Metropolitan areas in Portugal in the context of "Greater Metropolitan Area of Minho"

The Lisbon metropolitan area (Portuguese: Área metropolitana de Lisboa; abbreviated as AML) is a metropolitan area in Portugal centered on Lisbon, the capital and largest city of the country. The metropolitan area, covering 17 cities in 18 municipalities, is the largest urban area in the country and the 11th largest in the European Union, with a population in 2024 of 3,005,119 in an area of 3,015.24 km².

The Lisbon Metropolitan Area has the largest GDP (€98.5 billion) of any metropolitan area in Portugal. The region is home to the largest tech hub in the country and a majority of Portugal's major multinational corporations by revenue are based there.

The Porto Metropolitan Area (Portuguese: Área Metropolitana do Porto; abbreviated as AMP) is a metropolitan area in northern Portugal centered on the City of Porto, Portugal's second largest city. The metropolitan area, covering 17 municipalities, is the second largest urban area in the country and one of the largest in the European Union, with a population in 2024 of 1,818,217 in an area of 2,040.31 km².

The Porto Metropolitan Area is a major economic engine in Portugal, with a very high HDI (Human Development Index) and a GDP above the European average. Porto has been Portugal's largest manufacturing region since the Industrial Revolution and is home to many of the country's largest corporations.

Intermunicipal communities (Portuguese: comunidades intermunicipais) are a type of administrative division in Portugal. Since the 2013 local government reform, there are 21 intermunicipal communities. They replaced the urban communities, the intermunicipal communities for general purposes and some metropolitan areas that were created in 2003, and abolished in 2008. The territories of the intermunicipal communities are the basis of the NUTS III statistical regions.

The branches of administration of the intermunicipal community are the intermunicipal assembly, the intermunicipal council, the intermunicipal executive secretariat and the strategic board for intermunicipal development. The intermunicipal assembly is composed of elected members of the municipal assemblies of the municipalities. The intermunicipal council is composed of the presidents of the municipal chambers of the municipalities.

Portugal is a unitary state with delegated authority to three levels of local government that cover the entire country:

• 2 autonomous regions (Azores and Madeira), and in Continental Portugal: 2 metropolitan areas, and 21 intermunicipal communities
• 308 municipalities
• 3091 civil parishes (freguesias) (except Corvo Island which only has a single municipality)

The Judiciary of Portugal has a separate geographic system. Portugal has a long history of complex, inconsistent and layered administrative geography. As a result, there is no single, unified layer of administrative units that spans the entire Portugal.