This Portugal map shows all 20 first-level divisions of the country: 18 mainland districts and the 2 autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira, grouped into 7 regions from Norte to Madeira. Portugal had 11,424,031 residents on 31 December 2025, and its capital is Lisbon. On the map of Portugal above, click a region or district to see its capital, population, area, largest municipalities and UNESCO sites, or search a town to find its district. The Azores and Madeira appear as insets. Olivença, a town Spain administers, is not on the map.
How to use this map of Portugal
Every region and district on this Portugal map is clickable.
- Explore a region: click or tap it to open its districts, population, area, landmarks and food. Switch the Regions / Districts toggle to see all 20 units on their own.
- Compare data: use View by to color the map by region, type (district or autonomous region), population, density, area, GDP per capita, UNESCO sites or time zone. The time zone layer shows the 19 Azores municipalities one hour behind the other 289.
- Find a town: type a town in the search box to see its district and region. It covers all 308 municipalities, so it answers which district Sintra, Cascais or Albufeira is in.
- Print it: Printables has a labelled map of Portugal, a blank map and a blank map in the seven region colors.
- Take the data: Export downloads all 20 units as CSV with a citation.
We publish the same kind of map for other countries: regions of Italy, regions of Switzerland and regions of Brazil, which shares Portuguese as its national language (see all countries that speak Portuguese). For the continent, see Europe, and for everything we have on the country, Portugal.
The 7 regions of Portugal
This map groups Portugal into seven regions: Norte, Centro, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Alentejo, Algarve and the two island regions, the Azores and Madeira. The five mainland regions match the areas of the five regional coordination commissions (CCDR). Each district goes to the region that holds most of its residents, because districts and regions do not nest exactly. A region’s figures are the sum of its districts. Click a column heading to sort.
| Region | Districts and regions | Population | Area (km²) | Share of population | Largest municipality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Portugal | 5 districts | 3,363,090 | 18,163 | 29.4% | Vila Nova de Gaia |
| Central Portugal | 6 districts | 2,394,194 | 27,453 | 21.0% | Coimbra |
| Lisbon and Tagus Valley | 3 districts | 4,137,320 | 14,748 | 36.2% | Lisbon |
| Alentejo | 3 districts | 439,937 | 23,741 | 3.9% | Évora |
| Algarve | 1 district | 578,032 | 4,997 | 5.1% | Loulé |
| Azores | 1 autonomous region | 245,328 | 2,322 | 2.1% | Ponta Delgada |
| Madeira | 1 autonomous region | 266,130 | 801 | 2.3% | Funchal |
Lisboa e Vale do Tejo holds 36.2% of the population on 16.0% of the area, a density of 280.5 people per km². Alentejo is the reverse: 25.7% of the area and 3.9% of the people, or 18.5 per km². Algarve grew fastest between 2021 and 2025, by 13.8%, ahead of Lisboa e Vale do Tejo at 10.8%. The Azores grew slowest at 1.8%.
The regions of Portugal one by one
Norte (Braga, Bragança, Porto, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real) has 3,363,090 people and covers the Minho, the Douro valley and Trás-os-Montes. Porto district alone has 1,906,626. Vila Nova de Gaia (323,202), across the river, is larger than the city of Porto (273,476). The Alto Douro Wine Region and the Guimarães historic centre are here. For visitors, we cover adventurous things to do in Porto, the pros and cons of living in Porto and museums in Porto.
Centro (Aveiro, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Guarda, Leiria, Viseu) has 2,394,194 people and runs from the Atlantic coast to the Spanish border. It includes the Ria de Aveiro, the Serra da Estrela and the University of Coimbra. Read about museums in Coimbra. Four of its six districts (Aveiro, Guarda, Leiria and Viseu) cross NUTS borders, which the section on regional systems below explains.
Lisboa e Vale do Tejo (Lisbon, Santarém, Setúbal) is the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, with 4,137,320 people, 36.2% of Portugal. Lisbon district has 2,655,832, and the city of Lisbon has 658,236. Setúbal, on the south bank of the Tagus estuary, has 1,012,127. Santarém is the inland Tagus district, with Tomar and Fátima. See museums in Lisbon and living in Ericeira.
Alentejo (Beja, Évora, Portalegre) has 439,937 people on 23,741.2 km², the lowest density of any region at 18.5 per km². Beja is the largest district in the country, at 10,263.3 km². The region is known for cork oak, wheat fields and olive groves, and its sights include the historic centre of Évora and the Alqueva Dam. Our museums in Évora list covers the main town, and the empty interior also appears in our list of ghost towns in Portugal.
Algarve is the one region that equals a single district: Faro, with 578,032 people. It is the southernmost part of mainland Portugal, on the Atlantic, and grew 13.8% from 2021 to 2025. Loulé (94,447) is larger than the district seat Faro (80,256). Our guide to museums in the Algarve covers the coast town by town.
Azores has 245,328 people on nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic. Details are in the Azores and Madeira section below.
Madeira has 266,130 people, the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo and uninhabited islets. Its capital is Funchal, which has 113,443.
All 20 districts and autonomous regions of Portugal
The table lists every district and autonomous region with its ISO 3166-2 code, type, region and population. Click a heading to sort, or a name to open its card on the map. Population is the INE estimate for 31 December 2025.
All 20 districts and autonomous regions
| ISO code | District | Capital | Region | Population | Area (km²) | Municipalities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PT-01 | Aveiro | Aveiro | Central Portugal | 748,716 | 2,801 | 19 |
| PT-02 | Beja | Beja | Alentejo | 169,810 | 10,263 | 14 |
| PT-03 | Braga | Braga | North Portugal | 901,282 | 2,706 | 14 |
| PT-04 | Bragança | Bragança | North Portugal | 123,642 | 6,599 | 12 |
| PT-05 | Castelo Branco | Castelo Branco | Central Portugal | 189,090 | 6,628 | 11 |
| PT-06 | Coimbra | Coimbra | Central Portugal | 438,242 | 3,974 | 17 |
| PT-07 | Évora | Évora | Alentejo | 161,642 | 7,394 | 14 |
| PT-08 | Faro | Faro | Algarve | 578,032 | 4,997 | 16 |
| PT-09 | Guarda | Guarda | Central Portugal | 138,823 | 5,535 | 14 |
| PT-10 | Leiria | Leiria | Central Portugal | 514,503 | 3,506 | 16 |
| PT-11 | Lisbon | Lisbon | Lisbon and Tagus Valley | 2,655,832 | 2,816 | 16 |
| PT-12 | Portalegre | Portalegre | Alentejo | 108,485 | 6,084 | 15 |
| PT-13 | Porto | Porto | North Portugal | 1,906,626 | 2,332 | 18 |
| PT-14 | Santarém | Santarém | Lisbon and Tagus Valley | 469,361 | 6,718 | 21 |
| PT-15 | Setúbal | Setúbal | Lisbon and Tagus Valley | 1,012,127 | 5,214 | 13 |
| PT-16 | Viana do Castelo | Viana do Castelo | North Portugal | 244,343 | 2,219 | 10 |
| PT-17 | Vila Real | Vila Real | North Portugal | 187,197 | 4,308 | 14 |
| PT-18 | Viseu | Viseu | Central Portugal | 364,820 | 5,010 | 24 |
| PT-20 | Azores | Ponta Delgada | Azores | 245,328 | 2,322 | 19 |
| PT-30 | Madeira | Funchal | Madeira | 266,130 | 801 | 11 |
Portugal covers 92,225.21 km² and had 11,424,031 residents at the end of 2025, or 123.9 per km². That is 7.8% more than the 10,599,117 estimated for 31 December 2021. Lisbon and Porto districts together hold 4,562,458 people, 39.9% of the country. Add Setúbal and the three districts around the two big metropolitan areas hold 5,574,585, or 48.8%.
Districts, regions, NUTS and CCDR: which Portugal map is which
Portuguese sources use six different systems, and each draws a different map. This page uses districts as the units and groups them into regions that follow the CCDR areas.
| System | Units | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Districts (distritos) | 18, mainland only | Created in the 1835 reform. Used for elections, courts and postal geography. They have had no civil governor since 2011. |
| Autonomous regions | 2 | The Azores and Madeira, with their own governments since 1976. They are not districts. |
| Regions on this map | 7 | The five CCDR areas plus the Azores and Madeira. Districts are assigned by majority population. |
| CCDR areas | 5 | Regional coordination and development commissions: Norte, Centro, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Alentejo and Algarve. |
| NUTS II (2024) | 9 | The EU statistical level, in force since January 2024. The units are Norte, Centro, Oeste e Vale do Tejo, Grande Lisboa, Península de Setúbal, Alentejo, Algarve, Azores and Madeira. |
| Tourism regions | 7 | The tourist boards’ areas, covered below. |
The 2024 NUTS revision explains why older sources say seven NUTS II regions. The former Lisboa region split into Grande Lisboa and Península de Setúbal, and Oeste, Médio Tejo and Lezíria do Tejo left Centro and Alentejo to form Oeste e Vale do Tejo. The CCDR Lisboa e Vale do Tejo area is the three new regions together, 52 municipalities, so this map’s Lisboa e Vale do Tejo includes the whole district of Santarém.
Six districts straddle more than one NUTS II region. The table shows the split by residents and the region the map gives each.
| District | Region on this map | NUTS II split (2025 residents) |
|---|---|---|
| Aveiro | Centro | Centro 56.1% (12 municipalities), Norte 43.9% (7, including Santa Maria da Feira and Oliveira de Azeméis) |
| Guarda | Centro | Centro 95.8% (13), Norte 4.2% (1, Vila Nova de Foz Côa) |
| Leiria | Centro | Centro 62.0% (10), Oeste e Vale do Tejo 38.0% (6: Alcobaça, Bombarral, Caldas da Rainha, Nazaré, Peniche, Óbidos) |
| Lisbon | Lisboa e Vale do Tejo | Grande Lisboa 90.9% (9), Oeste e Vale do Tejo 9.1% (7, including Torres Vedras) |
| Setúbal | Lisboa e Vale do Tejo | Península de Setúbal 92.6% (9), Alentejo 7.4% (4: Alcácer do Sal, Grândola, Santiago do Cacém, Sines) |
| Viseu | Centro | Centro 74.5% (14), Norte 25.5% (10, including Lamego) |
The practical effect: a map that follows NUTS II puts Óbidos, Nazaré and Peniche in Oeste e Vale do Tejo, and one that follows districts puts them in Leiria, a Centro district here. Sines is in Setúbal district but in the Alentejo NUTS region. Check any town in the search box to see its district.
Does Portugal have states or provinces?
Portugal has neither states nor provinces today. Its first-level divisions are 18 districts on the mainland and 2 autonomous regions, and the 308 municipalities (concelhos) below them do most of the local governing. Districts no longer have an elected or appointed government, so the autonomous regions are the only first-level units with their own parliaments.
The word “province” refers to older systems. Six traditional provinces were Entre-Douro-e-Minho, Trás-os-Montes, Beira, Estremadura, Alentejo and Algarve. A 1936 reform set 11: Minho, Douro Litoral, Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Beira Alta, Beira Baixa, Beira Litoral, Estremadura, Ribatejo, Alto Alentejo, Baixo Alentejo and Algarve. The 1976 constitution abolished provinces as administrative units. They survive in culture, football, wine and everyday speech, and the names Minho, Douro and Beira appear in this page’s region descriptions for that reason.
Capital of Portugal and district capitals
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal. The municipality has 658,236 residents, the most of any in the country, and Lisbon district has 2,655,832. The next largest municipalities are below. Porto is fourth, not second.
| Rank | Municipality | District | Population, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lisbon | Lisbon | 658,236 |
| 2 | Sintra | Lisbon | 449,956 |
| 3 | Vila Nova de Gaia | Porto | 323,202 |
| 4 | Porto | Porto | 273,476 |
| 5 | Cascais | Lisbon | 242,619 |
| 6 | Loures | Lisbon | 236,988 |
| 7 | Braga | Braga | 212,635 |
| 8 | Amadora | Lisbon | 205,517 |
These are municipality populations, not city populations. A municipality can hold many towns: Sintra, Vila Nova de Gaia and Loulé are all municipalities of that kind. For the safest of these places to stay in, see our list of safest cities in Portugal.
Each district takes its name from its seat, and in 13 of the 18 mainland districts the seat is also the most populous municipality. These are the exceptions:
- Aveiro: the seat is Aveiro (91,397), and Santa Maria da Feira (142,676) is larger.
- Beja: the seat is Beja (39,627), and Odemira (44,043) is larger.
- Faro: the seat is Faro (80,256), and Loulé (94,447) is larger.
- Porto: the seat is Porto (273,476), and Vila Nova de Gaia (323,202) is larger.
- Setúbal: the seat is Setúbal (141,266), and Almada (202,896) is larger.
- Azores: Ponta Delgada (71,695) is the seat of the regional government. Angra do Heroísmo, the historic capital, hosts the Court of Appeal and the Representative of the Republic, and Horta hosts the Legislative Assembly.
Azores map and Madeira map: the two autonomous regions
The Azores and Madeira are part of Portugal, not separate countries, and both are autonomous regions since 1976. This map shows them as insets, so their true positions in the Atlantic are not to scale with the mainland.
The Azores are nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic, lying roughly midway between Europe and North America. The region has 245,328 residents, 19 municipalities, 156 parishes and 2,322.0 km². The seat of government is Ponta Delgada on São Miguel. Two sites are on the UNESCO list: the central zone of Angra do Heroísmo and the Pico Island vineyard landscape. The islands are also in our guide to museums in the Azores.
Madeira is an archipelago off the coast of Morocco made up of the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo and uninhabited islets. It has 266,130 residents, 11 municipalities, 54 parishes and 801.1 km², which makes it the smallest unit on the map. Its density of 332.2 per km² is the fourth highest, after Lisbon, Porto and Braga. Funchal is the capital. The Savage Islands are counted inside Funchal municipality in the official boundary data. Laurisilva of Madeira is its World Heritage site, and museums in Madeira lists the island’s collections.
Portugal time zone
Portugal has two time zones. Mainland Portugal and Madeira use Western European Time (WET), UTC+0 in winter and UTC+1 (WEST) in summer. The Azores use Azores Time (AZOT), UTC-1 in winter and UTC+0 (AZOST) in summer. When it is noon in Lisbon, it is 11:00 in Ponta Delgada. Clocks change on the last Sunday of March and October, under the EU rule, in both zones.
The map’s time zone layer splits the 308 municipalities into those two groups: 289 on UTC+0 in winter and 19, all in the Azores, on UTC-1.
Tourist regions: Porto e Norte, Centro de Portugal, Lisboa and the rest
Tourist boards draw their own areas, and the names overlap with the regions above without matching them. The table is approximate: tourism areas follow valleys and coasts, and the boards’ own borders can split a district.
| Tourism region | Approximate match on this map | Best-known places |
|---|---|---|
| Porto e Norte | Norte | Porto, the Douro valley, Braga, Guimarães |
| Centro de Portugal | Centro | Coimbra, Aveiro, Serra da Estrela, Batalha |
| Lisboa | Lisbon district (approximately) | Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Belém |
| Alentejo | Alentejo | Évora, Alqueva, Marvão, Mértola |
| Algarve | Algarve (Faro district) | Cape St. Vincent, Ponta da Piedade, Silves |
| Azores | Azores | Sete Cidades, Mount Pico, Furnas |
| Madeira | Madeira | Funchal, Pico Ruivo, Cabo Girão |
Wine regions such as the Douro, Dão and Vinho Verde are not administrative units either. The Douro wine country is partly in Vila Real district and the Dão in Viseu. For museum lists across all of these areas, start at the museums in Portugal hub.
Largest and smallest districts
| Measure | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|
| Area | Beja, 10,263.3 km² | Madeira, 801.1 km² |
| Population | Lisbon, 2,655,832 | Portalegre, 108,485 |
| Density per km² | Lisbon, 943.1 | Beja, 16.5 |
| GDP per capita, 2024 (estimate) | Lisbon, EUR 40,408 | Bragança, EUR 18,859 |
| Population change, 2021 to 2025 | Faro, 13.8% | Guarda, 0.1% |
| Municipalities | Viseu, 24 | Viana do Castelo, 10 |
| Parishes | Braga, 371 | Madeira, 54 |
On the mainland, Viana do Castelo is the smallest district by area, at 2,218.8 km², and Portalegre has the fewest people. Beja, Portalegre and Bragança are the emptiest, at 16.5, 17.8 and 18.7 people per km². Lisbon (943.1) and Porto (817.7) are the densest, followed by Braga at 333.0.
Four units are above the national GDP per capita of EUR 27,063: Lisbon, Faro (EUR 29,302), Madeira (EUR 29,012) and Beja (EUR 28,173). The GDP figures are our estimate: INE publishes GDP only for 26 NUTS III regions, and we assigned each region’s value to its municipalities and averaged by population. Azores (EUR 23,836) and Madeira are exact. The GDP layer maps all 20.
For who lives in these places, see Portugal’s ethnic groups.
How the Portugal map changed, 1835 to 2025
| Year | Change |
|---|---|
| 1835 | The mainland is divided into districts. Seventeen of today’s 18 date from this reform. |
| 1926 | Setúbal district is carved out of Lisbon district. It is the only district created after 1835. |
| 1976 | The Azores and Madeira become autonomous regions under the new constitution and their autonomy statutes. Provinces are abolished as administrative units. |
| 2013 | Parishes are merged into unions of parishes. |
| 2024 | The EU NUTS 2024 revision takes effect in January and replaces the old seven NUTS II regions with nine. |
| 2025 | Law 25-A/2025 restores 302 of the parishes merged in 2013 and dissolves 135 unions of parishes. The new parishes take office after the local elections of 12 October 2025. |
The number of districts has been 18 on the mainland since 1926, and the number of municipalities, 308, did not change in 2023, 2024 or 2025.
Municipalities and parishes
Portugal has 308 municipalities: 278 on the mainland, 19 in the Azores and 11 in Madeira. Viseu has the most in one district (24) and Viana do Castelo the fewest (10). Municipalities are divided into parishes (freguesias), and the official count is 3,259 in the 2025 boundary data after the 2025 de-merger. The legal count is 3,258, because Corvo in the Azores is counted as a statistical parish but does not exist as one in law (Law 9/87, article 78).
Portuguese is the only language of the state. Mirandese, spoken in the Miranda do Douro area of Bragança district, has been officially recognised since Law 7/99.
UNESCO World Heritage sites by district
Portugal has 17 UNESCO World Heritage properties, 16 cultural and one natural, the Laurisilva of Madeira. The newest are the Royal Building of Mafra and the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga, both inscribed in 2019, and none were added in 2020 to 2026. A property that crosses district borders counts in each district it touches, so the district lists add up to 20. Our list of World Heritage sites in Portugal covers each in full.
| Property | District or region |
|---|---|
| Historic Centre of Guimarães and Couros Zone | Braga |
| Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga | Braga |
| Alto Douro Wine Region | Bragança, Guarda, Vila Real, Viseu |
| University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia | Coimbra |
| Historic Centre of Évora | Évora |
| Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde (shared with Spain) | Guarda |
| Monastery of Batalha | Leiria |
| Monastery of Alcobaça | Leiria |
| Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon | Lisbon |
| Cultural Landscape of Sintra | Lisbon |
| Royal Building of Mafra | Lisbon |
| Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications | Portalegre |
| Historic Centre of Oporto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar | Porto |
| Convent of Christ in Tomar | Santarém |
| Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroísmo | Azores |
| Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture | Azores |
| Laurisilva of Madeira | Madeira |
Lisbon district has the most with three. Braga, Guarda, Leiria and the Azores have two each. Six units have none: Aveiro, Beja, Castelo Branco, Faro, Setúbal and Viana do Castelo. The UNESCO layer counts the sites per unit.
Which district is it in?
Search a town on the map to see its district and region. These are the places visitors ask about most.
| Place | District | Region on this map |
|---|---|---|
| Sintra | Lisbon | Lisboa e Vale do Tejo |
| Cascais | Lisbon | Lisboa e Vale do Tejo |
| Mafra | Lisbon | Lisboa e Vale do Tejo |
| Tomar | Santarém | Lisboa e Vale do Tejo |
| Fátima | Santarém | Lisboa e Vale do Tejo |
| Porto | Porto | Norte |
| Vila Nova de Gaia | Porto | Norte |
| Braga | Braga | Norte |
| Guimarães | Braga | Norte |
| Chaves | Vila Real | Norte |
| Coimbra | Coimbra | Centro |
| Aveiro | Aveiro | Centro |
| Lamego | Viseu | Centro |
| Óbidos | Leiria | Centro |
| Nazaré | Leiria | Centro |
| Évora | Évora | Alentejo |
| Faro | Faro | Algarve |
| Albufeira | Faro | Algarve |
| Lagos | Faro | Algarve |
| Ponta Delgada | Azores | Azores |
| Funchal | Madeira | Madeira |
Sintra is a municipality in Lisbon district, and Fátima sits in Santarém district, not Leiria. On a map of Portugal and Spain, ten Portuguese districts border Spain: Viana do Castelo, Braga, Vila Real, Bragança, Guarda, Castelo Branco, Portalegre, Évora, Beja and Faro. For the neighbors, see the list of countries that border Portugal, and for the trip itself, useful Portuguese phrases for tourists. Portugal is in the Schengen Area, so stays count toward the 90/180 rule in our Schengen calculator.
Olivença: the town on the border
Olivença (Spanish Olivenza), on the Guadiana in the Spanish province of Badajoz, was Portuguese from 1297 until 1801, when Spain took it in the War of the Oranges under the Treaty of Badajoz. Portugal holds that the treaty lapsed and cites Article 105 of the 1815 Final Act of the Congress of Vienna. Spain administers the town. The map draws the border as it is administered today, so Olivença and the nearby Taliga are outside every unit and are not counted in any figure on this page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Portugal?
Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with 658,236 residents in the municipality. Each region and district has its own seat. Ponta Delgada is the seat of the Azores government, and Funchal is the capital of Madeira. Porto is the fourth-largest municipality.
How many districts does Portugal have?
Portugal has 18 districts on the mainland. The Azores and Madeira are not districts but autonomous regions, so there are 20 first-level units in all. Setúbal, created in 1926, is the newest district. Districts no longer have an administrative government, and the 308 municipalities do the local governing.
How many regions does Portugal have?
It depends on the system. This map shows 7: five mainland regions plus the Azores and Madeira. The five CCDR areas cover the mainland, the EU’s NUTS II level has 9 since 2024, and the tourist boards use 7 regions that differ from ours. The first table above lays the systems side by side.
What changed in the 2024 NUTS update?
The former Lisboa region was split into Grande Lisboa and Península de Setúbal. Oeste, Médio Tejo and Lezíria do Tejo left Centro and Alentejo to form Oeste e Vale do Tejo. That raised the NUTS II count from 7 to 9. Many maps and guides still show the old seven.
Which district are Sintra, Cascais, Albufeira and Porto in?
Sintra and Cascais are in Lisbon district. Albufeira is in Faro district, which is the Algarve. Porto is in Porto district. To check any other town, type it in the search box above the map. It shows the district and region for all 308 municipalities.
Is the Algarve a district or a region?
Both. The Algarve is a region, and it covers exactly the same area as Faro district. It is the only region on this map with one district. Faro is the seat, but Loulé has more residents.
What time zone is Portugal in?
Mainland Portugal and Madeira are on UTC+0 in winter and UTC+1 in summer. The Azores are one hour behind, on UTC-1 in winter and UTC+0 in summer. Like Spain, with the Canary Islands, Portugal has two time zones.
Are the Azores and Madeira part of Portugal?
Yes. They are Portuguese autonomous regions, each with its own regional government and parliament, and both belong to the European Union as outermost regions. The Azores are nine islands in the North Atlantic and Madeira is an archipelago off Morocco. On this map they are drawn as insets.
How many municipalities and parishes does Portugal have?
Portugal has 308 municipalities and 3,259 parishes in the 2025 boundary data. The parish count rose after Law 25-A/2025 restored parishes merged in 2013. The strict legal count is 3,258 because Corvo has no parish in law.
What is the population of Portugal, and which district has the most people?
Portugal had 11,424,031 residents on 31 December 2025, according to INE. Lisbon district has the most, 2,655,832, followed by Porto with 1,906,626. The 2021 census counted 10,343,066, and the difference from the 2021 estimate reflects INE’s revised series.
How many UNESCO World Heritage sites are in Portugal?
Portugal has 17 World Heritage properties. Lisbon district has three of them: Belém, Sintra and Mafra. The Alto Douro Wine Region spans four districts, and the Madeira laurel forest is the only natural property.
Is Olivença part of Portugal?
Spain administers Olivença, and Portugal does not recognise Spanish sovereignty there. It is not part of any Portuguese district on this map. The town was Portuguese until 1801.
What were the historical provinces of Portugal?
Portugal had six traditional provinces: Entre-Douro-e-Minho, Trás-os-Montes, Beira, Estremadura, Alentejo and Algarve. A 1936 reform defined eleven. The 1976 constitution ended provinces as administrative units, but the names remain in wine, football and daily use.
Which district is the largest in Portugal?
Beja is the largest district, at 10,263.3 km², and Lisbon has the most people. Viana do Castelo is the smallest on the mainland by area. The smallest unit overall is Madeira, at 801.1 km².
Do Portugal’s districts have different languages?
No. Portuguese is the only language of the state in every district. Mirandese, spoken in the Miranda do Douro area of Bragança, is recognised officially under Law 7/99.
Sources and methodology
- Population: INE (Statistics Portugal), annual estimates of resident population by municipality, indicator 0012918, NUTS 2024, released 22 June 2026, for 31 December 2025 and 31 December 2021. The 308 municipalities sum to the national figure of 11,424,031, and each district equals the INE district row (indicator 0004163). INE revised 2021 to 2024 in June 2026 and does not publish 2020 on the same basis, so change covers four years. Census 2021 (10,343,066 residents) is kept as a cross-check.
- Area and boundaries: DGT, Carta Administrativa Oficial de Portugal (CAOP) 2025, approved 28 January 2026: 92,225.21 km², of which the mainland is 89,102.14, the Azores 2,321.96 and Madeira 801.10. Areas include inland water such as the Alqueva reservoir and stop at the coastline. Density divides population by total area.
- Regions and NUTS: INE hierarchy of the municipalities under NUTS 2024 (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/674). Each district is assigned to the region holding most of its residents.
- Municipalities and parishes: CAOP 2025: 308 municipalities and 3,259 parishes. Law 25-A/2025 and Laws 27/2025 and 48/2025 are included. The legal count is 3,258 because Corvo has no parish in law.
- GDP per capita: INE regional accounts, base 2021, 2024 provisional, published 17 December 2025, for 26 NUTS III regions. The values were taken from the table reproduced in Wikipedia’s list of Portuguese subdivisions by GDP, because INE’s server was unreachable when we built the data. District values are our estimate, averaged by municipal population at 31 December 2024. National GDP per capita is EUR 27,063.
- World Heritage: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 17 properties, checked on 1 November 2026. Serial and shared properties are listed in every district they touch.
- Time zones: IANA time zone database, 2026 release.
- Towns: populations of the five largest municipalities per unit are INE figures for 31 December 2025, with coordinates from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).
- Districts, provinces and tourism regions: background on formation dates, historical provinces and tourist boards from the official sources above and Wikipedia. Tourism-region borders are approximate.
- Olivença: shown as administered, following the CAOP boundary.
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