Western European Time (Lisbon)

Portugal uses Western European Time (WET), aligned with the UK and Ireland at UTC+0 in winter and UTC+1 in summer (WEST). Lisbon is Europe's westernmost capital and one of its oldest, predating Rome, Paris, and London. Portugal experimented with Central European Time from 1966 to 1976 and briefly in 1992-1996, but reverted to WET each time due to public dissatisfaction with dark winter mornings. The Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the mid-Atlantic, use their own timezone (UTC-1/UTC+0), while Madeira uses the same time as mainland Portugal. Lisbon has experienced a renaissance in the 2010s-2020s, becoming one of Europe's hottest destinations for tech startups, digital nomads, and Web Summit (Europe's largest tech conference). Portugal's Golden Visa program and Non-Habitual Resident tax regime attracted thousands of remote workers. The Euronext Lisbon stock exchange operates on WET. Portugal's position at the western edge of Europe means it has the latest solar times in the WET zone, with summer sunsets as late as 9:30 PM. The country's maritime heritage as a pioneering Age of Exploration nation gave it a global influence that far exceeds its small size.