BUSINESS
CITY FOCUS | PORTO
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T he historic Atlantic city of Porto traces its roots back to the 5th Century BC , with its Celtic founders having been succeeded by the Romans some 200 years later . So named for its role as a key port during the Roman occupation , Porto is home to the outlet of the Douro , an 897km-long river whose source resides in northern-central Spain . Since its origins in ancient times , Porto has become Portugal ’ s second-largest city , its centre is a UNESCO Heritage Site and , along with Lisbon , it is one of the country ’ s two global cities as designated by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network .
World Population Review estimates that Porto ’ s 2020 population sits at 1,312,947 , with around 93 % of residents being Portuguese nationals . As a growing European tourism hotspot with a solid economic outlook and thriving business , that figure is set to steadily grow over the coming decades at a rate of 0.2-0.35 %.
BUSINESS
While port , the city ’ s eponymous fortified wine , remains its most famous and favoured export , the past century ’ s industrial growth in Porto and the surrounding region has established it as one of the country ’ s key business hubs . The
FEBRUARY 2020