Portugal (Republica Portuguesa) is a Parliamentary democracy, member of the European Union, situated at the south-west point of Europe and also includes the Madeira and Azores archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east. The state capital is Lisbon, while the other main cities are Porto, Braga and Coimbra. The administrative division of the territory comprises 7 regions: Norte, Centro, Lisboa and Vale do Tejo, Alentejo, Algarve, Madeira, Azores.

Mainland Portugal is split by its main river, the Tagus. Other major rivers include the Douro, the Minho and the Guadiana. The northern landscape is mountainous in the interior areas, with plateaus indented by river valleys. The south, between the Tagus and the Algarve (the Alentejo), features mostly rolling plains and a climate somewhat warmer and drier than in the cooler and rainier north. The Algarve, separated from the Alentejo by mountains, enjoys a Mediterranean climate much like southern Spain. Portugal's highest point is Mount Pico on Pico Island (Azores), it is an ancient volcano measuring 2 351 metres. Mainland Portugal's highest point is Serra da Estrela, measuring 1 993 metres.