Portugal

Portugal is the country lying along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula in south western Europe. It is bordered on the East and North by Spain, and on the West and South by the Atlantic Ocean. Occupying about 16 percent of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal has a total area of 35 672 square miles, occupied by ten million people.Despite its small size, the country displays a great diversity of geographic features, creating a contrast between plain areas and extremely mountainous zones.Until the 1970s, Portuguese overseas territories included the Cape Verde Islands, São Tomé and Príncipe, Portuguese Guinea, Angola and Mozambique (all in Africa), Macau (in Asia) and Timor (in Oceania). Of these, by the late 20th century, only Macau remained a Portuguese dependency, now under China’s dependance.As a member of the European Community and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), Portugal plays a greater role in both European and world affairs than its size would suggest. Nonetheless, it is one of the poorest countries in Western Europe.

Total area: 92 389 sq km (including Madeira and Azores)
Land: 91959 sq km
Water: 430 sq km
Land use: 26 percent arable land; 9 percent permanent crops; 9 percent permanent pastures; 36 percent forests and woodland; 20 percent other.
Terrain: Mountainous north of the Tagus river, rolling plains in south.