Portugal

Climate and weather

Summer.

Portugal is hot and generally quite dry in the summer. Temperatures in the South regularly reach around 30 degrees celsius in the south, and are slightly cooler in the north. Night-time temperatures remain comfortably high. While the north is generally quite dry in summer, it is best not to bank on a complete absence of rain.

Winter.

Along the coasts there is little chance of ground frost or snow, although this is not unusual inland on higher ground. Rain is more common, and you should be prepared for a day of two of it during any stay. Temperatures are generally comfortably warm during the day, often touching 18 celsius. Night-time temperatures can dip below freezing in the north, and occasionally in the Algarve too, which is a pain since hostels and bars often have no heating to cope with this.

Landscape and scenery

Portugal is a pleasant enough place to look out at as you travel through the country. There are some relatively flat areas, though these are often forested, which prevents the view being too bleak. Much of the country is covered in hills which can appear particularly beautiful in the winter, when the higher rainfall makes the whole country much greener. Agriculture mainly seems to consist of growing orange and cork trees, and some sheep farming. The large ugly greenhouses which infest some areas of Spain are less in evidence, and there are no enormous flat arable fields. All in all, well worth a look.

Government

Portugal has been a stable democracy since 1974, when the unpopular dictatorship established by Salazar was over-thrown. Entry into the European Union occured in 1985. As a small country lacking in historically-powerful regions, Portugal is a fairly centralized government. Most industries are largely private. There is a public health service providing basic care for fairly reasonable fees.