Braga

Not to be confused with Bragança, Portugal.
For other uses, see Braga (disambiguation).

Braga
Municipality
Flag of Braga
Flag
Coat of arms of Braga
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 41°33′4″N 8°25′42″W / 41.55111°N 8.42833°W / 41.55111; -8.42833
Country Portugal
RegionNorte
Intermunic. comm.Cávado
DistrictBraga
Parishes37, see text
Government
 • PresidentRicardo Rio (PSD)
Area
 • Total
183.40 km2 (70.81 sq mi)
Elevation
200 m (700 ft)
Highest elevation
558 m (1,831 ft)
Population
 (2023)
 • Total
201,583
 • Density1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+00:00 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+01:00 (WEST)
Postal code
47xx
Area code253, 257
Websitewww.cm-braga.pt

Braga (European Portuguese: [ˈbɾaɣɐ] ⓘ; Proto-Celtic: *Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality had a resident population of 201,583 inhabitants (in 2023),[1] representing the seventh largest municipality in Portugal by population. Its area is 183.40 km2.[2] Its agglomerated urban area extends to the Cávado River and is the third most populated urban area in Portugal, behind Lisbon and Porto Metropolitan Areas.

It is host to the oldest Portuguese archdiocese, the Archdiocese of Braga of the Catholic Church and it is the seat of the Primacy of the Spains. During the Roman Empire, then known as Bracara Augusta, the settlement was the capital of the Roman province of Gallaecia and later would become the capital of the Kingdom of the Suebi that was one of the first territories to separate from the Roman Empire in the 5th century. Inside of the city there is also a castle tower that can be visited. Nowadays, Braga is among the most noted entrepreneurial and technological centers of the country,[3][4][5][6][7] as well as a major hub for inland Northern Portugal, and it is an important stop on the Portuguese Way path of the Road of St James. The city hosted two games of the UEFA Euro 2004[8] and was the European Youth Capital in 2012.[9]

  1. ^ "Statistics Portugal". www.ine.pt. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  2. ^ Eurostat Archived 7 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Marmé, Paulo (12 October 2023). "Braga no centro da estratégia da Issuu". Forbes Portugal (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Mercedes abre centro tecnológico em Braga. Quer contratar 100 pessoas em 2022". www.jornaldenegocios.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Bosch investe 15 milhões para ampliar fábrica de Braga". www.jornaldenegocios.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Criação de empresas cresce em Braga e descem as insolvências e encerramentos". Diário do Minho (in Portuguese). 3 February 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Startup do futuro são "minúsculas". Em Braga, são Startup.Nano". Dinheiro Vivo (in European Portuguese). 10 May 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Estádio Municipal de Braga". We Braga. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  9. ^ Braga 2012 Capital Europeia da Juventude (in Portuguese), Braga, Portugal, 2012, archived from the original on 4 May 2012, retrieved 19 April 2012{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)