Porto

municipality and city in Portugal

Porto or Oporto[4] (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpoɾtu] (audio speaker iconlisten)) is the second-largest city in Portugal after Lisbon and one of the major urban areas of the Iberian Peninsula.

Porto
Municipality
View of Ribeira district and Luís I bridge from Vila Nova de Gaia,
Casa da Música concert hall
Porto City Hall
Palácio da Bolsa
Church of Saint Ildefonso
Top to bottom, left to right: View of Ribeira district and Luís I bridge from Vila Nova de Gaia, Casa da Música concert hall, Porto City Hall, Palácio da Bolsa, Church of Saint Ildefonso
Flag of Porto
Coat of arms of Porto
Nickname(s): 
A Cidade Invicta ("The Undefeated City"), A Cidade da Virgem ("The City of the Virgin")
Motto(s): 
Antiga, Mui Nobre, Sempre Leal e Invicta (Ancient, Most Noble, Always Loyal and Undefeated)
Porto is located in Portugal
Porto
Porto
Location within Portugal
Porto is located in Europe
Porto
Porto
Location within Europe
Coordinates: 41°9′43.71″N 8°37′19.03″W / 41.1621417°N 8.6219528°W / 41.1621417; -8.6219528
Country Portugal
RegionNorte
SubregionGrande Porto
DistrictPorto
Settlement275 BCE
Municipality868
Civil parishes7
Government
 • TypeLAU
 • BodyCâmara Municipal
 • MayorRui Moreira
 • Municipal Assembly ChairMiguel Pereira Leite
Area
 • Municipality41.42 km2 (15.99 sq mi)
Elevation
104 m (341 ft)
Population
 (2021)
 • Municipality231,962[1]
 • Urban
1,385,454[1]
 • Metro
1,737,395[1]
Time zoneUTC0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (WEST)
Postal Zone
4000-286 Porto
Area code(+351) 22[2]
DemonymPortuense, Tripeiro (informal)
Patron SaintOur Lady of Vendôme
Municipal Holidays24 June (São João)
Websitewww.cm-porto.pt
Geographic detail from CAOP (2010)[3] produced by Instituto Geográfico Português (IGP)
Official nameHistoric Centre of Oporto, Luís I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar
Criteriaiv
Reference755
Inscription1996 (20th Session)

The urban area of Porto, which extends beyond the administrative limits of the city, has a population of 2.4 million (2011) in an area of 389 km2(150 sq mi), making it the second-largest urban area in Portugal. It is recognized as a gamma level global city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) Study Group, the only Portuguese city besides Lisbon to be recognised as a global city.

Location change

Located along the Douro river estuary in Northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European centres, and its historical core was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. The western part of its urban area extends to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. Its settlement dates back many centuries, when it was an outpost of the Roman Empire. Its combined Celtic-Latin name, Portus Cale, has been referred to as the origin of the name "Portugal", based on transliteration and oral evolution from Latin. In Portuguese, the name of the city is spelled with a definite article ("o Porto"; English: the port). Consequently, its English name evolved from a misinterpretation of the oral pronunciation and referred to as Oporto in modern literature and by many speakers.

Attractions change

One of Portugal's internationally famous exportsport wine, is named after Porto, since the metropolitan area, and in particular the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia, were responsible for the packaging, transport and export of the fortified wine. In 2014 and 2017, Porto was elected The Best European Destination by the Best European Destinations Agency.

Gallery change

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Resultados Preliminares Censos 2021 INE". Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  2. "Portugal International Dialing Code". Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  3. IGP, ed. (2010), Carta Administrativa Oficial de Portugal (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Instituto Geográfico Português, archived from the original on 3 July 2014, retrieved 1 July 2011
  4. "Oporto". Lexico UK Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 8 August 2019.