Portugal

State · 1976–2026 CE · at its largest around 1976 CE

Portugal after the 1974 Carnation Revolution, which ended the Estado Novo dictatorship and led to the 1976 democratic constitution. It granted independence to its African colonies and joined the European Communities in 1986.

On its lands while it lasted

Ruhollah Khomeini (c. 1902 CE – 1989 CE): A Shia cleric who led the Iranian Revolution from exile and became Iran's first Supreme Leader.
Mother Teresa (1910 CE – 1997 CE): Catholic nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
Indira Gandhi (1917 CE – 1984 CE): India's first female prime minister, who led the country during the 1971 war and the Emergency and was assassinated in 1984.
Pope John Paul II (1920 CE – 2005 CE): Karol Wojtyla of Kraków became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years in 1978. His papacy, until 2005, supported the end of communism in Poland.
Iranian Revolution (1978–1979 CE): Mass protests overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile to found the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989 CE): Soviet intervention in Afghanistan against mujahideen insurgents backed by the United States, Pakistan and others; Soviet troops withdrew in 1989.
Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988 CE): Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Iran, starting an eight-year war of attrition that killed hundreds of thousands and ended in stalemate.
Bhopal disaster (1984 CE): Gas leak of methyl isocyanate from a pesticide plant in Bhopal that killed thousands, among the worst industrial disasters in history.
Gulf War (1990–1991 CE): Iraq invaded and annexed Kuwait; a US-led coalition authorized by the United Nations expelled Iraqi forces in early 1991.
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) (2001–2021 CE): US-led invasion after the September 11 attacks that toppled the Taliban, followed by a long insurgency until the US withdrawal in 2021.
Iraq War (2003–2011 CE): A US-led coalition invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein's government, followed by years of insurgency and sectarian conflict.
Arab Spring (2010–2012 CE): A wave of protests and uprisings that spread from Tunisia across the Arab world, toppling rulers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen and leading to civil wars in Syria and Libya.
Syrian civil war (2011–2024 CE): Protests against Bashar al-Assad's government in 2011 escalated into a multi-sided war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions, ending with Assad's fall in December 2024.
Fall of Kabul (2021 CE): The Taliban captured Kabul on 15 August 2021 as US-led forces withdrew, returning to power in Afghanistan.
Gaza war (2023 CE): Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages; Israel's military campaign in Gaza killed tens of thousands and caused vast destruction.