Norte

Birding Norte

Região Norte (North Region), is one of the five mainland regions and is, as the name implies in the northern part of Portugal. Its capital is the city of Porto. The region has over four million inhabitants more than any other region. Northern Portugal is a mountainous areas. Its peaks known as serras include Serra do Gerês (1544 m), Peneda (1416 m), Marão (1415 m) and Soajo (1415 m). Some of these areas include the three largest natural parks: the Peneda-Gerês National Park, Montesinho Natural Park, and the Alvão Natural Park.

The coast (Costa Verde) is a flat strip of land enclosed by sandy beaches to the west and and hills to the east, the largest of which is the coastal plain between the Cávado and the Ave rivers. The area is known for the long stretch of picturesque sand dunes which accumulated during the Little Ice Age, part of which is protected in the Northern Littoral Natural Park.The Minho, Lima, Neiva, Cávado, Ave and the Douro are the most preeminent rivers flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Inland, the Tâmega is a major tributary which empties into the Douro river. The Douro is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. The Minho river marks the northwestern Portuguese-Spanish border and is the second most important river.

There are four World Heritage Sites: the Alto Douro Wine Region, the Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley, the Porto historical Center and the Guimarães historical Center. Throughout the region the rivers, waterfalls, vineyards and fertile plots combine with the ancestral monuments in urban centres.