North Eastern Atlantic

The Atlantic off southwestern Portugal meets the long Alentejo coast and the headland of Cape São Vicente. Cape Sines divides the coast farther north, while São Vicente marks the southwest corner of mainland Europe, where ships approaching from the Atlantic turn toward the Algarve and the Strait of Gibraltar. These exposed waters formed part of routes joining Portuguese ports with the Mediterranean and the wider ocean, around a coast of cliffs, sandy shores and prominent headlands.