Mountainous Areas and Valleys

Portugal has a great variety of mountainous terrain, from the granite mountain ranges of the North and Center, such as Peneda-Gerês, Marão or Estrela, to the schist and cliffs of the Douro and the International Tagus. The vegetation changes with altitude and exposure: on the slopes, thickets of broom, heather and gorse dominate; in higher areas, high-altitude meadows and rocky outcrops appear; and in the valleys, sheltered from the wind and with more humidity, meadows and terraced farmland are found.

This diversity of habitats supports a fauna adapted to difficult terrain, where the relief, the cold, and the isolation serve as refuge. As the mountains mix rock, scrub, forest, and water, it is common to find animals typical of other biomes here, and the most demanding ones are restricted to areas with less human presence.

This chapter covers the mountainous areas, hills, escarpments and cliffs of the interior, and the enclosed valleys. The forests that cover many slopes will be dealt with in the chapter on forests, and the cliffs by the sea in the chapter on the coastal zone. Mountain watercourses, such as streams, waterfalls and springs, are part of this chapter, while large rivers, reservoirs and lagoons are covered in the wetlands.