Bragança Municipality
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bragança | |||
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| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: 41°48′N 6°50′W / 41.8°N 6.833°WCoordinates: 41°48′N 6°50′W / 41.8°N 6.833°W | |||
| Country |  Portugal |
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| Region | Norte | ||
| Subregion | Alto Trás-os-Montes | ||
| District/A.R. | Bragança | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | António Nunes (PSD) | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 1,173.6 km2 (453.1 sq mi) | ||
| Population | |||
| - Total | 34,774 | ||
| - Density | 30/km2 (77.7/sq mi) | ||
| Parishes (no.) | 49 | ||
| Municipal holiday | August 22 |
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| Website | http://www.cm-braganca.pt | ||
Bragança (Portuguese pronunciation: [bɾɐˈɡɐ̃sɐ] or, locally, [bɾɐˈɡãsɐ]; English language: Braganza) is a city and a municipality in north-eastern Portugal and the capital of Bragança District, in Alto Trás-os-Montes. The population of the municipality is 34,774 and its total area is 1,173.6 kmª. It lies on a branch of the Sabor River south of the Culebra Mountains, 255 km northeast of Porto, 515 km from Lisbon and 22 km. from the Spanish border. The city is at an elevation of 700m. Of all of the 18 Portuguese district capitals, Bragança is the farthest from Lisbon, the national capital. The seat of the municipality is the city of Bragança, which consists of two parishes (Sé and Santa Maria) and has a population of about 21,000.[1] The neighbouring municipalities are Vimioso in the southeast, Macedo de Cavaleiros in the southwest and Vinhais in the west.
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[edit] Transportation
The city has a small airport: Aérodromo de Bragança(BGC), with scheduled flights to Vila Real (VRL)and Lisbon (LIS). BGC is located north of the city, near Aveleda and Montesinho national park. Bragança and Viseu are the only two Portuguese district capital cities without a rail service. The principal motorway is the estrada IP 4 connecting the cities of Bragança, Mirandela, Vila Real, Amarante, Penafiel and Oporto (Porto). Other roads connect to the cities of Chaves, Valpaços, Macedo de Cavaleiros and Miranda do Douro (Miranda de I Douro), as well to towns nearby: Vinhais and Vimioso (Bimiouso) and the international border at Quintanilha.
[edit] Parishes (Freguesias)
[edit] Diocese
Diocese de Bragança/Miranda; Arquiodiocese de Braga.
[edit] Climate
The climate in Bragança (the northeastern most district capital Portuguese city) is influenced by the distance from the coast and the elevation. It is very similar to the continental climate of the Spanish Meseta and other European regions removed from the influence of the ocean, which means long rigorous winters (even by European standards) and short hot summers. Snow in winter is very common and can last for several days. The high in January is around 6°C while the August high is around 28°C. The January low hovers around the freezing point. It has been known to snow in May, and winter temperatures can fall to as low as -15°C. The annual mean is around 10°C. The mean total rainfall in a year is 743 mm, with an average of 123 rainy days per year and 20 snowy days per year. The year of 2005 was particularly dry in Portugal and Bragança suffered water shortages and devastating forest fires in the rural areas.
[edit] History
Originally Bragança was a Celtic city known as Brigantion, (Brigantia, the name of a celtic goddess), it later romanized its name to the present form. Historically the city has been important as the seat of the House of Bragança, which provided the kings of Portugal from 1640 to 1910 and the emperors of Brazil from 1822 to 1889; their feudal castle (built 1187) still remains. Catherine of Bragança became the queen consort (1662) of Charles II of England. An episcopal see, Bragança was the capital of the historical Trás-os-Montes province.
[edit] Attractions
Notable landmarks in the city include the 12th-century Domus Municipalis (Portugal's oldest and largest town hall), the Renaissance cathedral, and the old town walls, which are still well preserved and look down on the river and the modern city. In the city there is a well kept museum.
[edit] Education
Bragança has a state-run technical college of higher education, the polytechnic institute - Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (Polytechnical Institute of Bragança).
[edit] Economy
Economically the region still produces olive oil, grains, chestnuts and livestock, especially sheep. In recent years agriculture has suffered a decline with the abandonment of the villages and the aging of the rural population. In many villages there are not enough children to maintain the rural schools, which are gradually being closed by the government.
Present-day Bragança is a city of services with a dependence on state-run institutions like the Polytechnical Institute of Bragança and the regional hospital for jobs. Due to its location near the Spanish border, the city receives tourists from Zamora, León, Salamanca, Asturias and elsewhere.
[edit] International relations
[edit] Twin towns — Sister cities
Bragança Municipality is twinned with:
Zamora, Castile and León, Spain (1984).[2]- León, Castile and León, Spain.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ UMA POPULAÇÃO QUE SE URBANIZA, Uma avaliação recente - Cidades, 2004 Nuno Pires Soares, Instituto Geográfico Português (Geographic Institute of Portugal)
- ^ http://www.laopiniondezamora.es/secciones/noticia.jsp?pRef=2009012100_12_329048__Opinion-fecha-clave
- ^ http://www.diariodeleon.es/noticias/noticia.asp?pkid=241326
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bragança (Portugal) |
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