Portugal voted the best place to live in Europe

Portugal has just been voted the best place to live in Europe and 3rd best in the world in a recent survey carried out by Natwest Bank. The NatWest Quality of Life Index put Portugal in the top three behind Canada and New Zealand respectively. Increasing numbers of UK workers are spending time working abroad tempted by career opportunities and a better lifestyle. Equally the number of people retiring abroad is also rising and is set to reach 3.3 million by 2050.
 
Escaping pressured jobs and stressful life styles and a desire for a better way of life has led to more British Citizens moving abroad than ever before. Thirty seven percent of expats surveyed put quality of life as the top factor influencing their decision. The survey sample comprised 1,114 British expats permanently living abroad and looked at key criteria including: healthcare, public transport, weather, housing, food, entertainment, education, security, natural environment, leisure and culture, public services, law enforcement, availability of consumer goods, sanitation, retirement facilities and banking services.
 
 
The survey reveals that British expatriates are healthier, wealthier and happier wherever they move to, so why did Portugal come out on top? Britain and Portugal have long enjoyed good relations, dating back to the 1373 when the two countries signed the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, the oldest alliance in the world still in force. This long standing good relationship may be one of the reasons Britons feel at home in Portugal. Another contributing factor could be space, with the population of Portugal at only 10.9 million, less than the population of London, there is a slower more relaxed pace of life with fewer traffic jams and queues and more space to move about.
 
The Algarve is the most popular destination for expats and the weather is most definitely a factor with more than 300 days of sunshine per year, and temperatures ranging from the high 30Cs in summer and rarely dropping below 10C in the winter. The 200km Algarve coastline is home to over 50 beaches a third of which fly the coveted blue flag indicating pristine beaches with extremely clear water. Spectacular cliffs to the west and endless sandy beaches to the east make it one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe. Portugal's stable economy and quality housing also make it a great place to invest in property whether for life style or holiday rentals.
 
The newly constructed properties are in general built to a high standard and noticeably spacious. The implementation of strict building regulations designed to control growth and manage development will ensure that the Algarve retains its charm and desirability for generations to come. For these and numerous other factors Channel 4's A Place in the Sun chose the Algarve as its number one destination for buying property abroad.

Source Algarvedir.com

Algarve's hot summer

Second hottest summer on record
1/10/2010

Portugal has just emerged from the second hottest summer on record, the Portuguese Met Office revealed this week.

Following on news that July had been the hottest since 1931, it was revealed this week that the summer of 2010, taking into account the months of June, July and August, was the hottest for 79 years.

This past summer, according to the Met Office, witnessed average temperatures of 23ºC on mainland Portugal which is 1.7ºC above the average for the reference period, which is 1971 to 2000. Average maximum temperatures this past summer were 30ºC, which is a staggering 2.5ºC above what the Met Office considers normal, while thermometers sat at an average minimum of 15.9ºC, which is 1ºC above what weathermen would expect for that time of the year.

Thermometers exceeded 35ºC in all districts of the country, with the Alentejo reporting 50 out of 90 days where temperatures were closer to 40ºC than they were to 30ºC.

In July, the Algarve reported record numbers of tropical nights which occurs when minimum temperatures fail to fall beneath 20ºC.

July was also particularly hot, with average temperatures of 31.75ºC being 3ºC above normal.

The Met Office also said that in addition to these temperatures being substantially higher than usual, they were also responsible for increased discomfort.

According to the Weather Stress Index people on mainland Portugal were subjected to high and extreme levels of thermal discomfort.

A total of three heatwaves were reported during the months of July and August.

Last December, the Met Office revealed that Portugal has warmed by 1.2 degrees Celsius over the past few decades and is increasingly prone to extreme weather patterns such as heavy rains, heatwaves and extended cold snaps.

"Extreme phenomena could start having a greater frequency than they have had in the past. We are constantly setting new records for the hottest summers", predicted the president of the National Met Office, Adérito Serrão.

Meanwhile, and despite the higher than normal temperatures, the Met Office said the past summer varied from being "normal to dry".

No concerns have as yet been raised due to rain, especially after Portugal managed to break yet another weather record earlier this year with news that it was the wettest winter since 1870 in Lisbon.

Not surprisingly, flood-ravaged Madeira also managed to beat rainfall records, which were first compiled on the island in 1865.

source the portugal news