Map showing Norte Region in Portugal.

Região Norte (pronounced [ʁɨʒiˈɐ̃ũ ˈnɔɾtɨ]; English: North Region), is a region in the northern part of Portugal. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. It is a land of dense vegetation and profound historic and cultural wealth. Its capital is the city of Porto. The region has 4,034,271 inhabitants (2007), and its area is 21,278 km² (density of 173 inhabitants per square kilometre). It is one of five regions of Mainland Portugal (NUTS II subdivisions). The administrative divisions of Portugal are undergoing changes The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, ( NUTS) for the French nomenclature d'unités territoriales statistiques, is a Geocode The Norte is a culturally varied region, thus historical rivalry between different neighbouring cities and towns are very common, although with a strong common Portuguese identity, but unlike other Portuguese regions where every city and town are culturally very similar. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The administrative divisions of Portugal are undergoing changes

History

The region has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Stone Age Paleolithic See also Paleolithic, Recent African Origin, Early Homo sapiens, Early human migrations "Paleolithic" There are prehistoric Rock-Art sites in the Côa Valley. Rock art is a term in Archaeology for any man-made markings made on natural stone The Côa Valley Paleolithic Art site is one of the largest known open air sites of Paleolithic art. Historically it had been the southern realm of Galicia (see Gallaecia), which in the XI century formed part of the combined Kingdom of Galicia and León being this area known as the County of Portucale - It was here, that Portugal's first king, Dom Afonso Henriques, was born in the beginning of the 12th century, having then extended the kingdom to the south, in what was considered as one of the most heroic feats of the Christian Reconquest. Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. Gallaecia or Callaecia was the name of a Roman province that comprised The Kingdom of Galicia (410-1833 was a kingdom of the Iberian Peninsula for two distinct periods Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. Condado de Portucale was the first County founded in Portugal. Afonso I ( English Alphonzo or Alphonse) more commonly known as Afonso Henriques (ɐˈfõsu ẽˈʁikɨʃ or also Affonso (Archaic The Reconquista (a Spanish and Portuguese word for "Reconquest" Arabic: الاسترداد, "Recapturing" was a period The inheritance of a distant past is seen everywhere.

The region has a number of manor-houses and mansions with coats of arms. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people Regional cuisine is renowned and varied - light wines (vinhos verdes) and rich wines, and a variety of handicrafts that mingles the shine of` the filigree with the colour of the local embroideries.

Geography

The country's longest motorway (A1, from Lisbon to Porto) goes up to Braga (A3), in the heart of Costa Verde. Lisbon (Lisboa liʒˈboɐ is the Capital and largest city of Portugal. Braga (ˈBrag-uh a city and municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the district of Braga, the oldest archdiocese The Costa Verde (Green Coast is a coastline of outstanding natural beauty in Brazil (chiefly in Rio de Janeiro state) which runs from Buzios to Paraty Following the coastline on the road from Vila do Conde to Valença, there are beaches, seaside resorts and pictoresque villages such as Caminha and Vila Nova de Cerveira. Vila do Conde ( pron 'vilɐ du 'kõd(ɨ is a city and parish in Portugal with a population of 25731 Valença ( pron. vɐ'lẽsɐ also known as Valença do Minho, is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 117 Caminha ( pron kɐ'miɲɐ is a municipality in the north-west of Portugal, 21 km north from Viana do Castelo located in the district of Viana do Castelo Vila Nova de Cerveira ( pron 'vilɐ 'nɔvɐ dɨ sɨɾ'vɐjɾɐ is a municipality in Portugal, with a total area of 108 There are also scenic natural parks and mountain ranges, such as the Peneda-Gerês National Park, the Montesinho Natural Park, the Alvão Natural Park and two World Heritage Sites: the Alto Douro Wine Region and the Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley. The Peneda-Gerês National Park (Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês also known simply as Gerês, is the only National park in Portugal (although many The Montesinho Natural Park (Parque Natural de Montesinho is a Protected area located in the municipalities of Vinhais and Bragança, northeastern The Alvão Natural Park (Parque Natural do Alvão is a Protected area located in the municipalities of Mondim de Basto and Vila Real, in northern A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Alto Douro ( Portuguese meaning high gold is a town on São Tomé Island in the nation of São Tomé and Príncipe. Rock art is a term in Archaeology for any man-made markings made on natural stone The Côa Valley Paleolithic Art site is one of the largest known open air sites of Paleolithic art. Throughout the region the rivers, waterfalls, vineyards and fertile plots combine with the ancestral monuments in urban centres.

Economy

Norte is highly industrialized within its western area, where well developed subregions such as Ave, Cávado, Entre Douro e Vouga, Grande Porto, and Tâmega have a notable business activity and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Ave is a subregion integrated in the larger Norte region in Portugal Cávado is a subregion that is integrated in the Portuguese region of Norte. Entre Douro e Vouga is a NUTS3 Portuguese subregion integrated in the NUTS2 region Norte. Grande Porto or Greater Porto is a Portuguese NUTS3 subregion integrating the NUTS2 region of Norte, in Portugal. Tâmega is a Portuguese NUTS3 subregion being a part of the NUTS2 region of Norte. Textiles, footware, food processing, mechanical and chemical industries, as well as finance and construction, are some of the main economic activities. A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. Footwear consists of Garments worn on the feet, for protection against the environment and Adornment. Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw Ingredients into Food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by A chemical substance is a Material with a definite chemical composition. The field of finance refers to the concepts of Time, Money and Risk and how they are interrelated In the fields of Architecture and Civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the Building or assembling of Infrastructure However, the region Norte is the poorest of the 7 NUTS II regions of Portugal, with a GDP per capita of 12,648 euros or 58. The administrative divisions of Portugal are undergoing changes Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e 8% of the European Union average. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in It is also the Portuguese NUTS II region with the highest unemployment rate (9. The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, ( NUTS) for the French nomenclature d'unités territoriales statistiques, is a Geocode Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work but the person is without work. 5% as of 2007). [1]

Subregions

• Alto Trás-os-Montes
• Ave
• Cávado
• Douro
• Entre Douro e Vouga
• Grande Porto
• Minho-Lima
• Tâmega