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,ē of which 91,951kmē is land and 440kmē 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
Climate: maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
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 kmē (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: Azores subject to severe earthquakes
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
See also: Cape Roca
Sources and further reading