Porto, literally meaning harbour, is a city in north-west Portugal on the banks of the Rio Douro (River made of gold) near the Atlantic Ocean. With Lisbon, it is one of Portugal's chief economic centres and the focus of a large metropolitan area. Suburbs include the deep-water port of Leixões, located to the north-west; and Vila Nova de Gaia, located on the south bank of the Douro and the principal site of the region's celebrated wine warehouses. Port wine (named after the city) is Porto's best known product and export; others include processed fish, textiles, and clothing. Among the points of interest of the city are the old quarter, with narrow, cobbled streets; the cathedral (12th-18th century); and the 18th-century Torre dos Clérigos (Tower of the Clerics), a granite structure 75 m (246 ft) high. Also here are the University of Porto (1911), the biggest in the country, the Higher School of Fine Arts (1836), the National Museum of Soares dos Reis, containing a collection of paintings and antiquities, and the Casa de Serralves, with both its museum and delightful gardens.
Cale, a pre-Roman settlement on the south bank of the Douro, was occupied by the Romans and became known as Portus Cale. Hence Portugal, the name of the country. The Visigoths held the city from around 540 until 716, when the Moors gained control. The Moors relinquished Porto in the late 11th century. The city developed as an export centre of port wine (predominately to Britain) in the late 17th century. The construction in 1890 of an artificial harbour at Leixões contributed to Porto's later growth. Population (1986 estimate) 344,500.

Última actualização = 16/Junel/99