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Vasco da Gama Bridge — Fotopedia
Vasco da Gama Bridge in Lisbon, before the sunrise
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Vasco da Gama Bridge

The Vasco da Gama Bridge (Portuguese: Ponte Vasco da Gama; pronounced: [ˈpõt(ɨ) ˈvaʃku dɐ ˈɡɐmɐ]) is a cable-stayed bridge flanked by viaducts and rangeviews that spans the Tagus River near Lisbon, capital of Portugal. It is the longest bridge in Europe (including viaducts),[citation needed] with a total length of 17.2 km (10.7 mi), including 0.829 km (0.5 mi) for the main bridge, 11.5 km (7.1 mi) in viaducts, and 4.8 km (3.0 mi) in dedicated access roads. Its purpose is to alleviate the congestion on Lisbon's other bridge (25 de Abril Bridge), and to join previously unconnected motorways radiating from Lisbon.

The bridge was opened to traffic on 29 March 1998, 18 months after construction first began, just in time for Expo 98, the World's Fair that celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery by Vasco da Gama of the sea route from Europe to India.


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Portugal

Portugal i/ˈpɔrʉɡəl/ (Portuguese: Portugal, IPA: [puɾtuˈɣaɫ]), officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa) is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira are part of Portugal. The country is named after its second largest city, Porto, whose Latin name was Portus Cale.


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Sunrise

Sunrise or sun up is the instant at which the upper edge of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the sun crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects.


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Santa Maria dos Olivais (Lisbon)

Santa Maria dos Olivais (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɐ̃tɐ mɐˈɾiɐ duz oliˈvajʃ]), usually referred to as Olivais, is an urban civil parish in the municipality of Lisbon, Portugal.

It has an area of 10.66 km² and a population of 46,410 (as of 2001) giving a population density of 4,352.8 inhabitants per km². Local landmarks include the Parque das Nações, the Palácio do Contador-Mor, a pedagogic farm, Casa da Fonte do Anjo, Quinta da Bica, Quinta da Fonte do Anjo, Capela da Quinta da Fonte do Anjo.

The parish was created in 1397, probably resulting in the division of a part of Beato (to the south) and Sacavém (to the north). Between 1852 and 1886 Santa Maria dos Olivais formed a large municipality, predominantly rural, including 22 civil parishes.

In 1864 it occupied a surface of approximately 223 km² and had a population of 25,495, and of 29,491, in 1878.

Companies with head offices in Santa Maria dos Olivais and Portela Airport include TAP Portugal.


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Night photography

Night photography refers to photographs taken outdoors between dusk and dawn. Night photographers generally have a choice between using artificial light and using a long exposure, exposing the scene for seconds, minutes, and even hours in order to give the film or digital sensor enough time to capture a usable image. With the progress of high-speed films, higher-sensitivity digital image sensors, wide-aperture lenses, and the ever-greater power of urban lights, night photography is increasingly possible using available light.