Braga District in the context of "Guimarães"

Greater Metropolitan Area of Minho (Portuguese: Grande Área Metropolitana do Minho) is a former administrative division in Portugal. Founded in 2004, it consisted of 12 municipalities in the north of the country: Amares, Barcelos, Braga, Cabeceiras de Basto, Fafe, Guimarães, Póvoa de Lanhoso, Terras de Bouro, Vieira do Minho, Vila Nova de Famalicão, Vila Verde and Vizela, all of them part of the former Braga District. It was disbanded in 2009, when the intermunicipal communities Ave and Cávado were formed.

Minho (Portuguese: [ˈmiɲu]) was a former province in Portugal, established in 1936 and dissolved in 1976. It consisted of 23 municipalities, with its capital in the city of Braga. Today, the area would include the districts of Braga and Viana do Castelo. Minho has substantial Celtic influences and shares many cultural traits with neighbouring Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The region was part of the Roman Province and early Germanic medieval Kingdom of Gallaecia. 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, 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.

Amares (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐˈma.ɾɨʃ] ), officially Town of Amares (Portuguese: Vila de Amares), is a municipality in Braga District, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 18,889, in an area of 81.95 km.

Amares limits to the north and northeast with the municipality of Terras de Bouro, to the southeast with Vieira do Minho and Póvoa de Lanhoso, to the south with Braga and to the northwest with Vila Verde.

Barcelos (Portuguese pronunciation: [bɐɾˈsɛluʃ] ) is a city and a municipality in Braga District in the Minho Province, in the north of Portugal. The city of Barcelos had 26,042 inhabitants in 2021, while the municipality had 116,959 inhabitants in 2024 across an area of 378.90 square kilometres (146.29 mi). With 61 parishes, it is the municipality with the highest number of parishes in the country. Barcelos lies on the Portuguese Way, a Christian pilgrimage route connecting to the Camino de Santiago.

It is known for the Rooster of Barcelos and for its textile and adobe industries, as well as its horseback riding events and "figurado" style of pottery, which are comical figurines with accentuated features of farmers, folk musicians, and nativity scene characters. Barcelos is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a Crafts and Folk Art City.

Cabeceiras de Basto (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɐβɨˈsɐjɾɐʒ ðɨ ˈβaʃtu] ) is a municipality in the district of Braga in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 16,710, in an area of 241.82 km².

The municipality borders the municipality of Montalegre to the north, Boticas to the northeast, Ribeira de Pena to the east, Mondim de Basto to the southeast, Celorico de Basto to the south, Fafe to the west and Vieira do Minho to the northwest.

Fafe (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈfafɨ] ), officially the City of Fafe (Portuguese: Cidade de 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 219.08 square kilometres (84.59 mi). The city itself had a population of 15,703 in 2011. The present mayor is Antero Barbosa, elected by the Socialist Party. The municipal holiday is May 16.

Vila Nova de Famalicão (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvilɐ ˈnɔvɐ ðɨ fɐmɐliˈkɐ̃w] ), also known as Famalicão, is a Portuguese town in the Braga District and the sub-region of Vale do Ave. The population of Vila Nova was created in 1205 with the charter given by the King Sancho I. The municipality was created in 1835 as a detachment from Barcelos and was elevated to the category of “Vila” with the charter given by the Queen D. Maria II. In 1985, approved by National Assembly, Vila Nova de Famalicão was elevated to the category of "city". The inhabitants of Famalicão are called Famalicenses.

The city is the south entrance of the Minho province and the last reference of the Minho province for whoever comes from the North of Portugal and the Spanish region of Galicia. Since ancestral times, its privileged location has been a motivation for the passage and fixation of other people who left marks of their ways and culture in the territory, still easily found nowadays. The municipality is bordered by Braga to the north, by Guimarães to the east, by Santo Tirso and Trofa to the south, by Vila do Conde and Póvoa de Varzim to the west and by Barcelos to the northwest. Due to its privileged location, Famalicão is currently served by a network of modern roads, with one of the most important motorway junctions of the country – A3 (Porto – Vigo) and A7 (Guimarães – Póvoa de Varzim), as well as a train service with direct connections to Braga, Guimarães, Porto, Vigo, Coimbra, Lisbon and Algarve.

Vizela (Portuguese pronunciation: [viˈzɛlɐ] ) is a municipality in the Braga District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 23,736, in an area of 24.70 km².

The present mayor is Vitor Hugo Salgado, elected as an independent. The municipal holiday is March 19.