Porto

Porto (in English also Oporto), formerly Portucale, population 263,000 in 15 parishes, with 1,551,950 in the metropolitan area, is Portugal's second city and district seat. It is situated in the north of the country, on the northern bank of the Douro River, just in the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

Related Topics:
Metropolitan area - Portugal - Second city - District seat - Douro - Atlantic Ocean

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The country of Portugal and Port Wine (Portuguese: Vinho do Porto) owe their names to the city of Porto.

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One of Portugal's most internationally appreciated products is Port Wine. Its name comes from the fact that it ages in cellars in Porto's southern sister city Vila Nova de Gaia, just across the river Douro. Port Wine gets its distinctive taste from brandy that is added during the fermentation process. This additive causes fermentation to stop, allowing for much of the sweetness of the grape to remain intact. The results of this process were discovered quite by accident by British traders who added the brandy to the wine simply to fortify it for long sea voyages back to England.

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Porto is one of the most industrialised districts in Portugal and the city of Porto in particularly is occasionally called "A capital do norte" (English: "The Capital of the North"), for it serves as the center of a higher industrialised northern region of Portugal, and is well known for its enterprising spirit, characteristic culture, people, and local cuisine.

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