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GERÊS
Starting up in the north, we find green landscapes
in the beautiful Serra do Gerês.
The Peneda-Gerês
National Park
or simply Gerês, is the only
national park in Portugal,
although many natural parks,
protected landscapes, and
reserves exist across the
country.
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GERÊS
Cattle are a common
presence both in the
mountains and on the road.
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GERÊS
The Espigueiros of Soajo,
used by early settlers to
GERÊS warehouse and protect food
crops.
“Garranos” – wild
horses
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Douro river Valley
A bit further down and towards the interior, the
Douro valley dominates the landscape.
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Serra da Estrela
Further down, we find the Serra da Estrela, Portugal’s
second highest mountain, where the only ski resort
in Portugal is located.
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Aires and
Candeeiros
mountain range
Calcarian land
Eolic energy generators One of the many caves in this region
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Aires and Candeeiros Mountain Range
Salt Mines
The salt mines of Rio Maior are a
legacy from ancient times.
The salt mines are an interesting natural phenomena. The salty water comes
from a deep and extensive mine where water passes, making the water 7
times saltier than sea water.
These days, the work in the salt beds is seasonal, mainly during summer.
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Alentejo region
In Alentejo region we find the peace and quiet that we so often seek.
White sunny villages by the sea or in the midst of the great plains.
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Alentejo region
The Cork Oak (sobreiro) is one of the most common types of tree in this region.
in Portugal and Spain, the Cork Oak forests are home to endangered species
such as the Iberian Lynx, the most critically threatened feline in the world.
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Cork is used for wine bottle stoppers among many other uses.
Pelcor is a Portuguese
trademark where every thing
is made in cork.
Harvested cork trees
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Alentejo vinyards where some of
world’s best wines are produced
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Seaside Regions
Portugal has about 1450 km of coastline and more than half of
the Portuguese population lives in the coastal area.
It is also on the coast that most industries are located.
Azenhas do Mar cliff Nazaré beach
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Seaside Regions
Dune vegetation
Nazaré - wave with 30m.
Traditional fishing Ponta de Sagres
Algarve
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Seaside Regions
Close to Lisbon, there is Ericeira , a town known by surfers as
one of Portugal’s best surfing spots.
• Ericeira’s beach is very
famous because there are
wonderful waves for
surfing.
• Ericeira also gave a name to
a surf shop
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Seaside regions
The Algarve
In the Algarve we
find some of the
most beautiful
beaches of the
world
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Natural Park of Ria Formosa, Algarve
In the Natural park of
Ria Formosa there is a
special protection to
some species, such as:
Seahorses… Chameleons..
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Natural Park of Ria Formosa, Algarve
‘’Ferro de engomar‘’ Caboz
(“clothes iron”)… (goby)…
Devilfish octopus…
Among many others…
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Azores and Madeira
These archipelagos have a volcanic origin and
have never been part of a continent
The Azores archipelago is constituted by nine
principal islands : Faial, Graciosa, Pico, São
Jorge, Terceira, Santa Maria, and São Miguel.
The natural beauty of each one of them is
awesome.
The Madeira archipelago consists of the
islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, Desert
Islands and Savage Islands, however the only
inhabited islands are Madeira and Porto
Santo.
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Azores
Green pastures Cows –milk production
Pico viniyards
UNESCO’s protected landscape
Hydrangea flowers
everywhere
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Azores
Volcanic crater lake, Lagoa das Sete Cidades, on the
island of São Miguel
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Azores
Priôlo - a unique bird that exists
only in the “laurisilva” forest of São
Miguel island.
Sperm Whales are the largest and
most numerous in these waters.
Several species of dolphins
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Madeira
The Laurisilva of Madeira conserves the largest surviving area of primary laurel
forest, 149,5 km2 , a vegetation type that is now confined to the Azores, Madeira
.
and the Canary Islands.
It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
The Laurisilva forests are relicts of a vegetation type which covered much of
the Mediterranean Basin when the climate of the region was more humid.
around 20,000 years ago.
