Portugal is a country in the south west corner of Europe. It also controls two island groups, the Azores and Maderia. The Azores
are a group of nine islands about 1,300 kms west of mainland Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean while Maderia is about 1,000 kms south west of mainland
Portugal, also in the Atlantic Ocean. About a quarter of a million people live on each group. Our figures include these two island groups along with the mainland.
Mainland Portugal borders on to the Atlantic Ocean in the west and south and Spain in the north and east.
Mainland Portugal is divided, almost across the middle, by the River Tagus. North of this the land is mountainous while to the south are rolling plains.
The geographical coordinates for the centre of Portugal, also known as lines of latitude and longitude, are:-
Latitude - 39 30N
Longitude - 8 00W
The capital of Portugal is Lisbon.
Portugal is a semi-presidemtial republic with a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of the government.
In elections everyone over the age of 18 can vote.
The currency in Portugal is the euro. Portugal is a member of the European Union, having joined in 1986.
Portuguese is the official language.
Check the weather in Lisbon now.
This is the time in Lisbon now
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