XXI century Portugal is formed by three territorial areas: the Archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira and the mainland.
The Azores islands are located in the Atlantic Ocean between the European and American continents. The archipelago covers 2,355 km2 and is made up of 9 islands - São Miguel and Santa Maria in the eastern group, Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico and Faial in the central group and Flores and Corvo in the western group.
The Mainland is a rectangle located on the Iberian Peninsula in the south-western corner of Europe covering 88,889 km2: 218 km in breadth, 561 km in length with 832 km of Atlantic coastline and a 1,215 km long border with Spain.
The Madeira archipelago covers 741 km2 and is located in the mid-Atlantic about 500 km from the African coast and 1,000 km from Europe. It is made up of the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo and the uninhabited island groups of the Desertas and Selvagens (which are now Nature Reserves).