Introducing Portugal

Geography

Portugal is situated at the south-west point of Europe and also includes the Madeira and Azores archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean.

Mainland Portugal occupies an area of 88,889 km2. It is 218 km wide and 561 km long. It has 832 km of Atlantic coast and a 1,215 km border with Spain.

The Azores are situated in the Atlantic Ocean between Europe and North America. They consist of nine islands - São Miguel and Santa Maria in the Eastern Group, Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico and Faial in the Central Group and Flores and Corvo in the Western Group.

It takes about two hours to get from the Azores to mainland Portugal by plane.

The Madeira Archipelago lies in the Atlantic Ocean about 500 km from the African coast and 1.5 hours flying time from from Lisbon. It consists of the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo and the uninhabited Desertas and Selvagens islands, which are nature reserves.

Population

Portugal has a population of about 10 million. The population density is at its greatest in Lisbon, the capital and its suburbsbs, where about 1.9 million people live.

The second largest city in Portugal is Oporto in the north. Generally speaking, more people live along the coastal regions than in the inland areas.

Language

One of the Latin languages, Portuguese is the third most spoken European language in the world and the native tongue of about 200 million people.
The Portuguese-speaking countries are scattered all over the world. Portuguese is spoken in Africa (Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and São Tomé e Príncipe), in South America (Brazil) and in Asia, (East Timor, the youngest nation in the world).

In Portugal you will find lots of people are able to communicate in English, French and Spanish.

Air travel

Portugal’s excellent geographical position makes it a stopover point for many foreign airlines at airports all over the country:

Lisbon - Portela Airport

Oporto - Dr. Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport

Faro - Faro Airport

ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal, SA is the Portuguese airport authority and provides departure and arrival information on www.ana.pt

Portuguese airlines offering regular domestic and international flights include:

TAP - Air Portugal is the country’s "flagship" airline www.tap.pt

PORTUGÁLIA - www.pga.pt

SATA - www.sata.pt

ATA - www.aerocondor.com

Hi Fly - www.hifly.aero

Driving

Vehicles drive on the right in Portugal. Unless otherwise indicated, vehicles coming from the right have priority in squares and at intersections.
At junctions with roundabouts, vehicles already on the roundabout have right of way.

Road signs comply with international rules.

Speed limits for cars:

50 kph - in built-up areas
90 kph - on normal roads
100 kph - on roads restricted to motor vehicles
120 kph - on motorways

All occupants must wear seat belts.

The Portuguese Highway Code forbids the use of mobile phones while driving, unless you’re using hands-free equipment or an earphone.

Climate

The climate in Portugal varies considerably from one region to another and is influenced by the relief, latitude and proximity to the sea, which offers mild winters, especially in the Algarve.

In the Porto e Nortearea and theCentro de Portugalregion, particularly inland, nearer Spain, the winters are colder, although the temperatures are still mild when compared to the rest of Europe. There is some snowfall. It occurs most in the Serra da Estrela mountains, where we find the highest point in mainland Portugal (1,991 m) and where it is sometimes possible to ski.

The summers are hot and dry, especially in the inland areas (Trás-os-Montes in north-eastern Portugal and Alentejo). Temperatures are slightly lower in the coastal areas, because of the influence of the sea.

There are often warm, sunny days in autumn. Nice weather at the beginning of November is often called "St. Martin’s Summer" as this saint’s day is on 11 November.

Money

Portugal is one of the 12 European Union countries whose common official currency is the euro.

1 euro is divided into 100 cents. The coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, and 1 and 2 euros.

The notes are differentiated by their size and colour and come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros.

One side of the coins has a common design (the European side), and the other side has a national symbol. All euro coins can be used in any euro-zone country, irrespective of which national symbols they display.

Banks are open from 8.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. five working days a week. Currency can also be exchanged at bureaux de change; and at automatic currency exchange machines (currency sale transactions only).

Information supplied by Isabel Reis of Triplicado Portugal Relocation. Tel: + 351 214 864 192. www.triplicado.com.

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