Portugal abounds with its own brand of Iberian delights: superb food, finely wrought cities, and delectable wines. In the words of Lord Byron, "What heaven has done for this delicious land! What fruits of fragrance blush on every tree! What goodly prospects o'er the hills expand!"

• TOTAL AREA: 92,391 sq km

• LAND AREA: 91,951 sq km

• WATER AREA: 440 sq km

• POPULATION: 10,605,870

• RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant

• LANGUAGES: Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)

• GOVERNMENT TYPE: Parliamentary Democracy

• CAPITAL CITY: Lisbon

• OFFICIAL CURRENCY: euro (EUR)

• TIME ZONE: GMT/UTC 0