I.

Introduction

Portugal, republic in south-western Europe, situated in the western portion of the Iberian Peninsula, bordered on the north and east by Spain and on the south and west by the Atlantic Ocean. The Azores and Madeira Islands in the Atlantic are considered integral parts of the republic. The total area of metropolitan Portugal, including the Azores (2,335 sq km/902 sq mi) and the Madeira Islands (796 sq km/307 sq mi), is 92,345 sq km (35,655 sq mi). Portugal owned the last European colony in the Far East, Macau (now Macao S. A. R.), for 442 years, but the territory was handed over to China in December 1999. The capital of Portugal is Lisbon.