The Comunidade Intermunicipal do Douro () is an administrative division in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. It replaced the ''Comunidade Urbana do Douro'', created in 2004. It takes its name from the

Douro River The Douro (, , , ; ; ) is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish province of Soria, meanders briefly south, then flows generally west through the northern part of the Meseta ...

. The seat of the intermunicipal community is

Vila Real Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the Norte, Portugal, North region, Portugal. It is also the seat of the Douro (intermunicipal community), Douro Intermunicipal communities of Portugal, intermunicipal comm ...

. Douro comprises parts of the former districts of Bragança, Guarda,

and

Viseu Viseu () is a city and municipality in the Centro Region of Portugal and the capital of the Viseu District, district of the same name, with a population of 100,105 inhabitants in the entire municipality, and center of the Viseu Dão Lafões Interm ...

. The population in 2011 was 205,157,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
/ref> in an area of . Douro is also a NUTS3 subregion of Norte Region. Since January 2015, the NUTS 3 subregion covers the same area as the intermunicipal community.Adequação dos indicadores à nova organização territorial NUTS III / Entidades Intermunicipais
Instituto Nacional de Estatística, 18 March 2015 Its economic activity is largely centered on the production of

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

, particularly

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

, and also non-

fortified A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lat ...

Douro wine from the

Douro DOC Douro is a Portuguese wine region centered on the Douro River in the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro region. It is sometimes referred to as the ''Alto Douro'' (upper Douro), as it is located some distance upstream from Porto, sheltered by mountain ...

wine region. The entire region is mountainous and crossed by steep valleys.

Municipalities

The CIM Douro is composed of 19 municipalities:

Geography

The main rivers are

Corgo River The Corgo River () is a river in northern Portugal which flows through the settlement of Covelo and the city of Vila Real. It flows southwards into the Douro River, merging near Granja. The Corgo River Viaduct carries the A4 motorway (Transmon ...

Tua River Tua () is a river in northeastern Portugal, flowing by the border of Vila Real District and Bragança District. It is a tributary of the Douro River. The biggest and most important city it flows through is Mirandela. The Tua line was a narrow ...

and Sabor River. There is an airport at Vila Real: Aerodromo de Vila Real/

Douro The Douro (, , , ; ; ) is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish Soria Province, province of Soria, meanders briefly south, then flows generally west through the northern par ...

RL The Douro railway line was completed in 1887. The narrow gauge branch lines in the area (such as the Corgo line) are now all closed. The main monuments are the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

and Mateus Palace in Vila Real, and the Remedios and Sé/cathedral in Lamego. The Alto Douro Wine Region and the Prehistoric Rock-Art Site of the Côa Valley are both classified by UNESCO as heritage sites. DouroVallei105923 2012

The University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro is situated in Vila Real.

References

External links

Official website CIM Douro
{{Regions of Portugal Intermunicipal communities of Portugal Norte Region, Portugal