Trás-os-Montes () is a geographical, historical and cultural region of
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 ...
.
Portuguese for "behind the mountains", Trás-os-Montes is located northeast of the country in an
upland area, landlocked by the Douro and Tâmega rivers to south and west and by the
Spanish communities of
Galicia and
Castile and León
Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a pop ...
to the north and east. This relative isolation has led to the survival of cultural traditions that mark the Portuguese identity. On the other hand, its extreme
continentality also contributed to the lack of development, which led its inhabitants to seek better conditions on the coast or
emigrate to other European countries such as
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
and
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, and to
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
.
History
Geography

The name of Trás-os-Montes refers to the location to the east of mountains such as
Marão,
Alvão and
Gerês, which separate the interior from the coast, and which form a valley around 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 ...
. These natural barriers have kept this region of Portugal depopulated and poor for several centuries, being the reason that many of its inhabitants were forced to emigrate to the coast or to other countries such as Brazil, France, Luxembourg or Switzerland.
Though the boundaries have slightly changed since its creation, traditionally, the territory comprising Trás-os-Montes is limited up north with
Galicia, to the east with
Castile and León
Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a pop ...
, to the west with the
Tâmega River and to the south with 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 ...
.
Geomorphologically the mountainous Trás-os-Montes region forms a continuum with the
Galician Massif, so that it is considered as a whole under the name 'Galicia-Trás-os-Montes Zone'.
This region is made up of two main districts, both to the right (north) of the Douro River:
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 ...
and
Bragança, included as part of the
North Region of Portugal, the other district is made up of 5 other municipalities in the south of the Douro River. , all of them included in Viseu and Guarda, all of them being part of the Central region
The most important cities in the region are:
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 ...
,
Bragança,
Chaves,
Mirandela,
Macedo de Cavaleiros,
Lamego,
Peso da Régua
:''Regua leads here. For American major general, see Eldon Regua''
Peso da Régua (), commonly known as Régua, is a city and municipality in northern Portugal, in the district of Vila Real (district), Vila Real. The population in 2011 was 17,131 ( ...
,
Miranda do Douro and
Valpaços. All of them are relatively small and populated with less than 50,000 inhabitants. Many people in this region live in small towns. Traditionally these villages were disconnected from the coast due to the lack of good roads, and thus suffered the effects of poverty and isolation. In these cases it can be understood that immigration was the only solution. Today the situation has improved with better roads and communications, but most populations continue to lose population, especially young people who prefer to go to large cities where there are usually more amenities and more opportunities to run a career.
In the small villages, agricultural activity is maintained at a good pace, so that it is still possible to obtain good: corn, wheat, olive oil, chestnuts and some delicate grapes widely used in the production of wine from the region (called
port wine
Port wine (, ; ), or simply port, is a Portuguese wine, Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro, Douro Valley of Norte, Portugal, northern Portugal. It is typically a sweetness of wine, sweet red wine, often served with dessert wine, ...
) as well as a large number of natural agricultural products. Granite and mineral water are also very important industries in the region.
Climate
Trás-os-Montes is known by locals as the land of "10 months of winter and 2 months of hell" (''dez meses de inverno e dois meses de inferno''). The region has always been divided into two climatic zones, known as the Terra Fria (Cold Land) and the Terra Quente (Hot Land). The Terra Fria is the area with very cold and prolonged winters, with warm to hot and dry summers, while the Terra Quente has shorter winters, although equally cold, with very hot and dry summers that show their influence even in spring and fall, they are shorter than normal.
Due to its continentality, Trás-os-Montes has the coldest winters in Portugal, with January temperatures varying between during the day and during the night; and has rather hot summers, with July and August temperatures varying between during the day and during the night, in low-lying valleys. The overall climate is
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
, but rainfall is much more distributed throughout the year than in other regions of Portugal, making it relatively close to an
oceanic or
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
. This region is also more prone to summer
thunderstorms than any other place in the country, due to its distance from the
Azores High
The Azores High also known as North Atlantic (Subtropical) High/Anticyclone or the Bermuda- High, is a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of high atmospheric pressure typically found south of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, at the Horse ...
. Two cities from Trás-os-Montes,
Chaves and
Bragança also hold the record for the highest air pressure ever recorded in Portugal, 1050.3 hPa.
Nature
Trás-os-Montes stands out mainly for its landscape contrasts. To the north is the
Montesinho Natural Park, to the east the
Douro International Natural Park, bordering Spain, to the northwest the
Peneda-Gerês National Park, to the east the
Marão and
Alvão mountains and to the south the region of
Alto Douro Vinhateiro, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco on December 14, 2001. The northeast of the region is declared a biosphere reserve by Unesco under the name of Meseta Ibérica.
Cascata do Arnal (2).jpg, Serra do Alvão
Serra do Marao Portugal 01 edited.jpg, Serra do Marão
Admeus-1.JPG, Peneda-Gerês
Parque Natural de Montesinho Porto Furado trail (5733160672).jpg, Montesinho
Arribes, varios 02.jpg, Douro International
Valença do Douro edited.jpg, Alto Douro Vinhateiro
Hydrography
The
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 ...
is the most outstanding river in this territory and the backbone of the relief and the geographical and human disposition. The following important rivers yield their waters to it: the
Sabor River, the
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 the
Corgo River, whose courses served to channel rail transport in the region. Another important river is the
Tâmega, which serves as the boundary of the region to the west. One of its tributaries is the
Rabagão River, which also serves to delimit the region and on which the
Alto Rabagão and
Venda Nova reservoirs are built. In the
Azibo River, a tributary of the Sabor, the
Azibo reservoir is established, a protected natural area of tourist interest. The Sabor river gives rise to the Baixo Sabor reservoir, one of the largest in the region. Nearby are those located in the International Douro:
Castro,
Miranda,
Picote,
Bemposta,
Aldeadávila and
Saucelle. Half of Portuguese ownership and the other half Spanish.
Undoubtedly the most important hydroelectric infrastructure in the region is the Alto Douro Vinhateiro navigation channel, which makes it possible for tourist cruises to transit from
Porto
Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
to the Spanish border at
Barca d’Alva. It is possible thanks to the locks of the
Pocinho,
Valeira,
Régua,
Carrapatelo and
Crestuma-Lever dams.
Albufeira da Barragem do Alto Rabagão - Portugal (6080169632).jpg, Alto Rabagão Dam
Albufeira da Barragem da Venda Nova - Portugal (4359217688).jpg, Venda Nova Dam
Carrapatelo Dam (3) (48071452081).jpg, Carrapatelo Lock
Rio Douro em Portugal DSC01299 (15531157909).jpg, Cruise on the Douro
Rio Sabor.JPG, Baixo Sabor Dam
Barragem da Bemposta - Portugal (5416116761).jpg, Bemposta Dam
Culture
Asturleonese influence
In addition to Portuguese, in the northeastern corner of the region, known as
Tierra de Miranda,
Mirandese is spoken, a dialect of the
, which is officially recognized in Trás-os-Montes under Law No. 7 / 99, of January 29, 1999, of official recognition of the linguistic rights of the Miranda community. It is spoken by about 15,000 people in the municipalities of Miranda do Douro, Mogadouro and Vimioso. International organizations such as
SIL International
SIL Global (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics International) is an evangelical Christian nonprofit organization whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, to expan ...
grant it its own code, others such as
Unesco
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
frame it within the Asturian language.
Caretos de Podence

Caretos de Podence is a masquerade held in the town of
Podence, belonging to the municipality of
Macedo de Cavaleiros, which has been declared
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
by Unesco. Inserted in the winter festivals, so characteristic in the Trás-os-Montes region, the Caretos represent diabolical and mysterious images that every year, since time immemorial, have been out on the streets at carnival festivals. Interrupting the long silences of each winter, as if secretly and unpredictably emerging from the corners of Podence, the Caretos and their frenzied cowbells appear well crossed in the colored stripes of the thick blankets of their suits.
They are similar to those held in towns in the Spanish
Leonese Region such as La Bufa de San Antón in
Aldeadávila de la Ribera, in the
Province of Salamanca, or El Zangarrón de Montamarta, in the
Province of Zamora
Zamora () is a Provinces of Spain, province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Province of Ourense, Ourense, Province of Le� ...
.
Gaita transmontana

The gaita transmontana or gaita mirandesa is among the most archaic known bagpipe models, in terms of its tuning and mode.
Contrary to what happens with the
Galician bagpipe or the
Scottish bagpipe, for example, the mirandesa bagpipe has recently been recovered, so its repertoire is almost all traditional, with few modern compositions. This is due, in part, to the decline of the instrument, whose tradition had been maintained orally and was already being lost. However, today there are many old recordings and collections of this instrument available through the work of many
ethnomusicologists. It shares various structural aspects with the
sanabresa or
alistana bagpipes.
Cuisine
The gastronomy of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro reflects the difficulties experienced by the local populations of the region which had to adapt their diet to survive in the desolate region. Much of the local
enchidos are made with every part of the animal,
lard and bread soups were made, and high durability ingredients, such as
chestnuts and ''casulas'' (bean pods that were left to dry and then cooked) were used.

Dishes are mostly meat-based, a significant contrast from the average fish-eating habits of the
Portuguese. ''Posta à mirandesa'' is one of the most recognizable dishes in Trás-os-Montes, along with ''javali no pote'' (
wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...
), ''marrã à moda de Mesão Frio'' (pig), ''
cabrito
Cabrito () is the name in both Spanish and Portuguese for Roasting, roast Goat meat, goat kid in various Iberian and Latin American cuisines.
Argentina
Cabrito is also a regional specialty of Córdoba Province (Argentina), Córdoba Province in ...
assado à transmontana'' or ''milhos à moda de Trás-os-Montes'' (similar to a
cozido à portuguesa with
milho-branco (crushed corn) instead of vegetables); though seafood dishes also made their way in the local cuisine: ''
Bacalhau à bruxa de Valpaços'' or ''Polvo à transmontana'' (octopus) are also well known.
Sweet foods include ''Doce Teixeira'' (made with lemon and cinnamon), ''Pudim de castanha'' (chestnut
pudding), and variants of classic Portuguese recipes such as ''
Papos-de-anjo de Mirandela'' or ''
Toucinho-do-céu de Murça''.
Administrative history

Trás-os-Montes was one of the six major administrative divisions into which the territory of Portugal was divided in the 15th century. The division was known as
Comarca until the 16th century, from then on to being known as
Province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
.
Until the 17th century, the Province of Trás-os-Montes constituted a correctional office, administered by a
corregedor
The Corregedor (''Inspector-General'' or ''Magistrate'') was a position established by the Portuguese crown in the 14th-15th century, with the authority to "correct" acts of a local, administrative or judicial nature within the kingdom. Although c ...
(a
magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...
with judicial and administrative functions). At the same time, in the event of war, the province also constituted the area of action of a main frontier, a military commander who was assigned the operational command of the province's troops on campaign.
From the 17th century onwards, the province was divided into several corrections (also called comarcas), each with its own corregedor. The province then became just a statistical unit and a military region commanded by a governor of arms. At the beginning of the 19th century, Trás-os-Montes included the districts of
Bragança, Miranda,
Torre de Moncorvo and
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 ...
. In the interior of its territory, the Ervededo couto was located, which depended on the comarca of Braga (
Province of Entre-Douro-e-Minho).
The Province of Trás-os-Montes remained in the administrative division of 1832. At that time, it had a prefect - a magistrate representing the central government - and a provincial general council - a local authority, elected locally. The province was divided into the districts of Bragança, Chaves, Moncorvo and Vila Real. The counties, which were not provincial headquarters, each had a sub-prefect, who represented the prefect.
By the administrative reform of 1835, Portugal was divided into districts. The division into provinces was maintained, but these became mere groupings of districts for statistical and regional reference purposes, without their own bodies. The Province of Trás-os-Montes joined the districts of Bragança and Vila Real.
The province, now named
Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro and encompassing some municipalities on the left bank of the
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 ...
, was reinstated by the administrative reform of 1936, in accordance with the Constitution of 1933 (
Estado Novo). The new provinces were created, based on a geographical study by geographer
Amorim Girão Amorim is a Portuguese language, Portuguese surname. A habitational name from any of the various places named Amorim, originally (villa) Amorini, from the name of the estate owner.
There is a Hispanicized version, Amorín.
Notable people with the ...
that identified 13 "natural regions" in the territory of mainland Portugal. The natural region of Trás-os-Montes and the natural region of Alto Douro were grouped into the province of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro.
However, the provinces never had any practical attribution, and disappeared from the administrative scene (although not from the daily vocabulary of the Portuguese) with the constitutional revision of 1959, not being recovered by the 1976 Constitution.
The proposal for regionalization subject to a referendum in 1998 (having been rejected) foresaw the creation of the Trás-os-Montes region, in every way the same as the province of 1936, with the exception of including one more municipality (
Mêda).
See also
*
Trás-os-Montes Province
*
Geology of the Iberian Peninsula
*
Trás-os-Montes (film)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tras-Os-Montes (Region)
Regions of Portugal