Paços de Ferreira () is a city in the

Porto District The District of Porto ( pt, Distrito do Porto ) is located on the north-west coast of Portugal. The district capital is the city of Porto, the second largest city in the country. It is bordered by the Aveiro and Viseu districts to the south, Br ...

, in the

north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. The population of the city in 2011 was 7491, while its municipality had 56,340 inhabitants,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
/ref> in an area of 70.99 km². Sometimes referred to as the ''Capital do Móvel'' (''capital of furniture''), owing to the predominance of this industry within its territory, the municipality has around 5000 companies producing furniture and has the biggest exhibition and selling area (estimated in 2.5 million square meters) of furniture in Europe. It is also the location of IKEA's industrial operations within Portugal. Its football team,

FC Paços de Ferreira FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pakis ...

, participated for three times in European Competitions ( Champions League and Europa League), finished runners-up of the Portuguese cup in 2008/2009 and of the Portuguese League Cup in 2010/2011.

History

The territory of the current municipality was occupied by humans since prehistory. In the parish of Sanfins de Ferreira, there is an important hillfort, the Citânia de Sanfins, that was one of the main settlements of the Celtic tribes who lived in northwest

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

(

Gallaeci The Gallaeci (also Callaeci or Callaici; grc, Καλλαϊκοί) were a Celtic tribal complex who inhabited Gallaecia, the north-western corner of Iberia, a region roughly corresponding to what is now the Norte Region in northern Portugal, a ...

). In medieval times, this planaltic area had few population. The only centers of power were the monastery of Ferreira and the noble families concentrated in the parish of Frazão. After the

Portuguese Civil War The Liberal Wars (), also known as the Portuguese Civil War (), the War of the Two Brothers () or Miguelite War (), was a war between liberal constitutionalists and conservative absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1 ...

, the new constitucional regime made important administrative changes, and, for the first time, granted administrative autonomy for the populations of the region, creating a municipality in 1836 and appointing the most central parish of the

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

, Santa Eulália de Paços de Ferreira, as capital. Since then, the territory registered a remarkable development, and the population more than sextupled in 150 years. In the beginnings of the 20th century, a local elementary school teacher, Albino de Matos, invented new tools and furniture which began to be used in schools all around the country, marking the beginning of the furniture industry in Paços de Ferreira. In the second half of the century, with the economic growth of the country, the carpenters of Paços de Ferreira started to make and sell furniture for houses, which allowed the industry to expand, becoming the most important activity of the population. In 1993 the Portuguese parliament gave the title of city to Paços de Ferreira.

Geography

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 12 civil parishes ('' freguesias''): * Carvalhosa * Eiriz * Ferreira * Figueiró * Frazão Arreigada * Freamunde ity* Meixomil * Paços de Ferreira ity* Penamaior * Raimonda * Sanfins Lamoso Codessos * Seroa

Climate

Paços de Ferreira has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(''Csb'') with cool, very rainy winters and warm summers that are dry enough to avoid being classified as

oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...

(''Cfb'').

Demographics

Sport

* F.C. Paços de Ferreira ( Football) * S.C. Freamunde

Notable people

* Sílvia Cardoso (1882–1950) a beatified Portuguese Roman Catholic apostolate for the poor in Brazil, she also funded a boarding school for girls and supported a hospital Marisa Barros 6620

Sport

* Carlos Pinto (born 1973) a Portuguese former footballer with 378 club caps * Pedro Correia (born 1974), known as ''Pedro,'' a former football goalkeeper with 276 club caps * Joaquim Agostinho da Silva Ribeiro (born 1975), known as ''Agostinho,'' a retired footballer with 379 club caps * Carlos Carneiro (born 1975) a Portuguese former footballer with 367 club caps * Marisa Barros (born 1980), a Portuguese marathon runner, competed at the

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

& 2012 Summer Olympics * Ricardo Manuel Ferreira Sousa (born 1981), known as ''Cadú,'' a footballer with over 480 club caps * André Leão (born 1985) a Portuguese professional footballer with over 360 club caps * Luís Pedro (born 1989), a Portuguese footballer with over 350 club caps

Gallery

Citania de Sanfins Portugal 04.jpg, The ''Citânia de Sanfins'' hillfort Igreja do Mosteiro de São Pedro de Ferreira, Paços de Ferreira, Portugal (3595552844).jpg, The monastery of Ferreira Fiorentina Paços.JPG,

playing a

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...

match

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacos de Ferreira Cities in Portugal Municipalities of Porto District