Minho () was a former

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, established in 1936 and dissolved in 1976. It consisted of 23

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

, with its capital in the city of

Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...

. Today, the area would include the districts of

and

Viana do Castelo Viana do Castelo () is a concelho, municipality and seat of the district of Viana do Castelo District, Viana do Castelo in the Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region of Portugal. The population in 2021 was 85,778, in an area of . The urbanized are ...

. Minho has substantial

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

influences and shares many cultural traits with neighbouring Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The region was part of the

Roman Province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

and early Germanic medieval Kingdom of

Gallaecia Gallaecia, also known as Hispania Gallaecia, was the name of a Roman province in the north-west of Hispania, approximately present-day Galicia, northern Portugal, Asturias and Leon and the later Kingdom of Gallaecia. The Roman cities inclu ...

. Historical remains of Celtic Minho include Briteiros Iron Age Hillfort, the largest Gallaecian native stronghold in the Entre Douro e Minho region, in north Portugal. The

University of Minho The University of Minho (''Universidade do Minho'') is a public university in Minho Province, Portugal. It is divided into the following campuses: * Largo do Paço (rectorate), in Braga * Campus of Gualtar, in Braga * Convento dos Congregados, i ...

, founded in 1973, takes its name from the former province. Although the province no longer exists, its name is still commonly used to refer to the region, as its origin vastly predates its official institution as an administrative region, and its people have a unique culture and way to be. Minho is famous as being the origin of the soup ''

caldo verde ''Caldo verde'' (, Portuguese language, Portuguese for "green broth") is a popular soup in Portuguese cuisine. The basic traditional ingredients for ''caldo verde'' are Julienning, julienned collard greens or ''couve-galega'' (essentially a t ...

'' and

Vinho Verde Vinho Verde (; , nonliterally 'young wine') refers to Portuguese wine that originated in the historic Minho Province in the far north of the country. The modern-day 'Vinho Verde' region, originally designated in 1908, includes the old Minho Pro ...

, a wine particular to the region.

Historic cities

(Bracara Augusta) *

Guimarães Guimarães () is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga. Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved ...

(old Vimaranes) *

, formerly Viana do Lima * Barcelos *

Fafe Fafe (), officially the City of Fafe (), is a city and municipality in the northern Portuguese district of Braga. The population in 2021 was 48,502, in an area of approximately . The city itself had a population of 15,703 in 2011. The present ma ...

References

Provinces of Portugal (1936–1976) Wine regions of Portugal States and territories disestablished in 1976 States and territories established in 1936 1936 establishments in Portugal 1976 disestablishments in Portugal {{Portugal-geo-stub

Historic cities

See also

References