Country · Europe
Portugal
Portuguese Republic
Portugal is a country in Southern Europe. About 10.3 million people live there, in an area of 92 090 square kilometres. Its capital city is Lisbon.
Picture credit: Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Jakub Hałun (CC BY 4.0) · Jakub Hałun (CC BY 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Portugal?
Portugal lies in Southern Europe, on the continent of Europe.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 4 397 km from the equator.
Its coastline is about 1 793 km long.
It shares a border with 1 country: Spain.
How big is Portugal?
Portugal covers 92 090 square kilometres.
That is about 2.2 times the size of Switzerland.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 109th largest.
If everybody spread out evenly, there would be about 111.7 people on every square kilometre.
That is busier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Portugal?
About 10.3 million people live in Portugal.
That is the 87th biggest population in the world.
People here speak Portuguese.
They pay with the Euro (€).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 76 years.
The land of Portugal
The land of Portugal sits on average 372 metres above sea level.
Its coast runs for about 1 793 km. Walking it end to end, at twenty kilometres a day, would take roughly 90 days.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Portugal different?
A dish the country is known for: Bacalhau.
Websites from here often end in .pt.
Portugal and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about one lives in Portugal.
It takes up about 0.07 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Europe the country ranks 18th of 45 by size, and 14th by population.
Portugal and its neighbours
Spain, its only neighbour, is about 5.5 times bigger.
Spain has more people: 46.8 million against 10.3 million.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, 18 live wild in Portugal: European rabbit, Sperm whale, Fire salamander, Hermit crab, European lobster, Sea urchin and more. The highest mountain in the country is Ponta do Pico, at 2 351 metres. The longest river in the country is the Tagus (Tejo). The largest lake in the country is Pateira de Fermentelos.
European rabbit
Sperm whale
Fire salamander
Hermit crab
European lobster
Sea urchin
European eel
Deep-sea anglerfish
Ocean sunfish
Atlantic bluefin tuna
White stork
Griffon vulture
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
How big is Portugal compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 102 times as big as Portugal: 9 372 610 km² against 92 090 km². See both on one map
- The United Kingdom is about 2.6 times as big as Portugal: 242 900 km² against 92 090 km². See both on one map
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Portugal?
The capital of Portugal is Lisbon. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Portugal?
About 10.3 million people live in Portugal, which makes it the 87th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Portugal?
Portugal borders Spain — 1 neighbour in total.
How big is Portugal?
Portugal covers 92 090 square kilometres, making it the 109th largest country in the world. That is about 2.2 times the size of Switzerland.
What is the highest mountain in Portugal?
The highest mountain in Portugal is Ponta do Pico, 2 351 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Portugal?
The longest river in Portugal is the Tagus (Tejo). Of its 1 007 kilometres, about 230 run through the country.
What is the largest lake in Portugal?
The largest lake in Portugal is Pateira de Fermentelos. It covers about 5 km².
Which continent is Portugal in?
Portugal is in Europe, in the part called Southern Europe.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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