Portugal Geography - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain

Geographic coordinates

39 30 N, 8 00 W

Map references

Europe

Area

total: 92,090 sq km

land: 91,470 sq km

water: 620 sq km

note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Virginia

Land boundaries

total: 1,224 km

border countries (1): Spain 1,224 km

Coastline

1,793 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate

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

Terrain

the west-flowing Tagus River divides the country: the north is mountainous toward the interior, while the south is characterized by rolling plains

Elevation

highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in the Azores 2,351 m

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 372 m

Natural resources

fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower

Land use

agricultural land: 39.7% (2018 est.)

arable land: 11.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 7.8% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 20% (2018 est.)

forest: 37.8% (2018 est.)

other: 22.5% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

5,662 sq km (2019)

Population distribution

concentrations are primarily along or near the Atlantic coast; both Lisbon and the second largest city, Porto, are coastal cities

Natural hazards

Azores subject to severe earthquakes

volcanism: limited volcanic activity in the Azores Islands; Fayal or Faial (1,043 m) last erupted in 1958; most volcanoes have not erupted in centuries; historically active volcanoes include Agua de Pau, Furnas, Pico, Picos Volcanic System, San Jorge, Sete Cidades, and Terceira

Geography - note

Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar; they are two of the four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia; the others are the Canary Islands (Spain) and Cabo Verde

NOTE: The information regarding Portugal on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Portugal 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Portugal 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.