Bragança (district)
| Bragança | |
| District (Distrito) | |
 Civil Governor's residence in the district seat of Bragança
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| Official name: Distrito de Bragança | |
| Country | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Region | Norte |
| Subregion | Alto Trás-os-Montes |
| Historical Province | Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro |
| District | Bragança |
| Municipalities | Alfândega da Fé, Bragança, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Miranda do Douro, Mirandela, Mogadouro, Moncorvo, Vila Flor, Vimioso, Vinhais |
| Parishes | 299 |
| Rivers | Douro River, Sabor River, Tua River |
| Capital | Bragança |
| - elevation | 679 m (2,228 ft) |
| - coordinates | 41°48′26″N 6°45′33″W / 41.80722°N 6.75917°WCoordinates: 41°48′26″N 6°45′33″W / 41.80722°N 6.75917°W |
| Highest point | Serra de Montesinho |
| - location | Montesinho Natural Park, França, Bragança |
| - elevation | 1,492 m (4,895 ft) |
| Population | 148,808 (2001) |
| Government | |
| - location | Governo Civil do Distrito de Bragança, Largo de São João, Santa Maria, Bragança |
| - elevation | 649 m (2,129 ft) |
| - coordinates | 41°48′21″N 6°45′2″W / 41.80583°N 6.75056°W |
| Representation (Seats) | 3 |
| Civil Governor | Jorge Manuel Nogueiro Gomes |
| Timezone | WET (UTC0) |
| - summer (DST) | WEST (UTC+1) |
| ISO 3166-2 code | PT-04 |
| Area code | (+351) 273 XXX XXX |
| ccTLD | .pt |
| Currency | Euro (€) |
| Date format | dd-mm-yyyy |
| Drive | right-side |
 The location of the District of Bragança within continental Portugal
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| Website: https://web.archive.org/web/20110521123157/http://www.gov-civil-braganca.pt/ | |
| Statistics from INE (2001); geographic detail from Instituto Geográfico Português (2010) | |
Bragança District (Portuguese pronunciation: [bɾɐˈɣɐ̃sɐ]; Portuguese: Distrito de Bragança; Mirandese: Çtrito de Bergáncia) is a traditional political division of Portugal, in the northeast corner bordering on Spain, covering 7.4% of the nation's continental landmass. The capital of the district, Bragança, is 217 kilometres (135 mi) from Porto, the second largest town in Portugal, 107 kilometres (66 mi) from the Spanish town of Zamora and 169 kilometres (105 mi) from Salamanca, also in Spain. Bragança is administratively divided in twelve municipalities and 299 parishes located in the north-eastern part of Trás-os-Montes. As of the 2001 census[update], the total resident population was approximately 148,808.
During the Roman era, the territory was part of the much larger province of Gallaecia, dependent administratively on Astorga and the gold, iron and silver trade route. Although names similar to Bragança appeared around 666 B.C. (Wamba) or 569 A.D. (Council of Lugo), a territory identifiable as Bragança only appeared after the Celts who baptised one of their main settlements Brigantia, in the second century, which was later Latinized to Bragança. But this settlement was limited.
The region's name was derived from the traditional feudal history of the northern region: the Bragançãos family of Castro de Avelãs were the basis of this lineage that included Fernão Mendes, who later married the Infanta Sancha (daughter of Afonso Henriques), inheriting the region on the death of the King. The Bragançãos would maintain their hold on the region until 1258, when Afonso III transferred the title to Nuno Martins, but the name Braganção would continue to influence the region. Eventually, the King Afonso V established the Dukedom of the Duchy of Braganza for his uncle, Afonso, Count of Barcelos to strengthen the ties of the crown to the land. When the royal House of Braganza ascended to the throne of Portugal (through John IV), the significance of Bragança, as the hereditary seat of the Kings and Emperors of Portugal was sealed.
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