The semi-presidential Republic of Portugal with its capital Lisbon(Lisboa) on the Iberian Peninsula in south-west Europe covers 92,212 km². The country is bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east and north by Spain. The national territory also includes two island groups in the Atlantic. These are the Azores (2,351 km²) 1,369 km west of the mainland and Madeira with Porto Santo (801 km²) 951 km from the mainland and 737 km from the coast of Africa(Morocco).
In ancient times, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans brought vines to the Iberian Peninsula. Although viticulture stagnated under the long Moorish rule from the 8th to the 12th century, it did not come to a complete standstill despite the ban on alcohol. As in many other countries, the Roman Catholic monastic order of the Cistercians had a decisive influence on viticulture, founding 18 monasteries in Portugal in the 12th century. King Dinis (1279-1325) promoted agriculture and viticulture to such an extent that a merchant fleet could be built up with the proceeds.
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