Portugal is a southern european state, situated in the southwestern part of the Iberian Península and occupying an area of 91.985 km2. It is bordered by Spain to the north and east, and by the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west.

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The portuguese continental territory is devided in half by it's main river, the Tagus. To the north de landscape is mountainous in the inland regions, with plateaus interspersed with agricultural areas. To the souh, down to the Algarve, the plains dominate, hills being rare.​



Portugal's position between the atlantic and mediterranean climates acounts for the existence of two distinct vegetation zones. The northern part of the country is deeply green and the western seaboard is home to the atlantic vegetation. The mediterranean vegetation, on the other hand, very scarce in the north, dominates almost completely, the regions south of the Tagus.​



These two natural vegetation zones include widespread species of pine (especially the Pinus pinaster and Pinus pinea species), the chestnut (Castanea sativa), the cork-oak (Quercus suber), the holm oak (Quercus ilex), the Portuguese oak (Quercus faginea), and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus).

 

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