Discover Portugal

Written by: Natalie Yao

Geography and Nature

The nation of Portugal is located on the Iberian Peninsula, in the south part of Western Europe. Portugal shares the Iberian Peninsula with its neighbor, Spain. In addition to Spain, Portugal also shares a maritime border with Morocco. Portuguese territory also includes the Azores and Madeira Islands, that lay in the Atlantic Ocean. Since Portugal has such an expansive coastline, there are many warm and sandy beaches that attract surfers and tourists. The country is divided into multiple regions: northwest, northeast, and the south regions. The majority of the Portuguese population lives in the northwest region, where there is a lot of rain and many hills. In the northeast, there are more mountains, and the south have more plains. Some Portuguese cities include its capital Lisbon, Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Braga, and Funchal. 

Most of northwestern Portugal is covered in forests with many native plants such as the cork, oak, beech, chestnut, and pine trees. There are also many animals that live in them like boars, wild goats, deer, foxes, hares, pigs, and lynx. In the Estrella Mountains, there are also some wolves that can be found. The long coastline also provides a good habitat for clams, crabs, and oysters. Fishermen in the area also commonly catch sardines, tuna, and bonito.

People and Culture

Many cities in Portugal look mostly the same as they did 200 years ago because their old buildings are pretty much left unchanged and intact. They also have a good environment with minimal pollution. The people in Portugal are majority Roman Catholic and ethnically Portuguese. Yet, there are also small populations of Africans, Asians, Brazilians, and other Europeans. 

As Portugal has so much access to the ocean, seafood is heavily incorporated in Portuguese cuisine. Portuguese cuisine is also known for its comfort food and pork dishes. The climate of Portugal also allows olives to thrive, and thus influences Portuguese cuisine greatly.  

Some popular dishes include:

• Bacalhau: salt cod that is used in bolinhos de bacalhau serves with olive oil

• Caldo Verde: green soup made of potatoes, collard, kale, and pieces of sausage

• Francesinha: sandwich layered in different meats, topped in melted cheese and tomato sauce from Porto

• Frango Piri-Piri: grilled chicken marinated in spicy piri-piri pepper sauce

• Pastel de Nata: a sweet custard tart with a flaky crust, dusted with cinnamon

National Symbols

• National Bird: The Rooster of Barcelos

• National Animal: the Iberian Wolf

• National Trees: the Olive Tree and the Cork Oak Tree

• National Flower: Lavender

• National Colors: Red and Green