Norte, Portugal

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Norte, Portugal

Região Norte (; ), is a region in the northern part of Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
. It is a land of dense vegetation and profound historic and cultural wealth.

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Encyclopedia

Região Norte (; ), is a region in the northern part of Portugal

Portugal

Porto

Porto , also Oporto in English, is Portugal's second city and capital of the Norte, Portugal NUTS II region. The city is located in the estuary of the Douro river in northern Portugal....
. The region has 4,034,271 inhabitants (2007), and its area is 21,278 km² (density of 173 inhabitants per square kilometre). It is one of five regions of Mainland Portugal (NUTS

Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics

The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, , is a geocode standardization for referencing the administrative divisions of country for statistical purposes....
II subdivisions). The Norte is a culturally varied region, thus historical rivalry between different neighbouring cities and towns are very common, although with a strong common Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
identity, but unlike other Portuguese regions where every city and town are culturally very similar.

History

The region has been inhabited since prehistoric times. There are prehistoric Rock-Art

Rock art

Rock art is a term in archaeology for any man-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces...
sites in the Côa Valley. Historically it had been the southern realm of Galicia (see Gallaecia

Gallaecia

Gallaecia or Callaecia was the name of a Roman province and an early Mediaeval kingdom that comprised a territory in the north-west of Hispania ....
), which in the 11th century formed part of the combined Kingdom of Galicia

Kingdom of Galicia

Kingdom of Galicia is the name of two distinct entities within the Iberian Peninsula. In the first period, it was a Germanic monarchy ruled by the Suebi, a Germanic languages people who entered the Western Roman Empire in 406....
and León

Kingdom of León

Kingdom of Le?n was an independent country situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in 910 A.D. when the Christian princes of Kingdom of Asturias along the Bay of Biscay shifted their main seat from Oviedo to the city of Le?n, Spain....
being this area known as the County of Portucale - It was here, that Portugal's first king, Dom Afonso Henriques

Afonso I of Portugal

Afonso I , or also Affonso , Alfonso or Alphonso or Alphonsus , sometimes rendered in English language as Alphonzo or Alphonse, depending on the Spanish or French influence, more commonly known as Afonso Henriques , nicknamed the Conqueror , was the first List of Portuguese monarchs, achieving its independen...
, was born in the beginning of the 12th century, having then extended the kingdom to the south, in what was considered as one of the most heroic feats of the Christian Reconquest. The inheritance of a distant past is seen everywhere.

The region has a number of manor-houses and mansions with coats of arms. Regional cuisine is renowned and varied - light wines (vinhos verdes) and rich wines, and a variety of handicrafts that mingles the shine of` the filigree with the colour of the local embroideries.

Geography

The country's longest motorway (A1, from Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the Lisbon and capital of the Lisbon region. Its municipalities of Portugal, which matches the city proper excluding the larger continuous conurbation, has a municipal population of 564,477 in , while the Lisbon Metropolitan Area in total has around 2.8 million inha...
to Porto

Porto

Braga

Braga , a List of municipalities of Portugal and municipalities of Portugal in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga , the oldest Archdiocese of Braga and one of the major cities of the country....
(A3), in the heart of Costa Verde

Costa Verde

* Costa Verde is a touristic region in northwest Portugal. Some Cities and towns:Porto, Espinho, Caminha, Ofir - F?o, Esposende, Povoa de Varzim, Vila do Conde, Praia da Granja, Miramar, Aguda, Vila Nova de Gaia, Braga, Viana do Castelo, Barcelos, Guimaraes, Ponte de Lima, Maia, Geres and Moledo do Minho....
. Following the coastline on the road from Vila do Conde

Vila do Conde

Vila do Conde is a city and parish in Portugal with a population of 25,731. Together with the urban parishes of Azurara and Arvore the urban area of the city has 32,094 in the estuary of the Ave river, in the north of Oporto metropolitan area in Portugal....
to Valença, there are beaches, seaside resorts and pictoresque villages such as Caminha

Caminha

Caminha is a municipality in the north-west of Portugal, 21 km north from Viana do Castelo located in the Viana do Castelo .The municipality has a total area of 137.4 km? and 16,839 inhabitants ....
and Vila Nova de Cerveira

Vila Nova de Cerveira

Vila Nova de Cerveira is a municipality in Portugal, with a total area of 108.6 km? and a total population of 8,752 inhabitants .The municipality is composed of 15 parishes, and is located in the district of Viana do Castelo ....
. There are also scenic natural parks and mountain ranges, such as the Peneda-Gerês National Park

Peneda-Gerês National Park

The Peneda-Ger?s National Park , also known simply as Ger?s, is the only national park in Portugal . It is located in the Norte, Portugal region, in the northwest of Portugal.It is in the districtes of Viana do Castelo,Braga and Vila Real....
, the Montesinho Natural Park

Montesinho Natural Park

The Montesinho Natural Park is a protected area located in the Municipalities of Portugal of Vinhais and Bragan?a, northeastern Portugal. Its biodiversity includes the Iberian Wolf, Roe Deer, Wild Boar, Iberian Lynx, Common Genet, Red Fox and European Otter....
, the Alvão Natural Park

Alvão Natural Park

The Alv?o Natural Park is a protected area located in the Municipalities of Portugal of Mondim de Basto and Vila Real, in northern Portugal. It was created in 1983 and extends through 70 km? of mountainous land....
and two World Heritage Sites: the Alto Douro Wine Region and the Prehistoric Rock-Art

Rock art

Rock art is a term in archaeology for any man-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces...
Sites in the Côa Valley. Throughout the region the rivers, waterfalls, vineyards and fertile plots combine with the ancestral monuments in urban centres.

Economy

Norte is highly industrialized within its densely populated western half, where well developed subregions such as Ave

Ave, Subregion

Ave is a subregion integrated in the larger Norte region in Portugal. Is bordered to the north by the subregion of C?vado, to the east and south by the subregion of T?mega and to the west by the subregion of Grande Porto....
, Cávado

Cávado

C?vado is a subregion that is integrated in the Portuguese region of Norte. It has 6 municipalities or Concelhos and is centered in the city of Braga ....
, Entre Douro e Vouga

Entre Douro e Vouga

Entre Douro e Vouga is a NUTS3 Portuguese subregion integrated in the NUTS2 region Norte, part of Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto. Its name stands for the fact that it covers an area between the rivers Douro and Vouga....
, Grande Porto

Grande Porto

Grande Porto or Greater Porto is a Portuguese NUTS3 subregion, integrating the NUTS2 region of Norte, in Portugal. It corresponds to 11It is formed by 11 municipalities, on both sides of the river Douro....
, and Tâmega

Tâmega, Subregion

T?mega is a Portuguese N.U.T.S. subregion, being a part of the N.U.T.S. region of Norte. Its name derives from the river T?mega that crosses through the subregion....
have a notable business activity and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Textiles, footware, food processing

Food processing

Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for ingestion by humans or animals either in the home or by the food industry....
, mechanical

Mechanical

* Mechanical engineering, a branch of engineering concerned with the application of physical mechanics* HVAC , the mechanical systems of a building* Mechanical , one of several characters in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream...
, electrical, electronics

Electronics

Electronics refers to the flow of charge through nonmetal electrical conductor , whereas electrical refers to the flow of charge through metal electrical conductor....
and chemical industries, as well as finance

Finance

The field of finance refers to the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated. Banks are the main facilitators of funding through the provision of credit, although private equity, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other organizations have become important....
and construction

Construction

In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of multitasking....
, are some of the main economic activities. However, the region Norte is the poorest of the 7 NUTS II regions of Portugal

Administrative divisions of Portugal

The administrative divisions of Portugal are undergoing changes.Until the early 2000s, Portugal was divided into districts , municipality and civil parishes , only the last two having some political autonomy....
, with a GDP per capita of 12,648 euro

Euro

The euro is the official currency of 16 out of 27 European Union member state of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone are: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain....
s or 58.8% of the European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
average. It is also the Portuguese NUTS II region with the highest unemployment

Unemployment

File:World map of countries by rate of unemployment.pngUnemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work, but the person is without Wage labour....
rate (9.5% as of 2007).

Subregions

Alto Trás-os-Montes
Alto Trás-os-Montes

Alto Tr?s-os-Montes often regered as Nordeste Transmonano is a Portugal subregion integrated in the Norte region. It aggregates 14 concelhos with a total area of 8,168 km? making it one of the largest Portuguese subregions....
Ave
Ave, Subregion

Ave is a subregion integrated in the larger Norte region in Portugal. Is bordered to the north by the subregion of C?vado, to the east and south by the subregion of T?mega and to the west by the subregion of Grande Porto....
Cávado
Cávado

C?vado is a subregion that is integrated in the Portuguese region of Norte. It has 6 municipalities or Concelhos and is centered in the city of Braga ....
Douro
Douro, Subregion

Douro is a subregion in Portugal that is integrated in the region of Norte. The name derives from the fact that the subregion covers the major part of the Portuguese section of the river Douro....
Entre Douro e Vouga
Entre Douro e Vouga

Entre Douro e Vouga is a NUTS3 Portuguese subregion integrated in the NUTS2 region Norte, part of Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto. Its name stands for the fact that it covers an area between the rivers Douro and Vouga....
Grande Porto
Grande Porto

Grande Porto or Greater Porto is a Portuguese NUTS3 subregion, integrating the NUTS2 region of Norte, in Portugal. It corresponds to 11It is formed by 11 municipalities, on both sides of the river Douro....
Minho-Lima
Minho-Lima

Minho-Lima is a Portuguese N.U.T.S. subregion, belonging to Norte Region, between the rivers Minho and Lima in the northern part of Portugal. It corresponds to the historical region of Minho and is centered around its main city – Viana do Castelo ....
Tâmega
Tâmega, Subregion

T?mega is a Portuguese N.U.T.S. subregion, being a part of the N.U.T.S. region of Norte. Its name derives from the river T?mega that crosses through the subregion....