Portugal - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Portugal. Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar; they are two of the four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia; the others are the Canary Islands (Spain) and Cabo Verde. Mother's mean age at first birth is 29.9 years (2020 est.) (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 12 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Portugal
Location Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
Geographic coordinates 39 30 N, 8 00 W
Map references Europe
Tarrain the west-flowing Tagus River divides the country: the north is mountainous toward the interior, while the south is characterized by rolling plains
Natural Resources fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower
Natural Hazards

Azores subject to severe earthquakes

volcanism: limited volcanic activity in the Azores Islands; Fayal or Faial (1,043 m) last erupted in 1958; most volcanoes have not erupted in centuries; historically active volcanoes include Agua de Pau, Furnas, Pico, Picos Volcanic System, San Jorge, Sete Cidades, and Terceira

Irrigated Land 5,662 sq km (2019)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 1,224 km
Border Countries Spain 1,224 km
Coastline 1,793 km
Climate maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
Area
Total Area
Land Area 91,470 sq km
Water Area 620 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than Virginia
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Elevations
Highest point Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in the Azores 2,351 m
Lowest point Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 372 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 39.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 11.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 7.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 20% (2018 est.)
Forest 37.8% (2018 est.)
Other 22.5% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Concentrations are primarily along or near the Atlantic coast; both Lisbon and the second largest city, Porto, are coastal cities

People and Society

In Portugal, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Portuguese 95%; citizens from Portugal’s former colonies in Africa, Asia (Han Chinese), and South America (Brazilian) and other foreign born 5%

Population
Pop growth rate -0.14% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 10.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 10.6% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 3.5 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Total fertility rate 1.45 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.71 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 73.9% (2014)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 52.6% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 5% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate 1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Portuguese | Portuguese (singular and plural)
Languages Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official, but locally used)
Religions Roman Catholic 79.7%, Protestant 2.2%, other Christian 2.5%, other non-Christian, 1.1%, none 14.5% (2021 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 12.7% (male 662,419/female 631,284)
15-64 years 65% (male 3,264,766/female 3,371,087)
65 years and over 22.3% (2024 est.) (male 908,578/female 1,369,043)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 56
Youth dependency ratio 20.8
Elderly dependency ratio 35.2
Potential support ratio 2.8 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 46.4 years (2024 est.)
Male 44.3 years
Female 48.3 years
Urbanization
Urban population 67.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.44% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 3.001 million LISBON (capital), 1.325 million Porto (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.66 male(s)/female
Total population 0.9 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 2.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 2.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 81.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 78.8 years
Female 85.2 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 99.7% of population
Improved: total total: 99.9% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0.3% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 99.9% of population
Improved: rural rural: 100% of population
Improved: total total: 99.9% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 10.37 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 2.62 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 6.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 1.34 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.37 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 25.4% (2020 est.)
Male 30.5% (2020 est.)
Female 20.2% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Portugal

Want to know more about Portugal? Check all different factbooks for Portugal below.

Portugal is found in Southern Europe