Metropolitan areas of Portugal

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:

Table of contents

1 Lisbon Metropolitan Area 2 Oporto Metropolitan Area 3 External Links

Lisbon Metropolitan Area

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

• Alcochete
• Almada
• Amadora
• Azambuja
• Barreiro
• Cascais
• Lisbon (Lisboa in Portuguese)
• Loures
• Mafra
• Moita
• Montijo
• Odivelas
• Oeiras
• Palmela
• Sesimbra
• Setubal
• Seixal
• Sintra
• Vila Franca de Xira

Oporto Metropolitan Area

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

• Espinho
• Gondomar
• Maia
• Matosinhos
• Oporto (Porto in Portuguese)
• Póvoa de Varzim
• Valongo
• Vila do Conde
• Vila Nova de Gaia

External Links

• Lisbon Metropolitan Area
• Oporto Metropolitan Area