Municipalities of Portugal (original) (raw)

Many of the municipalities of Portugal are older than the country itself. Some cities, towns and villages have twice the age of Portugal, or even more. Portugal is one of the oldest countries in Europe and in the world. The country was formed as a dependent county of the former Kingdom of Leon in the 1090's, in 1128 became an independent county with the support of many Portuguese (to be) cities, and turned into a kingdom by the year 1139 and into Republic in 1910.

Municipalities in Early Portugal

Therefore the municipalities in Portugal held a great importance in medieval independent Portugal. The Portuguese capital has changed places from Guimaraes, Lamego, Coimbra, Evora and, finally, Lisbon. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was during the Napoleonic Wars the Capital of Portugal.

Oporto never reached the status of capital of Portugal, but mantained the status of the most important city of the newly formed nation for some centuries, as Capital of Merchants. A similar status was given to Braga, as Capital of the Archibishops (or the Church). Before the invasion of the Moors, Braga was the Capital of the former kingdom of the Suevi. These two cities were a major loss to the Leonese kingdom. As the country grows in the south, the portuguese capital also moved southwards. But excepting for Coimbra and Lisbon, the other cities where capital for a very short period of time. The moving capital was a very important strategy for the Portuguese reconquista of the south, where important Moorish kingdoms where established.

The Emanicipation of the Portuguese Municipalities

By the 19th century, the republicans promised a federal organization for the Portuguese territory -- that the country would become a municipal republic. When the Republic was formed, however, they didn't adopt what they promised for almost half a century.

Later in the end of the 20th century, democracy has granted more independence to municipalities. And, the formation of two super municipalities, known as �reas metropolitanas (meaning "metropolitan areas") for the two major cities of the country (Lisbon and Oporto). Altought, there has been discussions of the creation of three new metropolitan areas for the cities around Aveiro, Leiria and Viseu.

The municipalities in Portugal are known as concelhos ("councils"), but the word munic�pio ("municipality") is used and also official.

The Captured Municipality

Map of Portugal with the invaded municipality of Oliven�a shown in orange.

The distances between continental Portugal and the islands of Azores and Madeira are not the real ones.

In 1801, Spain and France decides to invade Portugal because of Portugal's alliance with Britain and to make Portugal stops trading with Britain. A block was made Europe-wide by the pressure of Napoleon, but Portugal didn't join this. By this, Spain declares war on Portugal, invading and forcing the country to sign the Triety of Badajoz where Oliven�a is given to Spain among other premisses. In the spanish view, this territory isolates, in some manner, some spanish territories and, because of this, has a strategical position in southern Iberia. Portugal signs with the commitment that Spain won't invade the rest of the country.

By the year 1807, Spain and France invades Portugal and its Royal Family escapes to Brazil, a portuguese colony that by this will be turned into an associated kingdom of Portugal and, in fact, Rio de Janeiro turned into Capital of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarve during the invasion of metropolitan Portugal.

When the war was over and won, Portugal tried to regain it's lost territory. Spain signs with Portugal among other nations the Congress of Vienna, where, by its honor and will, promisses to return the Municipality of Oliven�a to Portugal and the Triety of Badajoz was declared, officially, null. Until today, Spain didn't make what it has promissed. Portugal has tried during these two centuries to regain Oliven�a, sometimes by force. But withdraws by fears of a new Peninsular War. In that region, till today there is no official border between the two countries.

List of Municipalities

The list of Portuguese municipalities are divided by regions or Metropolitans Areas. The used regions are the used ones by the Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture, since the country officially is not divided into regions and districts falls in disuse. The list also includes the activities and main attractions of each municipality. Some municipalities shares a statute of World Heritage Site. This happens in the World Heritage region of Douro Vinhateiro that is shared by 13 municipalities. This also occurs in Madeira Island, where the Laurissilva Forrest is share by some municipalities. Others like Lisbon (two monuments classified) and Vila Nova de Foz C�a (Douro Vinhateiro and the Paleolitic pictures site) has more than one site.

Portugal has a unique kind of hotels known has Pousadas Hist�ricas part of Pousadas de Portugal, that are located in national monuments, convents, castles and forts. They are also in the list. One can also find the monuments that were classified as National Monuments by Portugal, with the anacron N.M.. This features among others characterize each municipality, some like the Pousadas are seen in Portugal as a municipal pride.

External Links

• A.N.M.P. Associa��o Nacional de Munic�pios Portugueses (in portuguese)
• Lisbon Metropolitan Area (in english)
• Oporto Metropolitan Area (in english)
• Pousadas de Portugal (in english)