The Land
Portugal occupies about one
fifth of the Iberian Peninsula which it shares with Spain, lying on its
westward shore. It contains, at Cape Sao Vicente, the furthest southwest reach
of continental Europe, and at the Cape of Roca, the westernmost point. The
country is in the shape of a rough rectangle, slightly tapering toward the
south. It is bounded on the north and east by Spain, and by the Atlantic Ocean
on the south and west. Its area is 88,551 square kilometers. Its dimensions are
560 by 220 kilometers.
Topographically, Portugal is
a sort of shelf, with minor variations, sloping steadily lower from north to
south and from east to west, until it descends into the sea. The major
exceptions to this pattern are the mountain ranges, Serra de Monchique, in the
Algarve, and Serra de Sintra, near Lisbon, both of these the results of
volcanic eruptions. Most of Portugal, 71%, lies below 400 meters. The highest
mountain ranges, where ski resorts are found, are the Serra da Estrela where
peaks rise to 1991 meters, and the Serra da Lousa in the Beiras. There are
deep, wide, dramatic valleys in this region. These ranges between the Douro and
Tagus Rivers are continuations of the Castilian mountains, while those north of
the Douro are foothills of the Cantabrian peaks.
South of Oporto and west of
Coimbra, running as far as Peniche, is a coastal plain, and there is a vast
plateau region dropping to the sea south of the Tagus River.
Portugal has 837 kilometers
of greatly varied coastline, with vast sand beaches and rocky coves alike. The
coast has a number of interesting features, among which are raise, like the
lagoons around Aveiro and rocky promontories as those near Peniche, Boca do
Inferno, etc. The three major river mouths, those at the Douro, the Tagus and
the Sado, have the large ports of Oporto, Lisbon and Setúbal, respectively.
The major rivers of Portugal,
with the exception of the Sado, originate in Spain. These are the Minho, the
Douro, the Tagus and the Guadiana. The first and last mentioned form the
country's northern and southeastern borders. In addition, there are many
smaller rivers and innumerable streams, especially in the rainy region of
Minho.
Portugal also includes large
portions of land outside Europe, these being the islands of Madeira, the Azares
and the Savage Islands, the African territories of Angola, Mozambique, Cape
Verde, Portuguese Guinea, São Tomé and Principe, and the Asian lands in China
and in Southeast Asia. The combined area of all Portugal is 2,174,097 square
kilometers.
Portugal is extremely varied
in climate for its size, containing no less than three well‑defined types. In
the northwest, particularly in Minho Province, there is the very rainy Atlantic
climate, with a moderate winter and short summer. Here you may have up to 15
rainy days a month during the winter.
The northeast has a
continental climate, with very hot summers and severe, cold winters. Lovely and
long transitional seasons are a touristic attraction in this kind of climate.
The southerly portions of
Portugal have the clear, peaceful and luminous Mediterranean climate, with its
long, dry summer and relatively cloudless winter. This is the vacationers'
climate, since one can, during the summer, be certain of fine weather, and even
during the winter, have only about one third chance of rain.
The visitor in Portugal is
certain to note the predominance of three main types of trees. These are the
cork oak, the eucalyptus and the carob. Portugal is the largest cork producer
in the world. The eucalyptus is found all along the west. The carob is grown in
the Algarve.
Portugal also has an
abundance of pine forests, some of them planted, like the famous one near
Leiria, and others, found on the mountain slopes, indigenous.
The smaller plants are of
immense variety. Viniculture is so intense as to be a dominant feature of many
provinces. The Dão region near Viseu, is heavy with vines; in Minho, the vines
that produce Vinho Verde grow over the houses, along the fences, up and down
the trees and telephone poles, adding to the brilliant green of the region; of
course, in the upper reaches of the Douro River, where the Port wine grape
grows, one sees miles and miles of nothing but terraced vineyards.
One cannot even begin to list
the flowers of the country, which in April form vast carpets of color. Each
province has varieties both rare and common, ranging from all the types of the
Mediterranean to the alpine varieties.
Cultivation of fruit trees is
also intense, the olive being perhaps the most numerous. In the south there is
the almond and the fig in large number, with citrus trees also being farmed. In
the rest of Portugal peaches and plums are most successful varieties, as will
be attested to by any tourist who has tasted these magnificently sweet, tree‑ripened
fruits in Portugal.
A striking feature of
Portuguese vegetation is the sparsity of the Alentejo, vast plains covered with
cork oak and little else. Here wheat is grown during the season.
There are two particularly
lush and vast gardens of tropical species in the country: the forest of Bucaco,
and Pena Park at Sintra. These are two spots which the tourist should not miss.
In a country where the
climate, geography and flora are all so varied, it would be expected that the
animal life will be the same. This is the case as regards birds, but the larger
animals are not much to be found, those few wolves, bears and deer that there
are, being confined mainly to Trás os Montes. Among smaller mammals are rabbit,
hare, field‑mouse, squirrel, mole, badger, weasel and a few others.
Birds are a different story,
with a vast range either passing through or settling into the Algarve. There
you may spot birds native to the Arctic circle or South Africa. Among the more
spectacular species are bee‑eaters, blue‑winged magpies, hoopoes and storks.
There are more than ten varieties of warbler, as well as finches adding to the
Algarve sounds.
Elsewhere in Portugal one
finds a less abundant sampling, but the visitor from countries like the United
States, where large‑scale spraying has chased away most species, will not fail
to be impressed by Portugal's bird life.
Species of fish, both deep
sea and fresh water, are unusually various and numerous, and are covered in the
chapter on hunting and fishing. Suffice it to say that along the coast there
exist about 200 varieties.