Portugal: the map
Portugal: the map: a chapter of the Trip to Portugal Book, with the words, places and habits that make a first trip easier.
10 cards · Geography
Each Zap teaches up to 5 new cards, so you learn the deck a few at a time.
Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 23 Oct 2026
Sources: Visit Portugal (official tourism site), Portugal (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Preview
Glowing on the map: the capital, on the Tagus
Show answerHide answer: Glowing on the map: the capital, on the Tagus
Lisbon
Learn more: Much of its centre was rebuilt in a grid after the earthquake of 1755.
Glowing on the map: the big city of the north
Show answerHide answer: Glowing on the map: the big city of the north
Porto
Learn more: Its old name, Portus Cale, also gave the country its name.
Glowing on the map: the Algarve's main city
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Faro
Learn more: It is the capital of the Algarve, the country's sunniest region.
Glowing on the map: the old university city
Show answerHide answer: Glowing on the map: the old university city
Coimbra
Learn more: Its university, founded in 1290, is one of the oldest still running.
Glowing on the map: the hill town of palaces
Show answerHide answer: Glowing on the map: the hill town of palaces
Sintra
Learn more: Its palaces and gardens have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.
About this topic
Portugal is a long strip on the Atlantic edge of Europe, about 560 kilometres from north to south. Lisbon sits on the wide mouth of the Tagus, Porto on the Douro in the green north, and the Algarve's beaches line the sunny south coast.
This is a chapter of the Trip to Portugal Book. Some cards let you hear the Portuguese, some show a place glowing on the map, and some put you in a real situation, at a café or a station. Each comes with a hint before you answer and a short reason after. Once you know most of this chapter, the next one starts arriving in your Daily Zap.
All 10 cards
Glowing on the map: the capital, on the Tagus
Lisbon
Learn more: Much of its centre was rebuilt in a grid after the earthquake of 1755.
Glowing on the map: the big city of the north
Porto
Learn more: Its old name, Portus Cale, also gave the country its name.
Glowing on the map: the Algarve's main city
Faro
Learn more: It is the capital of the Algarve, the country's sunniest region.
Glowing on the map: the old university city
Coimbra
Learn more: Its university, founded in 1290, is one of the oldest still running.
Glowing on the map: the hill town of palaces
Sintra
Learn more: Its palaces and gardens have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.
Glowing on the map: the walled city of the south
Évora
Learn more: A Roman temple from the 1st century still stands in its centre.
Glowing on the map: the northern city of churches
Braga
Learn more: Founded by the Romans as Bracara Augusta, it is one of the oldest cities in the country.
Glowing on the map: the town of giant waves
Nazaré
Learn more: An undersea canyon focuses the Atlantic swell into waves of more than 20 metres.
Glowing on the map: the town of canals
Aveiro
Learn more: Its painted moliceiro boats once gathered seaweed from the lagoon.
Glowing on the map: the valley of terraced vines
The Douro Valley
Learn more: It is the world's oldest demarcated wine region, defined in 1756.
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