exceeded them. All urban populations were highly admixed, and most of the variation was observed between individuals within each population. A large, community-based multicenter autosomal study considered representative samples from three urban communities
Salvador,
Bambuí, and
Pelotas, estimated European, mostly Iberian, ancestry to be 42.4%, 83.8% and 85.3%, respectively. An estimated 5 million Brazilians (2.3% of the total) were eligible for Portuguese citizenship.
Oceania Australia (
Sydney) is a neighbourhood known for its extensive Portuguese commercial offerings In Australia, although their numbers are smaller than the
Greek and
Italian communities, Portuguese are an active community. They were among the early European settlers, and
might have discovered Australia. Portuguese immigration to Australia experienced a boom after the
Carnation Revolution and
the Indonesian Invasion of Timor-Leste. Portuguese spread across the country and even have a designated
Portuguese neighborhood. The 74,000 people of Portuguese descent constitute about 0.28% of the
population.
Portuguese cuisine is popular, exemplified by restaurants such as
Nando's,
Oporto, and Ogalo.
Pastel de nata is widely consumed. Many Portuguese are from
Madeira. Notable Portuguese Australians include
Naomi Sequeira,
Kate DeAraugo,
Junie Morosi,
Lyndsey Rodrigues,
Sophie Masson and
Irina Dunn.
New Zealand The community in New Zealand is much smaller and the 1,500 Portuguese people living there (although the numbers could be significantly higher) constitute about 0.03% of the
population. On 22 April 2010, the
Office of Ethnic Affairs officially recognized
Portuguese New Zealanders as a distinct community, marked by tying the 70th ribbon to Parliament's mooring stone in the
Parliament House Galleria. The Portuguese community organizes annual gatherings and celebrations, such as
Portugal Day, and maintains a friendship association. Portuguese individuals were among the early settlers in New Zealand, although immigration declined gradually until the 1960s. After the
Carnation Revolution, the community started to increase again.
New Caledonia About 900 Portuguese live in the
French collectivity of
New Caledonia (0.38% of the
population).
Asia Portuguese influences are found throughout Asia, especially in
Macau,
Timor-Leste and
India, all territories where the Portuguese maintained
colonies.
Southeast Asia ,
Thai-style cake influenced by
Portuguese desserts , as well as the Historical centre of
Malacca, is a remnant of the Portuguese presence now part of the
Unesco World Heritage Sites.Luso-Asian communities have had a presence in Southeast Asia since the 15th century. As a result of inter-ethnic marriage, Portuguese-based dialects have emerged in
Malaysia and
Singapore. Notable Kristangs include
Kimberley Leggett, ,
Joan Margaret Marbeck, , ,
Melissa Tan,
Andrea Fonseka, and . People of Portuguese descent from Singapore include
Pilar Arlando,
Mary Klass and
Vernetta Lopez. Other communities are found in
Indonesia, with significant populations living in Lamno (the so-called "
mata biru" or blue-eyed people),
Aceh,
Maluku Islands and
Kampung Tugu. Portuguese vestiges include dozens of
loanwords as well as the introduction of Latin Catholicism (3.12% of the population, but still the major religion in
NTT) and
Keroncong, similar to
Portuguese cavaquinho. Many Portuguese Indonesians even intermarried with
Indo people, who are Eurasians of partial Dutch descent. In recent years many Indonesians of Portuguese descent have been active in the entertainment industry such as
Puteri Indonesia Elfin Pertiwi Rappa or actress . In the
Philippines, actress
Sophie Albert is another Portuguese-South Asian. Communities of Portuguese descent are found in
Myanmar In Thailand, during the reign of
King Narai the Great the Portuguese community in Ayutthaya is thought to have peaked at 6,000 people.
Afro Sri-Lankans also retain a Portuguese identity. Major Portuguese contributions to Sri Lanka include 1,000
loanwords in Sinhala,
Baila music (from the
Portuguese bailar, meaning
to dance), culinary innovations such as
"Bolo di amor" (literally Love cake) or
"Bolo Folhado" (literally Puff Pastry) as well as
Latin Catholicism (approximately 6.1% of the population identifies as Catholic) and the endangered
Sri Lankan Portuguese creole. In
Pakistan a small Portuguese community numbers about 64 people, even though other estimates point to 400 in
Karachi. Notable Portuguese Pakistani include
Dilshad Vadsaria and
Bernadette Louise Dean. Before
partition, it is estimated that the
Goan community in Karachi numbered up to 15,000. The majority returned to
Goa, to other Portuguese territories, or to the UK. The Portuguese community contributed to the
musical scene of pre-partition Karachi. As of today, about 6,000 Goans remain in Pakistan, mainly in that city. The Portuguese introduced Catholicism, now professed by
about 375,000 Bangladeshis. This heritage added more than 1,500
words to Bengali. In
colonial times, the population may have reached 40,000 people before most resettled elsewhere. Those who remained integrated in
Bangladeshi society. Notable examples of Portuguese influence in Bangladesh are their surnames, as well as Bangladesh's oldest church, the
Holy Rosary Church in Dhaka. As of now, the Portuguese community in Bangladesh consists of a few expatriates and some descendants of the early settlers.
East Asia , epitome of the Sino-Portuguese culture, is a
Unesco World Heritage Site A small but growing Portuguese community – consisting mainly of recent expats and numbering about 3,500 people – is found in Japan,
South Korea, China and
Taiwan, whose name in European texts until the 20th century –
Formosa, meaning "beautiful (island)" – is Portuguese. The most important Portuguese community in Eastern Asia is in Macau, which was a Portuguese colony until 1999. It harbors more than 150,000 Portuguese citizens, accounting for 22.34% of the total, the largest concentration of Portuguese nationals in Asia as well as one of the most important in the world. Notables include . A 20,700 people-strong community continues in Hong Kong, mainly of
Macanese descent. Notable people include
Joe Junior,
Michelle Reis,
Rowan Varty,
Rita Carpio and
Ray Cordeiro.
Diaspora populations == Literature ==