Maia () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

Porto Metropolitan Area The Porto Metropolitan Area ( pt, Área Metropolitana do Porto; abbreviated as AMP) is a metropolitan area in northern Portugal centered on the City of Porto, Portugal's second largest city.Fernanda Paula Oliveira (2009), The metropolitan area, ...

, ''

Grande Porto Grande Porto () or Greater Porto is a former Portuguese NUTS3 subregion, integrating the NUTS2 region of Norte, in Portugal. It was abolished at the January 2015 NUTS 3 revision. It corresponded to 11 municipalities out of 16, the other 5 in E ...

'' subregion, in

Norte Region, Portugal The North Region ( pt, Região do Norte ) or Northern Portugal is the most populous region in Portugal, ahead of Lisbon Region, Lisbon, and the third most extensive by area. The region has 3,576,205 inhabitants according to the 2017 census, and its ...

. It is located 11 km north of central

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

. The population in 2011 was 135,306, in an area of . There is one city (Cidade da Maia) and three towns (Moreira, Castêlo da Maia and Águas Santas) in the municipality.

History

The area of the current municipality (''

concelho Concelho () is the Portuguese-language term for municipality, referring to the territorial subdivision in local government. In comparison, the word ''município'' () refers to the organs of State. This differentiation is still in use in Portugal a ...

'') has been inhabited for millennia, with human occupation dating back to the

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...

period. In the many hills of the region, remains of villages from the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

have been found. Attracted by the rich soil and abundance of resources, the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

also left visible marks of their occupation in the area. In the middle of the thirteenth century, the Lands of Maia (''Terras da Maia'') extended from the city of Porto to the Ave river and from the sea to the mountains. In 1304 the Lands of Maia were incorporated into those of

, losing its political and administrative autonomy. In 1360, King

Pedro I of Portugal Peter I (Portuguese: ''Pedro I'', ; 8 April 1320 – 18 January 1367), called the Just (''o Justiceiro'') or the Cruel (''o Cruel''), was King of Portugal from 1357 until his death. He was the third but only surviving son of Afonso IV of Portuga ...

gave the land of Azurara (current

Vila do Conde Vila do Conde (, ; "the Count's Town") is a municipality in the Norte Region of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 79,533, in an area of 149.03 km². The urbanized area of Vila do Conde, which includes the parishes of Vila do Conde, Azurar ...

), with land in Maia, to the then infant Denis, Lord of Cifuentes, his son. The history of this municipality is also closely linked to the founding of the Portuguese nation. Some authors argue that even the Prince

Afonso Henriques Afonso I of PortugalOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on the Spanish or French inf ...

had been educated here, next to the family of Mendes da Maia, who belonged to the Arcebishop of Braga D. Paio Mendes and the famous warrior

Gonçalo Mendes da Maia Gonçalo Mendes da Maia (1079? in Maia? – 1170 in Alentejo), also known as ''O Lidador'' (The Toiler), so named for his fearlessness in the struggle against the Saracens, was a Portuguese knight of the time of Afonso Henriques, about whom tra ...

, the "Lidador" (today the hero of the city), named so for having entered into fearless struggle against the

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

s. In the

Age of Discovery The Age of Discovery (or the Age of Exploration), also known as the early modern period, was a period largely overlapping with the Age of Sail, approximately from the 15th century to the 17th century in European history, during which seafarin ...

, the region of Maia produced sails and fabrics for use in the

Portuguese caravel Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

s. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the King

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, a ...

granted the charter, which provided the rent to be paid to the donee Reguengos of Maia, and regulated how to carry out punishments and courts. Between 1700 and 1836, the county was composed of 44 parishes and encompassed the entire range between the sea and the Leça and Ave rivers. With administrative reforms initiated in 1836, Maia became a separate municipality, but reduced both in area and number of parishes. In 1857, the municipality of Maia was no more, it was then restored in 1868. Maia municipality was crossed in 1809 by the

Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

army of the Duke of Dalmatia, the

Marshal Soult Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia, (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804 and often called Marshal Soult. Soult was one of only six officers in Fren ...

, which was going from

Braga Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (in ...

. Between 1832 and 1834, in the turbulent years of struggles and civil war opposing Miguel of Portugal to

Pedro IV of Portugal Dom Pedro I (English: Peter I; 12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), nicknamed "the Liberator", was the founder and first ruler of the Empire of Brazil. As King Dom Pedro IV, he reigned briefly over Portugal, where he also became ...

, it was the scene of bloody battles between the absolutist and the liberal factions.

Economy

The Maia municipality is one of the most industrialized in the Norte Region. Among its industries are

Sonae Indústria Sonae Indústria is a manufacturer of engineered wood products, founded and headquartered in Maia, Portugal. Present in five countries within three continents, Sonae Indústria has a wide range of products, from simple board to complete construc ...

, a leading wood-based products company; market leader for paint & coating products CIN; fruit processing company

Frulact Frulact – Ingredientes para a Indústria de Laticínios, Lda. is a food industry company, part of France-based Ardian since 2020, which is specialized in fruit processing and is headquartered in Maia, Portugal. Its aim is the manufacture of food ...

; and cereal processing company

Cerealis Cerealis is a Portuguese food producer and the biggest milling company in Portugal, headquartered in Maia, and founded in 1919 as a cereal processing company. Cerealis Group has two divisions, food producer Cerealis Produtos Alimentares and mi ...

, which are headquartered in there. Other industries include textiles, chemicals, mechanical equipment and food products (e.g. Ferbar - Fernando Barros Productos Alimentares, Lda., a major Portuguese wholesaler of food products). Sonae SGPS, owner of one of the largest hypermarket chains and the largest private employer in Portugal, is also headquartered in Maia. CEIIA - Centro para a Excelência e Inovação na Indústria Automóvel (auto industry innovation center), is located in TECMAIA (Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia da Maia complex), a

science park A science park (also called a "university research park", "technology park”, "technopark", “technopole", or a "science and technology park" (STP)) is defined as being a property-based development that accommodates and fosters the growt ...

situated in the Maia Industrial Zone. Church Nossa Sra O by Henrique Matos 01

Education

Maia has a comprehensive network of

pre-school A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

, and

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...

. In addition, Maia is home of

ISMAI ISMAI - ''Instituto Universitário da Maia'' is an institute of higher education formed in 1990 in Maia, Portugal. Academic first degrees: *Psychology *Psychosocial Counseling *Communication Sciences *Physical Education and Sports *Law (solicito ...

- ''Instituto Superior da Maia'', a private institution of

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

awarding degrees in fields ranging from psychology to communication sciences to physical education & sports to accountancy to information systems & software. In addition, Maia's population is served by the major higher education institutions located in the neighbouring municipality of Porto, including the University of Porto.

Transportation

The Porto International Airport,

Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport or simply Porto Airport (formerly ''Pedras Rubras Airport'') is an international airport near Porto (Oporto), Portugal. It is located northwest of the Clérigos Tower in the centre of Porto, in the municipalitie ...

(also known as ''Pedras Rubras Airport'') is located in the parish of Moreira, in Pedras Rubras. The municipality is also served by

Metro do Porto The Porto Metro ( pt, Metro do Porto), part of the public transport (mass transit) system of Porto, Portugal, is a light rail network that runs underground in central Porto and above ground into the city's suburbs. ''Metro do Porto S.A.'' was ...

(Porto's Metro). Maia 4 (Portugal)

International relations

The following places are

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

to Maia: * Andrézieux, Loire,

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...

, France *

Mantes-La-Jolie Mantes-la-Jolie (, often informally called Mantes) is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region of north-central France. It is located to the west of Paris, from the centre of the capital. Mantes-la-Jolie is a subprefe ...

, Yvelines,

Île-de-France , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 = +01:00 , timezone1_DST = CEST , utc_offset1_DST = +02:00 , blank_name_sec1 = Gross regional product , blank_info_sec1 = Ranked 1st , bla ...

, France *

Portimão Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 55,614, in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão (). In 1924, it was ...

, Portugal *

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is at the St. Mary's River on the Canada–US border. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay. The Ojibwe, the indigenous Anishinaabe inhabitants ...

, Canada *

Mbombela Mbombela (also known as Nelspruit) is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, east of Johannesburg and north ...

, South Africa

Sports

Maia is the hometown of two important sports organizations: the football club

FC Maia Futebol Clube da Maia is a Portuguese football club based in Maia, Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto. Founded on 4 April 1954, it currently plays in the Porto Regional League, holding home matches at the Estádio Professor Doutor Vieira de Carv ...

, and the cycling team

União Ciclista da Maia União is the Portuguese word for Union. It may refer to: *the Brazilian federal government *União do Vegetal, a church known for its usage of Hoasca as tea * Brazilian frigate ''União'' (F45), a general-purpose ''Niterói'' class frigate launc ...

Notable people

(ca.1079 — 1170), a Portuguese knight of the 12th century * David Moreira da Silva (1909-2002) a Portuguese architect of the Porto School of Architecture *

Fernando Teixeira dos Santos Fernando Teixeira dos Santos (born in Maia, September 13, 1951), GOIH is a Portuguese economist and professor. He was Minister of Finance in the Portuguese Government led by José Sócrates (''XVII Governo Constitucional''). Career Teixeira dos ...

(born 1951) a Portuguese economist and professor, former Minister of Finance of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Sarah A. Hoyt Sarah A. Hoyt (born November 18, 1962) is an American science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction writer. She moved to the United States in the early 1980s, married Dan Hoyt in 1985, and became an American citizen in 1988. She w ...

(born 1962 in Águas Santas) an American science fiction, fantasy, mystery and historical fiction writer. * João Torres (born 1986) a politician and Government Minister

Sport

* Pedro Albergaria (born 1980) a Portuguese retired football goalkeeper with 423 club caps *

Ricardo Malafaia Ricardo Sousa Malafaia Fernandes (born 11 August 1981 in Maia, Portugal, Maia, Porto District), known as Malafaia, is a Portuguese retired Association football, footballer who played as an Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder, and ...

(born 1981), known as ''Malafaia'', a Portuguese retired footballer with 344 club caps *

Hernâni Borges Hernâni José Oliveira Santos Borges (born 27 August 1981 in Maia, Portugal), known simply as Hernâni, is a Cape Verdean former professional footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types ...

(born 1981), known as ''Hernâni'', a former footballer with 255 club caps and 9 for

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

Diogo Torres Diogo Alberto Carvalho Torres (born 22 April 1987) is a Portugal, Portuguese association football, football player who plays for Merelinense F.C., Merelinense. Club career He made his professional debut in the Segunda Liga for F.C. Maia, Maia on ...

(born 1987) a Portuguese footballer with over 310 club caps *

Wilson Eduardo Wilson Bruno Naval da Costa Eduardo (born 8 July 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Turkish club Alanyaspor. He was formed at Sporting CP, but spent most of his time out on loan. In 2015 he joined Braga, with whom h ...

(born 1990) a footballer with over 250 club caps and 6 for

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

* Bruno Fernandes (born 1994) a footballer who plays for

Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd), or simply United, is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The club competes in the Premier League, ...

with over 270 club caps and 38 for

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 10 civil parishes (''

freguesias ''Freguesia'' (), usually translated as "parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former Port ...

''): *

Águas Santas Águas Santas is a Portuguese town and parish located in the municipality of Maia. The population in 2011 was 27,470, in an area of 8.23 km2, making it one of the most densely populated towns in the Porto District. It is located about 3.5 ki ...

* Castêlo da Maia *

Cidade da Maia Cidade da Maia is a civil parish in the municipality of Maia, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Gueifães, Maia and Vermoim. The population in 2011 was 40,134, in an area of 10.42 km². The parish covers the ...

* Folgosa * Milheirós *

Moreira Moreira may refer to: Places * Moreira (Maia), a parish in Maia Municipality, northern Portugal * , a parish in Monção Municipality, northern Portugal * , a parish in Nelas Municipality, central Portugal People

*Moreira (name), given name ...

* Nogueira e Silva Escura *

Pedrouços Pedrouços is a Portuguese parish located in the municipality of Maia. The population in 2011 was 12,149, in an area of 2.57 km². The place of Pedrouços was the most important and populous of the Águas Santas parish. As an autonomous reli ...

* São Pedro Fins * Vila Nova da Telha

References

{{Authority control Municipalities of Porto District