Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro

One of Portugal’s eleven provinces, created in 1936 and formally extinguished in 1976, the region of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro is located in the north-east of mainland Portugal, corresponding to the districts of Bragança, Vila Real, four (of the 24) municipalities in the district of Viseu and one (of the 14) municipalities in the district of Guarda. It is bordered to the north and east by Spain (the provinces of Ourense in Galicia and Zamora and Salamanca in Castilla y León), to the south by Beira Alta and to the west by Minho and Douro Litoral. Currently, this territory corresponds to the NUTS III (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistical Purposes – Administrative Units) Terras de Trás-os-Montes, Alto Tâmega e Barroso and Douro (excluding the municipalities of Moimenta da Beira, Penedono, Sernancelhe and Tarouca). With an area of 5,538 km2 and, according to data from the 2021 Census by the National Statistics Institute, a population density of 19 inhabitants per km2, the Terras de Trás-os-Montes includes the municipalities of Alfândega da Fé, Bragança, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Miranda do Douro, Mirandela, Mogadouro, Vila Flor, Vimioso and Vinhais. The region has two distinct realities in terms of morphological and climatic characteristics, which gave rise to the designations Terra Fria and Terra Quente Transmontana. The first is made up of higher altitudes and a colder, wetter climate, while the second has lower altitudes and a hotter, drier climate. The region has ample agricultural and forestry resources, and the agro-industrial sector is particularly important in the region’s economy, based on the production of vegetables and fruit such as chestnuts, almonds, cherries, mushrooms and the production of olive oils and wines. It’s a region with a genuine culture, which is reflected in festivals and ancestral traditions that are unique in the country, such as the Winter Festivals that run from Christmas to Carnival. Find out more about the region of Trás-os-Montes on the page of the Intermunicipal Community of Terras de Trás-os-Montes.  The Alto Tâmega e Barroso region, made up of the municipalities of Boticas, Chaves, Montalegre, Ribeira de Pena, Valpaços and Vila Pouca de Aguiar, covers an area of approximately 2,922 square kilometres and, in 2021, had a resident population of 84,248. Agriculture and agro-industry play a key role in the economic panorama of this low-density territory. Tourism is another of Alto Tâmega e Barroso’s strategic endeavours, based on an offer of thermal tourism and cultural heritage, highlighting national monuments of great tourist interest, as well as diverse cultural events based on ethnographic traditions. Find out more about Alto Tâmega and Barroso on the page of the Intermunicipal Community of Alto Tâmega and Barroso. NUT III Douro comprises 19 municipalities: Alijó, Armamar, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Lamego, Mesão Frio, Moimenta da Beira, Murça, Penedono, Peso da Régua, Sabrosa, Santa Marta de Penaguião, São João da Pesqueira, Sernancelhe, Tabuaço, Tarouca, Torre de Moncorvo, Vila Nova de Foz Côa and Vila Real. The 2021 Census found 183,886 inhabitants, with the Vila Real/Peso da Régua/Lamego urban axis concentrating more than 50 per cent. It basically corresponds to the Alto Douro natural region, and a large part of its territory is part of the Alto Douro Wine Region, an area classified by UNESCO in 2001 as a World Heritage Site in the category of cultural landscape. The vineyard, the wine and the landscape make up the valuable tripod of the Douro region, as they sustain and energise viticulture – the region’s basic economic activity – and tourism – a thriving economic activity, particularly wine tourism. The region’s vineyard and wine culture have an international brand and image, from fortified wine to table wine and natural sparkling wines. Find out more about the Douro on the Intermunicipal Community of the Douro website. The Bragança Polytechnic University has facilities – campi – in the cities of Bragança, Chaves and Mirandela and carries out numerous relocated activities in the municipalities of Alfândega da Fé, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Miranda do Douro, Mogadouro, Vila Flor, Vimioso, Vinhais, Boticas, Montalegre, Ribeira de Pena, Valpaços, Vila Pouca de Aguiar, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Freixo de Espada à Cinta and Torre de Moncorvo.