Beira

Portugal's traditional provinces

Beira (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈbɐjɾɐ]) was one of the six traditional provinces or "comarcas" of Portugal.

Administrative history

In the early 19th century Beira was divided into three provinces:

• Beira Alta,
• Beira Baixa,
• Beira Litoral

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.

The current Centro Region of Portugal covers roughly the same area, and among its twelve subregions are

• Beira Interior Norte,
• Beira Interior Sul and
• Cova da Beira.

The name also survives in the name of many small towns and villages in the area, e.g. Moimenta da Beira, Celorico da Beira, Aguiar da Beira, etc.

Beira	Beira Alta	Beira Baixa	Beira Litoral
Beira Interior Norte	Beira Interior Sul	Cova da Beira

Geography

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.

See also

• Centro, Portugal
• Beira, Mozambique
• Prince of Beira, a former royal title
• Beiras VR, a wine region
• Administrative divisions of Portugal