Porugal geography

1. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Portugal
Geographical Curiosities
By:
João Matos, 8ºC
Tiago Pereira, 8ºD
Daniel Lopes, 8ºD

2. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
FACT FILE
Name: Portugal
Area: 92,090 km2
Population: 10,561,614
Currency: Euro
Date of entry in the European Union: 1986

3. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Tallest Mountain
Mount Pico in the Azores

4. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Mount Pico
Mount Pico is a stratovolcano on Pico Island in the Azores. It reaches an
altitude of 2,351 meters above sea level, which makes it the highest
point in Portugal

5. Serra da Estrela
Serra da Estrela (Mountain Range of the Star) is the highest mountain
range in Continental Portugal. Its highest point is at 1,993 m above
mean sea level.

6. Longest Rivers
The largest rivers are the
Tejo in Portugal, the Douro
and the Guadiana, all born in
Spain.
The major rivers originating
in Portugal are the Mondego
and Sado.

7. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Biggest lake
With a surface of 250 km2, the "Barragem de Alqueva“, at the Guadiana river,
in Alentejo, is today the largest artificial lake in western Europe.

8. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Places with
geological interest
Birth-giving rocks Arouca
These are rare granitic rocks that“give birth”
to other rocks as a consequence of erosion.
They are rare in the world and unique in
Europe.

9. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Places with geological interest
Caves of Mira D’aire
The largest
caves in
Portugal
Discovered in 1947

10. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Capelinhos volcano, in Faial, Azores
•Its last volcanic eruption lasted for 13 months, from September 27,
1957 until October 24, 1958.
•On October 25, the volcano entered a period of dormancy. Although it is
not considered potentially active, it is a part of an active fissural
volcanic complex

11. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Hot springs, in São Miguel, Azores
One out of many hot springs, The local inhabitants cook corn
geysers and fumaroles in the and other dishes in the geysers.
central village of Furnas, São
Miguel island.

12. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Swimming pool fed by an
iron-rich hot spring, in Terra
Nostra park, Furnas.

13. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Black sand beaches, Azores

14. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Geography and traditional houses
Traditional Portuguese architectural styles vary greatly, depending on
weather conditions and construction materials in each region.
Rio de Onor village Trás-os-Montes
region
In the cold region of Trás os Montes, animals were kept in
the ground floor, which helped to keep the houses warm.

15. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Granite houses
Sortelha village
In this region winters are cold and summers are very hot and dry.
The granite protects the house from the cold, while residents warm the inside
with fireplaces. In summer granite keeps the house cool, isolating it from the
heat.

16. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Schist Houses
Piódão village

17. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Coastline Houses
Costa Nova village Palheiros da Tocha village
Former fishermen’s houses, Traditional stilt houses made of
called “palheiros”. wood, built on high poles, so that
the sand of the beach, played by
strong winds, could pass under the
houses .

18. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
Alentejo
In the south the houses are usually small, whitewashed and plastered since
the weather is hot and dry.
The yellow and blue stripes around the windows and doors, serve as
protection from the insects that are attracted by the white walls. The
windows are small, to keep the house cool.

19. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
ALGARVE
Olhão town
The whiteness of the walls effectively reflects the sunlight. On the flat
roofs people dry figs, almonds and corn. The chimneys are a symbol of the
region and show the influence of five centuries of Arab occupation.

20. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”
MADEIRA
The typical houses of Santana have a triangular shape and are covered
with thatch. This raw material was adopted because there was little hard
stone in the region, and because it allowed an adaptation to the
seasons, cool in summer and warm in winter.

21. Comenius Project “Windows on Europe”