Subdivisions of Portugal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The subdivisions of Portugal are based on a complex administrative structure. The second-level administrative division, after the 7 regions and 2 autonomous regions, is 308 municipalities (concelhos) which are further subdivided into 3259 civil parishes (freguesias).
Subdivisions of Portugal
| Subdivision | Total | Mainland | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regions | 7 | 7 | Territorial divisions of the continental unitary state |
| Autonomous Regions | 2 | 0 | Sub-territorial divisions comprising Azores and Madeira |
| Subregions | 25 | 23 | Autonomous and sub-regional co-ordination commissions (CCDR) |
| Municipalities | 308 | 278 | Municipal authorities |
| Civil Parishes[2] | 3259 | 3049 | Local area authorities |
Urban hierarchy
In Portugal, urban centers (cities, towns and hamlets) have no legal authority and are social constructs based on a series of institutional functions. In fact, administrative power lies within the extraterritorial municipalities and parishes. These have authority in the constitution and may include various towns within each territory and may have their own constituent assemblies and executives. The town or city, generally, does not correspond to the boundaries of various municipalities, with the exception of the entirely urban municipalities (such as Lisbon, Porto, Funchal, Amadora, Entroncamento and São João da Madeira). The municipality with the most cities is Paredes Municipality which contains four cities.
| Sub-division | Total | Mainland | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan areas[3] | 2 | 2 | Agglomerations of metropolitan or urban regions |
| Intermunicipal communities[3] | 21 | 21 | Association of municipal authorities for coordination |
| Cities | 151 | 141 | Population centres |
| Towns | 533 | 503 | Population centres |
Former subdivisions of Portugal
| Sub-division | Total | Mainland | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Province (Medieval) | 6 | 6 | 1325 territorial administration instituted by Afonso IV |
| Province (1832) | 11 | 8 | 1823 reorganization attributed to Mouzinho da Silveira |
| Province (1936) | 11 | 11 | 1936 reorganization based on nationalist geographer Amorim Girão |
| Districts | 18 | 18 | 1835 reorganization based on prefectures: phased-out in 20th century |
Ancillary divisions
Statistical
| Sub-division | Total | Mainland | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| NUTS 1: National | 3 | 1 | Continental Portugal, the Azores and Madeira |
| NUTS 2: Regions | 8 | 6 | Regional Coordination Commissions, and Autonomous Regions |
| NUTS 3: Subregion | 25 | 23 | Metropolitan areas, intermunicipal communities and autonomous regions |
| LAU 1: Municipal | 308 | 278 | Municipalities |
| LAU 2: Local[2] | 3259 | 3049 | Civil Parishes |
Communication
| Sub-division | Total | Mainland | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postal codes | 9 | 8 | First-digit postal codes |
| Area codes | 51 | 48 | Telephone area codes |