Northern Portugal
| Norte | |
| Região Norte | |
| NUTS II Region (Região) | |
Upper Douro Valley, in the northeastern historical province of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, where the famous port wine is produced
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| Name origin: norte, Portuguese for north | |
| Country |  Portugal |
|---|---|
| Region | North |
| Capital | Porto |
| - coordinates | 41°8′59″N 8°36′36″W / 41.14972°N 8.61000°WCoordinates: 41°8′59″N 8°36′36″W / 41.14972°N 8.61000°W |
| Lowest point | Sea level |
| - location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Area | 21,278 km2 (8,215 sq mi) |
| Population | 3,689,173 (2011) |
| Density | 173.38/km2 (449/sq mi) |
| Timezone | WET (UTC+0) |
| - summer (DST) | WEST (UTC+1) |
| ISO | PT |
| NUTS | PT11 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2013 estimate |
| - Total | € 61.745 billion |
| - Per capita | € 16,900 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2013 estimate |
| - Total | € 48.148 billion> |
| - Per capita | € 13,200 |
 Location of the Norte Region
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| Statistics from INE (2005); geographic detail from Instituto Geográfico Português (2010) | |
Norte (Portuguese: Região Norte, IPA: [ʁɨʒiˈɐ̃w ˈnɔɾt(ɨ)]; "North Region") is a region in the northern part of Portugal. It is a land of dense vegetation and profound historic and cultural wealth. Its capital is the city of Porto. The region has 3,689,173 inhabitants according to the 2011 census, and its area is 21,278 km² (density of 173 inhabitants per square kilometre). It is one of five regions of Mainland Portugal (NUTS II subdivisions). Northern Portugal is a culturally varied region, thus historical rivalries between different neighbouring cities and towns are common, unlike other Portuguese regions where every city and town is culturally very similar.
The region has been inhabited since prehistoric times and is a key area for the understanding of both Atlantic European, Megalithic and Castro cultures. Historically, Northern Portugal had been the southern realm of Galicia (see Gallaecia), which up to the 12th century formed part of the combined Kingdom of Galicia and León, this southern area being known as the County of Portugal. It was in the County of Portugal where Portugal's first king, Dom Afonso Henriques, was born in the beginning of the 12th century. The Kingdom of Galicia at the time of the Suebic Kingdom (5th-6th centuries AD) had its capital in the now Portuguese city of Braga. The original Galician-Portuguese language was developed in the Galician/Northern Portuguese area, taken down south as the Portuguese Kingdom expanded, namely after Afonso Henriques era.
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