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.

Table of contents
1 Municipalities in Early Portugal
2 The Emanicipation of the Portuguese Municipalities
3 The Captured Municipality
4 List of Municipalities
5 Metropolitan Areas
6 External Links

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.

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 áreas 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 município ("municipality") is used and also official.

The Captured Municipality

Map of Portugal with the invaded municipality of Olivença 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 Olivença is given to Spain amoung 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 Olivença 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 Olivença, 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

These are the Portuguese municipalities with a caracteristic:

Metropolitan Areas

Portugal is also divided into Grandes Áreas Metropolitanas (Metropolitan Areas) and Comunidades urbanas (urban communities). The Comunidades Urbanas are now in development, they only came to exist by a new law approved in May 2003, they are also metropolitan areas, but smaller.

The Metropolitan Areas are a territorial unity and continuity that gatters municipalities. its aim is to assure the best joint on investment and services in a supramunicipal way. By the new Portuguese laws, approved in May 2003, the Áreas Metropolitanas will have a bigger autonomy. They obligatorily understand a minimum of nine cities with, at least, 350,000 inhabitants.

Today, in Portugal There Are two Metropolitan Areas:

Lisbon Metropolitan Area

The Lisbon Metropolitan Area consists of 19 Municipalities. By the 2001 census, its population was of 2,662,949 inhabitants. It is also known as Grande Lisboa (Big Lisbon), but this term, normally, refers to the territory north of the tagus river.

Oporto Metropolitan Area

Also known as Grande Porto (Big Oporto), the Oporto Metropolitan Area consists of 9 Municipalities. By the 2001 census, its population was of 1,260,679 inhabitants.

External Links