Life on the Iberian Peninsula Portugal is a small country in southwestern Europe Its capital is Lisbon and its only neighbor is Spain Together Spain and Portugal make up the Iberian Peninsula Northern Portugal is quite hilly with many oak beech chestnut and pine forests Southern Portugal has mostly plateaus and plains Brush and grasslands cover the plains of the south Portuguese farmers grow wheat corn potatoes and grapes And although olives grow wild in Portugal many farmers also plant their own olive trees Portugal's many cork oaks provide much of the world's supply of cork Portugal is also famous for its many varieties of wine including port and Madeira Summers in Portugal are dry and mild Many tourists go to Portugal in the summer to see the beautiful museums castles and old churches Or they go to tour historic cities such as Lisbon Coimbra and Porto And many go to enjoy Portugal's many beaches The national sport of Portugal is futebol football or soccer Portuguese bullfighting is also very popular It is different from bullfighting in other countries however Portuguese bullfighters do not kill the bull in the ring Folk music and folk dancing are popular traditions and most villages have their own terreiro or dance floor Among the most popular regional dances is the fandango The Portuguese are especially fond of fado a traditional folk song that reflects a sad mood Portugal is also famous for its explorers Ferdinand Magellan led the first expedition to sail around the RCHL globe and Vasco da Gama opened up a trade route around Africa to Asia Lisbon LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES FRANCE ITALY SPAIN Portugal shares much of its culture with the people of Spain Why do you suppose this is
P O RTU G AL DID YOU KNOW The capital of Portugal was once moved to another country on another continent From 1807 to 1821 Rio de Janeiro in Brazil was Portugal's capital Brazil was a Portuguese colony at the time a in Many people travel to Portugal to eroy the country's beautiful sunny beaches Nike Wheeler Corbis adoed Japo ſue PM urg ysued an AI Joeu00 aou Yanu pay ahey adoad asan mod or os useds s empo to Japuo oY Kununoo Auo a Hamsay
RCH LO A Why is the Spanish language spoken in so many countries EBRD DO NOTICE DID YOU KNOW With all the rock stars that have come from the United States and England you mist think that the guitar was invented there The modern electric guitar was averted in the States but the guitar itself probably originated in Spain in the early
S PAIN A Distinctive European Country Spain is a country in the southwestern corner of Europe The capital city is Madrid Spain borders Portugal and France but most of the country lies along the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean The country's beautiful beaches are favorite European holiday spots Spain's rich and complex history has differed in many ways from other western European countries For instance several Islamic states were formed on its territory some lasting for centuries Most other Islamic states lie farther to the east or south in the Middle East or North Africa Modern Spain's cultural variety shows in the different languages spoken there including Catalan Basque Gallego and of course Spanish In the 1500s and 1600s Spain was a world power It had a powerful navy called the Spanish Armada and it was the first country to colonize much of the Americas That s why so many people in South America Central America Mexico and the United States speak Spanish and are of Hispanic heritage Spain features seafood in much of its cooking with dishes such as paella a fish and rice dish Spanish farmers produce lots of pork poultry beef and lamb They also grow wheat barley corn sugar beets beans and olives Spain also grows grapes for its large wine industry Bullfighting has long been a favorite pastime of Spaniards And football soccer is also very popular Another activity found in Spain is the music and dancing known as flamenco Flamenco came to Spain with the Cald Gitano people more commonly known as Gypsies It is played on guitar as the dancers click wooden castanets and stamp their feet rhythmically LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES FRANCE ITALY PORTUGAL Madrid This village in Spain overlooks one of the country's many vineyards O Patrick Wardcores Sensue a se jam seſsuosna sueds fuel paydope Kenyuana seaе аso4L so09 pue so0ST a uy asy upon sy upunp puOM a p sease appo Ruu panbu00 useds 11
