Where is Portugal in the World?

Where is Portugal

Portugal is a European country resting in the southern region of the continent. The majority of its land lies on the Iberian Peninsula, and its position makes it the westernmost point among sovereign states in the continental European mainland. It is bordered on all sides by only two other bodies: Spain makes up Portugal's northern and eastern borders, while the Atlantic Ocean borders Portugal toward its western and southern ends.

Portugal's territory also contains Madeira and Azores, two Atlantic archipelagos, both of which are autonomous entities with their governing bodies.

Geography

Portugal's mainland is cleaved in two by its primary river the Tagus, which spans from Spain to the Atlantic Ocean. The nation's northern topography is a mountainous region rife with plateaus and river valleys, whereas Portugal' expansive and rolling plain regions mark s southern landscape.

The highest peak in Portugal's territory is an ancient and iconic volcano called Mount Pico, named for the island upon which it rests in the Azores. Madeira and Azores are both scattered among the Atlantic Ocean, and both were formed by historical volcanic activity and seismic activity. These territories still experience periodic earthquakes, but the last volcanic eruption took place in the 1950s.

Portugal is one of the warmest countries in Europe and has what is referred to as a Mediterranean climate. Its northern areas can expect a temperature range between the forties and fifties Fahrenheit, while the southern regions experience an average temperature range generally within the sixties Fahrenheit. In some areas, particularly near the river basins, temperatures can reach up to a range between the eighties and well over one hundred degrees Fahrenheit.

A drastic change in precipitation occurs from the mountainous to the river regions of Portugal, with up to 126 inches of rainfall in the mountain areas but as little as 11 inches toward the southern regions. Mountainous areas can expect significant snowfall throughout the winter and temperatures as low as fourteen degrees Fahrenheit.

Portugal boasts an incredibly diverse biological population, hosting a scarce Mediterranean forest and other coniferous and deciduous forests. Portugal hosts a broad array of both flora and fauna, hosting myriad families of deer and a vast diversity of pine and oak varieties. Its rainforest regions host many mammalian species and serve as an essential stopover point for many migrating bird species crossing to and from Africa and Europe.

Population

Portugal has an estimated population of over 10.5 million citizens, 96% of which are Portuguese while other ethnicities compose the remainder of the community. Its largest city, Lisbon, is also its capital.