The obvious answer to this one is, of course, that the reason that Portugal has one of the largest maritime zones in the world is that its outer fringes are bordered by the archipelago of Madeira, comprised of Madeira and Porto Santo, and the archipelago of the Azores, which are strategically located in the mid-Atlantic (the US has had a military base at Lages for many years, although its presence has recently reduced to much concern of the local population). Portugal's highest mountain, Pico, is in the Azores.

 

There are some absolutely beautiful islands in the Algarve near the border of Spain. To go there, you have to take a 40-minute boat ride.  There are about six islands there. Only one of those six is deserted. 
 
Up the coast towards the north, there is another island that is inhabited called Berlengas. It is a small island off the coast of Peniche. They have little summer cottages there, a lighthouse, a couple of restaurants, and a ferry that takes people over.
 
Because we are so surrounded by sea, on the far coast of Lisbon, we have a river, the Tagus, which separates Lisbon from the south. It is a large river that starts in Spain, crosses Portugal, and finishes in the mouth of Lisbon, at the Atlantic Ocean. So to go to the other side, you have to take bridges. There are three to four bridges. All of the land south of Lisbon, after these bridges, have a vast area of land very sandy, which are called the peninsulas. This is a natural reserve for dolphins. When you are on a boat or a ferry in these areas, you will see a lot of dolphins. Here, you will find an area called Tróia, which is a peninsula. Some of these areas become islands when it is high tide, which only happens at certain times of the year. It is a beautiful area of Portugal because this is where the river meets the sea. This is also a paradise for birdwatchers. They are now developing this area for tourism. A complex of condominiums were just built around this area with villas and timeshares. It is a vast area.
 
There is another development down in the Algarve, which is also in the peninsulas. This whole area is very stunning. It has lots of wildlife and they are very well preserved.  

 

(Tróia Peninsula, Portugal, pictured.)