(Photo Credit)

Most descriptions suggest that the America's Cup village would be located upriver from the center of Lisbon, along the Tagus Estuary.  Racing would take place near shore to the west, off of the city of Cascais. 

Lisbon is an active modern port city, handling over 13 million tons of cargo annually.  The resort destination of Cascais has a large marina.  Alternate plans could see team bases built in Cascais itself, but infrastructure concerns favor Lisbon.
 

photo: © Emilie McCartney Waddell

CupInfo Extra:
A Visit to Cascais: Our Man In Lisbon
(click to read the report and interview)
 

Strengths:

Costs:

photos: © Emilie McCartney Waddell

Business Competitive Index:

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Travel:

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Brief History:

photo: © Emilie McCartney Waddell

Befitting its fabled setting among seven hills, legend has it that Lisbon was founded by Ulysses.  Some evidence credits the Phoenicians as Lisbon's first settlers.  Successively conquered by the various empires that waxed and waned around the Mediterranean region, the city endured a difficult and sometimes violent history until quite recently. Lisbon became the capital city of Portugal in 1260.  Portugal itself lost its independence to Spain in 1580, then fought to regain its freedom, succeeding in breaking away from Spanish rule under the Treaty of Portugal in 1668.  A devastating earthquake struck the city in 1755, though leaders used the opportunity to modernize both the city and its government.   The country joined the EU in 1986 and the EMU in 1999.  Today Portugal and Lisbon boast some of the highest economic growth rates in the EU, and among the lowest unemployment numbers.

About the photograph from space above

Lisbon, Portugal April 1998   STS090-748-093

Lisbon, the nation’s capital and largest city (estimated population of 650,000 people), is located along the west side and near the mouth of the Tagus River estuary (large, dark feature in center of image).

The Tagus River estuary is one of the best natural ports on the European continent and can accommodate large ocean going ships. The estuary also has the largest dry dock in the world. The intersecting runways for one of Lisbon’s several airports are visible on a peninsula that extends westerly into the south side of the Tagus River estuary. Two bridges can be seen connecting the eastern shore with the built-up area of Lisbon.

With the exception of the alluvial soil deposited by the Tagus River and the irrigated acreage along the delta and floodplain of the river, Portugal is not a country that has an abundance of arable land. The angular-looking field patterns found on the Tagus River delta (near upper right corner) and the circular patterns (center pivot irrigation southeast of the river) show the location and distribution of some of the productive farmland.

The greater Lisbon area, including both the city and its suburbs, accounts for most of Portugal’s commerce and much of its industry.

Photo Credit: Earth Sciences and Image Analysis, NASA-Johnson Space Center. 30 Jun. 2003.
Astronaut Photography of Earth - Display Record.

*Business Competitive Index is a measure of strength and opportunity in the business environment.   The BCI is compiled by the World Economic Forum as part of their Global Competitiveness Survey.  A simple explanation would mention that it is related to a country's GDP per capita, but, as might be expected where economists are at work, the analysis is much more complicated than simply that one ratio.  See their website for more information.