North Portugal
Porto, Minho, Alto Douro Trás-os-Montes
Land of the Porto and Douro Wines
The North Region, with 3.6 million inhabitants, concentrates almost 35% of the resident population in Portugal, accounts for
39% of the country's exports and holds about 29% of the GDP of the national economy.
The
Norte (Douro, Minho and Trás-os-Montes) is also responsible for about 30% of the country's wine production
(cf. according to IVV data for the 2020-2021 harvest), the traditional
Wine from the Douro,
employed in the preparation of the world famous
Port Wine.
Northern Portugal © / Google, Illustration
There are 5 districts (states), 86 municipalities and 1,426 civil parishes (
freguesias).
The municipalities are organized in eight Inter-Municipal Communities (CIM) [CCDRN].
The territory of the North Region is situated between the rivers Minho (north) and Douro (south), the Atlantic Ocean (west)
and Spain (east).
The mountainous relief to the east is cut by the Douro, advancing through valleys sometimes flanked by sharp hills, which constitute the
Douro Wine Region, World Heritage (Unesco).
Provinces
Northern Portugal comprises Porto (Douro Litoral, to the west),
Alto Douro (and Trás os Montes to the east) and
Minho
(to the north border with Spain).
The Barrosão Plateau
The Barrosão Plateau, located in the east of Trás os Montes, comprises the lands of the municipalities of Montalegre, to the north of the
plateau (called Alto Barroso) and the county of Boticas, to the south of the plateau (the so-called Baixo Barroso). The mountainous land
of Barroso formed, since centuries, a corridor of passage and of contact with Galicia.
The Barrosão Plateau
Northern Districts
The North Region also includes the districts of Porto, Viana do Castelo, Braga, Vila Real and Bragança, as well as the northern districts of Aveiro, Viseu and Guarda.
Cities
In addition to the city of
Porto, the other metropolis of the north are
Braga and
Viana do Castelo (in Minho) and Vila Real
(Alto Douro / Trás os Montes).
County Portucalense
The north of Portugal - and more precisely the region around the city of Oporto - is the cradle of nationality.
Discover the Douro
The Douro River, an important communication route and largest wine producing region in Portugal, crosses the north of the country from east to
west. To know more: Discover the Douro.
Top Cities
Greater Lisbon
In addition to the largest urban agglomeration in the country (
Lisbon),
Sintra, Cascais, Loures, Almada and Oeiras
complete the podium of the
Top 5 largest cities in Portugal.
Great Port
In the north of the country, in
Greater Porto, other important cities are
Vila Nova de Gaia, Braga, Matosinhos, Gondomar
and Guimarães.
Learn more
Main cities
Guide to Portugal
Sports in Portugal... more
Wines
You can visit Portugal all year round... more
Tips for visitors
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