Beira (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈbɐjɾɐ]) was one of the six traditional provinces or "comarcas" of Portugal.
The medieval province of Beira was divided in 1832 into
Beira Litoral Beira Alta - natural regions of Beira Alta and Beira Transmontana Beira Baixa
1936 the area became divided into three provinces:
Sometimes collectively referred to as "the Beiras".
Some Portuguese geographers referred to the part of Trás-os-Montes that lies south of the Douro River as "Beira Transmontana", but that name was never used officially. An administrative reform in 1976 abolished these provinces.
1976 postal code areas divide the area in
The current Centro Region of Portugal covers roughly the same area, Oeste Subregion being the mayor exception. Among its twelve subregions three contain the name "Beira":
The name also is contained in the name of many small towns and villages in the area, e.g. Moimenta da Beira, Celorico da Beira, Aguiar da Beira, Mondim da Beira etc.
The most important cities within the borders of the traditional province are: Coimbra, Aveiro, Leiria, Viseu, Castelo Branco, Guarda, Figueira da Foz, Covilhã and Pinhel.
The main river is the Mondego; other rivers include the Vouga, Dão, Côa, Zêzere and Paiva. The largest mountain range is Serra da Estrela – Portugal's highest – other ranges being the Caramulo, Marofa, Gardunha, and Bussaco.