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

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 km² (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

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]. A collection of satellite images of Portugal and the surrounding region.
• "Portugal." CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. [2].
• Symington, Martin. Portugal (Eyewitness Travel Guide series). Dorling Kindersley Publishing: 2003. ISBN 078949423X.