Beira, Portugal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Beira (pronounced [ˈbɐjɾɐ]) is the name of a region and former province in central Portugal. Used to be geographically three provinces in the region that employed the name: Beira Alta, Beira Baixa and Beira Litoral. The most important cities inside this region were: Coimbra, Aveiro, Leiria, Viseu, Castelo Branco, Guarda, Figueira da Foz and Covilhã. This region is also known as the Beiras region. It roughly matches the current Centro region of Portugal in the European Union. Beira Interior was the most interior part of Beira, mostly composed by the territories of the historical provinces formerly known as Beira Alta and Beira Baixa, while Beira Litoral was roughly around the center coast. Main rivers are the Mondego and Vouga, and the largest mountain range is Serra da Estrela.

Today only three Portuguese NUTS III subregions officially use the name Beira:

• Beira Interior Norte (largest city: Guarda)
• Cova da Beira (largest city: Covilhã)
• Beira Interior Sul (largest city: Castelo Branco).

[edit] See also

• Prince of Beira, a former title in Portugal during the monarchy, normally given to the second heirs to the throne and/or to the eldest daughter of the monarch.