Portugal

lie some 700 miles west of Lisbon (Lisboa),
the capital of the country.
Portugal has four major rivers—the
Minho, in the north, which separates the
country from Spain; the Douro, also in the
north, known for vineyards producing
port wine; the Tagus, which flows into the
Atlantic at Lisbon; and the Guadiana, in
the southeast. Part of the Guadiana forms
an eastern frontier with Spain.
The topography of Portugal is made
up of a high plain of uneven height split
by deep valleys. In the south the landscape
is lower and less rugged than the north.
Mountains are few on the Algarve, except
for the Serra de Monchique or the Serra de
São Mamede near the Spanish border.
The north has a series of mountain
chains with high massifs such as the Serra
do Marão rising to some 4,000 feet. The
Tagus River forms a natural border
between north and south.
Flora and fauna differ between the
north and south of Portugal, because of
the climatic differences. In the south, you
find plant species indigenous to Africa and
the Atlantic islands, whereas in the north
the species are those found in European
and Mediterranean zones. Along the coast,
the maritime pine tree predominates.
The climate is temperate and usually
mild, with dry summers, especially in the
north. Because of the influence of the
Atlantic, dry spells don’t last for long periods.
In fact, the ocean gives Portugal one
of the highest rainfalls in Europe. However,
in the extreme southern point of the
Algarve rainfall annually might be lower
than 16 inches.
The capital, Lisbon, of course has the
densest concentration of people, followed
by the second city of Porto in the north.
Lisbon lies on the Tagus, Porto on the
Douro River.
The other leading cities are few. Braga,
which was Portugal’s first capital, lies
between the Cávado and Este rivers, dominating
the valley of the Minho. Braga is
followed by the university city of, and
regional capital of, Coimbra, which lies on
the right bank of the Mondego River.
Setúbal, to the south of Lisbon, lies on the
wide Sado estuary on the shores of the Bay
of Setúbal and is sheltered by Cape Espichel,
a part of the Serra da Arrábida mountain
range.
More than half of the country is under
cultivation. Soil in the south tends to be
poor, but in the north it is rich and ideal
for cultivation. Sea products represent
about one fifth of the nation’s exports.
Sardines are the major catch, followed by
tuna.
5 PORTUGAL IN POPULAR CULTURE:
BOOKS, MUSIC, & FILM
BOOKS
General
The Portuguese: The Land and Its People,
by Marion Kaplan (Viking, 2006), is
one of the best surveys of the country. The
work covers Portuguese history all the way
from the country’s Moorish origins to its
maritime empire and into the chaotic 20th
century. It also gives travel information
and discusses politics, the economy, literature,
art, and architecture.
A towering achievement, Journey to
Portugal: In Pursuit of Portugal’s History
and Culture, is a compelling work by
the Nobel Prize–winner José Saramago.
Saramago traveled across his homeland
to get a “new way” of feeling about Portugal’s
history and culture. From that personal
quest, he created this monumental
work.
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PORTUGAL IN DEPTH 2
PORTUGAL IN POPULAR CULTURE: BOOKS, MUSIC, & FILM