Freguesias, Camaras, Concelos, Districts, Regions & Municipalities. Confused?

I have been doing some research for a big assignment about Portugal and wanted to share some information and insight about the administrative hierarchy and structure, which I find fascinating. It can be confusing given the linguistic differences, but also with quirks like cities also being districts too!

Here's a little guide that I hope will help...

The most immediate administrative 'circle', you might think of as your 'parish' is the FREGUESIA, of which there are 3,092, which you can find listed here.

Next up is the CONCELHO (or MUNICIPIO), which will be one of Portugal's 308 Municipalities.

The Municipalities belong to one of Portugal's 18 DISTRITOS DE PORTUGAL or districts/regions (plus the two antonymous districts/regions of the Açores and Madeira), pictured.

The Câmara or Câmara municipal, incidentally, is your town hall or council office, literally the 'municipal chamber', which is your local government machinery, beyond your Junta de Freguesia, (parish assembly) - the first line of civic management.

For example, I live in the São Martino do Porto Freguesia, in the Municipality of Alcobaça, which is in the District of Leiria. What about you?

(This of course all subject to fact-checking by

@António Ferreira

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