Until the 1970s the French school of geography exerted a tremendous influence on Portuguese geographers, many of whom made major contributions to studies on the relationship between nature and human beings. Since the Carnation Revolution in 1974, however, various strands of geographical thought have been introduced to the discipline of geography in Portugal, due to increasing academic exchanges with foreign scholars, which have led to a gradual diversification of themes in studies of geography. For instance, research on regional planning and urban planning has progressed since the 1980s, making applied geography one of the mainstreams of geographical studies in Portugal. Recently, research institutions in the major universities of Portugal have also been reorganized, obtaining corporate status to receive more research funds. They are expected to produce excellent research outputs soon after their establishment.
