Baixo Mondego

Map showing the location of the Baixo Mondego subregion

Baixo Mondego (Lower Mondego in English) is a Portuguese NUTS3 subregion that comprises the lower part of the Mondego River.^[1] It is a subregion of the Centro Region and is centered on the historical city of Coimbra. With an area of 2,062 km² and a population of 336,376 inhabitants (of which half are in the cities of Coimbra and Figueira da Foz), the Baixo Mondego is a subregion with a mean density of 163/km².

Economy

Economically, the subregion is dominated by the presence of the city of Coimbra, that plays the role of capital and chief city of Portugal's Centro Region. Coimbra has a notable university, major hospitals, wide range of services, important technological-based companies, and diverse cultural attractions. There is also a strong industrial presence around the port city of Figueira da Foz that comprises a busy seaport, fishing harbour and summer tourism facilities. Along the shores of the Mondego River, there is important agriculture activity. The city of Cantanhede is the heart of an important wine region and an agriculture centre, and is a modern bioscience hub through the Biocantpark, a science park. The subregion is place for important forestry, fishing and livestock raising activities, and produces sizeable quantities of rice, corn, wine, olive oil, fruits and vegetables. Biosciences, engineering, pulp and paper, ceramics, information technologies and food, are the main industries.

Municipalities

The subregion comprises eight municipalities (municípios):

• Cantanhede
• Coimbra
• Condeixa-a-Nova
• Figueira da Foz
• Mira
• Montemor-o-Velho
• Penacova
• Soure

The largest cities are Coimbra (130,000), Figueira da Foz (35,000), and Cantanhede (15,000).

References

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Baixo Mondego.

Statistical divisions of Portugal Norte Region Metropolitan areas Porto Intermunicipal communities Alto Minho Alto Tâmega Ave Cávado Douro Tâmega e Sousa Terras de Trás-os-Montes Centro Region Intermunicipal communities Beira Baixa Beiras e Serra da Estrela Médio Tejo Oeste Região de Aveiro Região de Coimbra Região de Leiria Viseu Dão Lafões Lisboa Region Metropolitan areas Lisbon Alentejo Region Intermunicipal communities Alentejo Litoral Alentejo Central Alto Alentejo Baixo Alentejo Lezíria do Tejo Algarve Region Intermunicipal communities Algarve Autonomous Regions Azores Madeira All these divisions are further subdivided into municipalities and parishes.

Coordinates: 40°13′12″N 8°25′48″W / 40.22000°N 8.43000°W / 40.22000; -8.43000