I know a country...

" I know a country which in 30 years has gone from one of the worst in child mortality (80 per thousand) to the fourth lowest rate in the world (3 per thousand).
Somewhere that in eight years became the second most important European register of bone marrow donors, which is essential in the fight against leukemic diseases. Who is a world leader in liver transplant and is in second place for kidney transplant.
A country who is the world leader in the application of immediate implants and fixed dental prosthesis for toothless jaws.
I know a country that has a company that has developed a software to become paperless while supporting the clinical registration in hospitals (Alert), and another that is one of the largest companies in the pharmacy computerization (Glint) and another that invented the first antiepileptic of Portuguese roots (Bial).
I know a country that is the world leader in the renewable energy sector and the fourth largest producer of wind power in the world, which is also building the largest dams scheme (ten dams; EDP).
I know a country that invented and developed the world´s first-paid mobile phone payment system (PT), which is a world leader in identification software (NDrive), which has a company that fixes and detects the flaws of the NASA´s computer system (Critical) and has the best business incubator in the world (Pedro Nunes Institute of the University of Coimbra)
I know a country that puts shoes in the feet of a hundred million people around the world and produces the second most expensive footwear in the world, right after the Italian. And a country where innovative bed sheets are made, with different odors and anti-germ properties, in which circa 30 million Americans sleep in.
I know a country that is the "state of art" in the plastic moulds and the world leader of energy transformers technology (Efacec) and that revolutionized the concept of toilet paper (Renova).
I know a country that has one of the best ATM systems in the world and that has developed an innovative system of paying for highway tolls (Via Verde).
I know a country that revolutionized the distribution sector, which wins awards for the construction of shopping centres in other countries (Sonae Sierra) and that leads the hard-discount sector in Poland (Jeronimo Martins).
I know a country that manufactures the swimsuit that sprayed records at the Olympics in Beijing, which wore ten of the equestrian teams that participated in these Games; a country which is the world´s largest producer of the world´s kayaks, which has one of the best football teams in the World, its best coach on the planet (José Mourinho) and one of its best players (Cristiano Ronaldo).
I know a country that has a Nobel Prize in Literature (José Saramago), one of the most notable interpreters of Mozart (Maria João Pires) and several internationally recognized painters and sculptors (Paula Rego, Júlio Pomar, Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, João Cutileiro ).
The reader does not recognize in this country , the one that he/she lives in. This country is Portugal. It has all that is written above, a wonderful sun, a stunning light, fabulous beaches, great gastronomy. Welcome to this country you don´t know: PORTUGAL."

Text: Nicolau Santos

Source: UP Magazine from TAP

Image: António Francisco Calado by Pixabay; Bruno Madeira by Pixabay; Frank Nürnberger by Pixabay