Famous landmarks in Portugal

Portugal is a country in south-western Europe, on the western side of the Iberian Peninsula. Its only land neighbour is Spain, and its long coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes two groups of Atlantic islands, the Azores and Madeira. The capital, Lisbon, is built on hills beside the wide Tagus River.

Portugal is known for its explorers, its painted blue-and-white tiles, sunny beaches and custard tarts. On the globe you can find the Belém Tower, which guarded Lisbon's harbour, the colourful Pena Palace in Sintra and the Cristo Rei statue, plus the story of the Mary Celeste, the ghost ship found drifting in the Atlantic.

Geography and nature

Northern Portugal is green and hilly, with vineyards along the Douro River, while the south, the Alentejo and the Algarve, is warmer and drier, with golden cliffs and beaches. Cabo da Roca, near Lisbon, is the westernmost point of mainland Europe. The highest mountain is Mount Pico, a volcano in the Azores. Forests of cork oak cover large areas, and Portugal produces about half of the world's cork. At Nazaré, an underwater canyon helps create some of the biggest surfing waves ever ridden.

People, languages and culture

People speak Portuguese, which is also spoken in Brazil, Angola, Mozambique and other countries, making it one of the most spoken languages in the world. Most Portuguese are Catholic. Fado, a song style full of longing called saudade, is listed by UNESCO as cultural heritage. Buildings are decorated with azulejos, glazed painted tiles. Portuguese love seafood, grilled sardines and bacalhau, dried salted cod, and pastéis de nata, small custard tarts. Football is the favourite sport.

History in a nutshell

Portugal became a kingdom in the 1100s, and its borders have changed little since the late 1200s, making them among the oldest in Europe. In the 1400s and 1500s Portuguese sailors led the Age of Discovery: Vasco da Gama reached India by sea in 1498, and Portugal built a trading empire across Africa, Asia and South America. A huge earthquake destroyed much of Lisbon in 1755. In 1974 the peaceful Carnation Revolution ended a long dictatorship, and Portugal joined the European Community in 1986.