Portugal Geography

Geography

The name Portugal is derived from the Roman name for the small city Portus Cale, which is currently known as Porto, and is situated at the mouth of the river Douro.
Portugal is the westernmost country of the European continent and shares its border with only one neighbour, Spain. The capital of Portugal is the city of Lisbon, home to half a million people. Portugal is part of the Iberian Peninsula and has a beautiful Atlantic coastline, that stretches for 832 kilometres. The volcanic island group, the Azores, the island Madeira and the island group of de Ilhas Selvagens, which all lie in the Atlantic Ocean, all belong to Portugal.
Despite the fact that Portugal is on the border of Spain, her landscape deviates strongly from the landscape of her neighbour. The landscape is divided by the River Tagus (Tejo). Half of the area north of the Tagus is more than 400 metres above sea level and is therefore the home of beautiful hills and mountains. The southern area is lower.
If you would like to enjoy the mountainous regions during your winter vacation in Portugal, be sure to visit the mountain range Serra de Estrela, which runs from the north east to the south west and reaches a height of almost 2 kilometres. At 2351 metres, the Ponta do Pico, on the island of Pico in the Azores, is the highest point in Portugal.