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PORTUGAL’S GEOGRAPHY & LANDSCAPE

ABOVE: Quinta do Lorde on the island of Madeira. Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago comprising four islands off the African coast.

The mountains of the north can be impressive: the highest peak in continental Portugal, Torre, is 6,450 feet (1,993 meters) high. This mountain is part of the Serra da Estrela range, the highest in the country. In the south, in the area known as the Alentejo, the land is more arid and is unable to grow as many crops, though olives, oranges, and figs are able to survive. The land is mostly made up of hills and plains. Even farther south is the Algarve, which is the driest and hottest part of Portugal. The Islands In the early fifteenth century, two island chains, or archipelagos, were discovered by Portugal and incorporated into the country. The Azores and Madeira Islands are both located in the northern Atlantic Ocean and are inhabited by people from the mainland of Portugal, along with others from various European countries. 14