Geography of Portugal

Portugal is a small coastal nation in southwestern Europe. Its mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula, located 38°41° north of the equator and 8°5° west of the Prime Meridian. Portugal borders only one nation—Spain, to the west and north—with a total of 1,214km of borders. It is bordered on the east with a 1,793km coastline along the North Atlantic Ocean. Portugal also controls the Atlantic islands of Azores and Madeira Islands, which are strategic locations along western sea approaches to the Strait of Gibraltar between the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. In total, the country has an area of 92,391km,² of which 91,951km² is land and 440km² water.

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles
territorial sea: 12 nautical miles

Natural hazards: Azores subject to severe earthquakes

The continent

Continental Portugal is split in two by its main river, the Tagus (Tejo). To the north the landscape is mountainous in the interior areas with plateaus, cut by four breakings lines that allow the development of relevant agricultural areas.

The south down as far as the Algarve features mostly rolling plains with a climate somewhat warmer and drier than the cooler and rainier north. Other major rivers include the Douro, the Minho and the Guadiana, similar to the Tagus in that all originate in Spain. Another important river, the Mondego, originates in the Serra da Estrela (the highest mountains in mainland Portugal - 1,991 m).

The Islands

The islands of the Azores and Madeira are located in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, some of the islands had recent volcanic activity. Originally two islands, São Miguel Island was joined by a volcanic eruption in 1563. The last vulcano to erupt was the Vulcão dos Capelinhos (Capelinhos Volcano) in 1957, in western part of Faial Island, increasing the size of that island. Dom João de Castro Bank is a large submarine volcano that lies midway between the islands of Terceira and São Miguel and rises 14 m bellow the sea surface. It last erupted in 1720 and formed an island of 1.5 km in length and 250 metres in altitude, it remained above the water for several years. Scientists predict a new island can be formed in a not so distant future. Portugal's highest point is Mount Pico, an ancient volcano, with 2,351 metres.

The Coast

The Portuguese coast is extensive, it has 943 km in continental Portugal, 667 km in the Azores, 250 km in Madeira and in the Savage Islands. The Portuguese coast developed fine beaches, the Algarve ones are worldwide famous. In Porto Santo Island, a dune formation is appealing to many tourists. An important feature in its coast is the Ria de Aveiro (near Aveiro), a delta with 45 km in length and a maximum of 11 km width, rich in fish and sea birds. There are four main channels, between them several islands and islets, and it is where Vouga, Antuã, Boco, and Fontão rivers meet the ocean. Since the 16th century, the formation of a sort of narrow headlands formed a lagoon, seen has one of the most remarkable hydrographic features of the Portuguese coast. Due to this characteristics, the region is an ancient producer of salt, and during the Roman Empire it exported its salt to Rome, seen has a precious product.

Lakes

There are also several lakes in Portugal, in Serra da Estrela the Lake Comprida (Lagoa Comprida) and the Lake Escura (Lagoa Escura) were formed from ancient glaciers. Some lagoons have the ocean or a river has origin; for instance, the Albufeira and Óbidos lagoons. While others are originated between dunes like the lagoons of Braças and Vela.

Climate

maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south

In mainland Portugal, average temperatures are 13ºC in the North and 18ºC in the South. Madeira and Azores, due to their location in the Atlantic, are rainy and wet, and have a narrower range of temperatures.

Portugal is one of the warmest European countries. Spring and Summer months are usually sunny and the temperatures very high during July and August, with highs in the centre of the country between 30°C and 35°C, reaching sometimes highs of 45°C in the southern interior. Autumn and Winter are typically rainy and windy, yet sunny days are not rare either, the temperatures rarely fall below 5°C, usually staying at an average of 10°C. Snow is common in the mountainous areas of the north. Portugal's climate is classified as Atlantic-Mediterranean.

As of 2005, the country is facing serious problems due to lack of rain in the winter. A winter with very blue skies with some days of unusual low temperatures and other days with unusual high temperatures.

Environment

Environment - current issues: soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban

Terrain: mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in the Azores 2,351 m

Natural resources: fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore, uranium ore, marble, arable land, hydro power

Land use:
arable land: 26%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 36%
other: 20% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 6,300 km² (1993 est.)

Turism

Where to go: Algarve is the main place to visit if you want sunny days, beach, long nights and be near the nature. Another places to be are Lisboa, Porto, Constância(historical place), Tomar(historical place).

See also

[Cabo da Roca]]

Sources and further reading

• Visible Earth. NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. [1] (http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/results?st=1&page=1&th=47&query=portugal). A collection of satellite images of Portugal and the surrounding region.
• "Portugal." CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. [2] (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/po.html).
• Symington, Martin. Portugal (Eyewitness Travel Guide series). Dorling Kindersley Publishing: 2003. ISBN 078949423X.fr:Géographie du Portugal

pt:Geografia de Portugal