City Europe
Braga
Braga is a city in the north of Portugal. It fills a green valley between hills!
Braga is a city in northern Portugal, north of Porto. The encyclopedia Larousse calls it the main town of its district and names its university and textile industry. Portugal's 2021 census counted 146,543 people in the city.
Braga, chief town of a district north of Porto (Larousse) and main town of the Minho region, had 146,543 residents as a city at Portugal's census of 22 March 2021 (City Population, from Statistics Portugal), up from 109,460 in 2001; Larousse names a university and textiles, and places Roman Gallaecia around Braga in the 3rd century.
Photo: CTHOE, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Braga
Braga is a city in Portugal, a country in the southwest of Europe.
It sits in a valley with green hills all around.
Braga is a city in the north of Portugal. The French encyclopedia Larousse places it north of Porto and calls it the main town of its district. Larousse also calls Braga the main town of the Minho, a region of northern Portugal.
Portugal's census of 22 March 2021 counted 146,543 people living in the city of Braga.
Larousse ('Braga'): a town of Portugal, chef-lieu (main town) of a district, north of Porto; population 181,494 (2011 census; not the same count as City Population's city figure below); a university; textiles. Larousse ('Minho'): a region of northern Portugal, main town Braga. City Population (from Instituto Nacional de Estatística, Statistics Portugal), 'Braga', city: 109,460 (census 12 March 2001), 136,885 (12 March 2011), 146,543 (22 March 2021); City Population lists the resident population of Portuguese cities.
- Country
- Portugal, north of Porto (Larousse)
- People in the city (census, 22 March 2021)
- 146,543
- Role
- main town of a district, and the main town of the Minho region (Larousse)
- Known for
- a university and textiles (Larousse)
A valley full of city
Look at all the buildings in the valley!
Trees frame the view, and blue hills rise far away.
CTHOE took this wide photo of Braga on 7 September 2007 from a hillside above the city. Leafy trees frame both sides. Below, buildings with red roofs sit among small green fields, and beyond them the city's many pale buildings fill the valley, with low blue hills on the horizon under a clear sky.
On Wikidata, Bridge Park, an urban public park, is about 0.9 kilometers north-northwest of the city's point.
Commons: 'Braga-1-CTH', own work by CTHOE (CC BY-SA 3.0), dated 7 September 2007; a panorama (original 3,107 x 1,109 px) taken from a hillside viewpoint above the city. The photo shows trees framing both sides, red-roofed buildings and fields in the foreground, dense pale blocks across the valley floor and ranges of hills behind. A 2007 photo: it shows the city as it was then. Wikidata, from the city point (Q83247): Bridge Park (Q10345446), an urban public park, 0.91 km NNW; Mercado Municipal do Carandá (Q104244430), a marketplace and cultural center, 1.44 km N.
- In the photo
- Braga from a wooded hillside, 7 September 2007 (CTHOE)
- Bridge Park
- an urban public park about 0.9 km north-northwest of the city's point (Wikidata)
- Carandá municipal market
- a marketplace and cultural center about 1.4 km north of the city's point (Wikidata)
From Roman times
Braga is very old. People lived here in Roman times!
In 2021, the census counted 146,543 people in the city.
Larousse's history of Portugal says that in the 3rd century, under Roman rule, the province of Gallaecia was created around Braga. Wikidata lists Bracara Augusta as a Roman city, with its point about 1.3 kilometers north-northwest of the city's point.
Much later, Portugal's censuses counted 109,460 people in the city in 2001, 136,885 in 2011 and 146,543 in 2021.
Larousse ('Portugal', history): before becoming a nation in the 12th-13th centuries, Portugal knew Roman rule (the province of Lusitania created by Augustus in the 1st century BCE, and of Gallaecia, around Braga, in the 3rd century CE). Wikidata: Bracara Augusta (Q3331867), instance of Roman city, located in Braga, 1.28 km NNW of the city point. City Population: 109,460 (2001), 136,885 (2011), 146,543 (2021); 146,543 ÷ 109,460 ≈ 1.34.
- 3rd century
- the Roman province of Gallaecia is created around Braga (Larousse)
- Bracara Augusta
- a Roman city; its Wikidata point is about 1.3 km north-northwest of the city's point
- Censuses 2001 and 2021
- 109,460 and 146,543 people in the city (City Population)
Park, market and region
Braga has a park and a market.
In the region around it, people farm and raise animals on well-watered hills.
On Wikidata, Bridge Park, an urban public park, is about 0.9 kilometers north-northwest of the city's point, and the Carandá municipal market, a marketplace and cultural center, about 1.4 kilometers north.
Larousse says farming and raising animals lead in the Minho, the region around Braga, on well-watered plateaus and mountains where many people live.
Wikidata from the city point (Q83247): Bridge Park (Q10345446) 0.91 km NNW; Mercado Municipal do Carandá (Q104244430), marketplace and cultural center, 1.44 km N. Larousse ('Minho'): population 244,836 (2011 census); the cradle of the Portuguese nation; agriculture and livestock dominate on well-watered, densely populated plateaus and mountains (with emigration).
- Park
- Bridge Park, about 0.9 km north-northwest (Wikidata)
- Market
- Mercado Municipal do Carandá, about 1.4 km north (Wikidata)
- The Minho region
- farming and livestock on well-watered plateaus and mountains (Larousse)
Rainy winters, warm summers
Braga is warm in summer and rainy in winter.
December is the wettest month.
The World Meteorological Organization's averages for Braga, for 1971 to 2000, show average highs of 27.5 °C in July and August, and of 13.4 °C in January, when the average low is 4.1 °C.
About 1,466 millimeters of rain fall in a year. Most of it falls from October to March, with December the wettest month at 231.4 millimeters. July is the driest, with 24.1 millimeters.
WMO World Weather Information Service, Braga (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera; period 1971-2000 as given in the data; no rain-day counts; the WMO point is 1.65 km NNW of the city point): mean daily maximum 13.4 °C (Jan) to 27.5 °C (Jul, Aug); mean daily minimum 4.1 °C (Jan) to 14.3 °C (Jul). Rainfall 192.7, 161.0, 102.3, 122.5, 118.5, 62.2, 24.1, 29.8, 79.0, 166.8, 175.4, 231.4 mm (Jan-Dec); sum 1,465.7 mm; October-March 1,029.6 mm (70%). Larousse describes the Minho's plateaus and mountains as well watered.
- July and August, average daily high (WMO, Braga, 1971–2000)
- 27.5 °C
- Wettest and driest months (same table)
- December, 231.4 mm; July, 24.1 mm
- Rain in a year (twelve months added up)
- about 1,466 mm
Learning and textiles
Braga has a university, a place where students learn.
People in Braga also make cloth, called textiles.
Larousse names a university and a textile industry in Braga.
Braga is the main town of the Minho, a region where Larousse counts 244,836 people at the 2011 census. Larousse also calls the Minho the cradle of the Portuguese nation, and mentions emigration from its crowded plateaus and mountains.
Larousse ('Braga'): Université. Textile. Larousse ('Minho'): population 244,836 (2011 census); 'le berceau de la nation portugaise'; densely populated, with emigration.
- University
- Braga has a university (Larousse)
- Industry
- textiles (Larousse)
- The Minho region
- 244,836 people at the 2011 census (Larousse)
Braga on the map
Find Portugal on the globe, at the western edge of Europe. Braga is in its north.
Braga lies at about 41.53° north and 8.42° west, north of Porto, in the Minho region of northern Portugal.
On Wikidata, Bridge Park is about 0.9 kilometers north-northwest of the city's point, the Roman city Bracara Augusta's point about 1.3 kilometers north-northwest and the Carandá market about 1.4 kilometers north.
Braga lies at about 41.53° N, 8.42° W (Wikidata point of the municipality of Braga, Q83247; the sheet point is 2.44 km N of it). Wikidata from the city point: Bridge Park 0.91 km NNW; Bracara Augusta 1.28 km NNW; Mercado Municipal do Carandá 1.44 km N. The WMO point is 1.65 km NNW.
- Latitude
- about 41.53° north
- Longitude
- about 8.42° west
- Region
- the Minho, in northern Portugal; north of Porto (Larousse)
Amazing facts
-
Braga's region is called the cradle of Portugal!
Larousse calls the Minho, the region whose main town is Braga, the cradle of the Portuguese nation.
Larousse ('Minho'): 'C'est le berceau de la nation portugaise.' Main town: Braga.
-
December in Braga gets almost ten times more rain than July!
In the WMO averages for 1971 to 2000, December brings 231.4 millimeters of rain to Braga, and July only 24.1: almost ten times less.
WMO 1971–2000: December 231.4 mm ÷ July 24.1 mm ≈ 9.6.
-
People lived in Braga in Roman times!
Larousse's history of Portugal says the Roman province of Gallaecia was created around Braga in the 3rd century.
Larousse ('Portugal'): Gallaecia created around Braga in the 3rd century CE; Wikidata: Bracara Augusta (Q3331867), a Roman city.
Words to know
- census
- an official count of all the people living in a place
- district
- one of the areas a country is divided into for running it
- province
- a large area of land ruled as one part of a bigger state, such as the Roman Empire
- textiles
- cloth, and the things made from it
- panorama
- a wide view that shows a large area all at once
- cradle
- here, the place where something first began
Discovery challenge
-
Braga is a city in which country?
In which country is the city of Braga?
Braga is the chief town of a district of which country, north of Porto?
- Portugal
- Poland
- Peru
Show the answer
Portugal
Portugal!
Portugal.
Portugal.
-
Which month brings the most rain to Braga?
In the 1971–2000 averages, which is Braga's wettest month?
Which month has the highest mean rainfall in the WMO 1971–2000 normals for Braga?
- December
- July
- May
Show the answer
December
December!
December, with 231.4 millimeters.
December, 231.4 mm.
-
Which big city is south of Braga?
Larousse places Braga north of which Portuguese city?
According to Larousse, Braga lies north of which city?
- Porto
- Madrid
- Paris
Show the answer
Porto
Porto!
Porto.
Porto.
-
Which old empire ruled the land around Braga long ago?
Under which empire was the province of Gallaecia created around Braga?
The province of Gallaecia, created around Braga in the 3rd century, belonged to which empire?
- The Roman Empire
- The Aztec Empire
- The Mongol Empire
Show the answer
The Roman Empire
The Roman Empire!
The Roman Empire.
Rome (Larousse: Roman domination, Gallaecia in the 3rd century).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Braga in the Minho region of northern Portugal, north of Porto.
- Read census numbers to see how a city grew between 2001 and 2021.
- Read a climate table with a wet winter and a dry summer.
- Connect a modern city with its Roman past.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might a valley between hills be a good place for a city?
- How would your year change if December had almost ten times the rain of July?
- What clues could tell you that people lived in a place in Roman times?
Try at home or in class
- Rain bars: draw twelve bars for Braga's monthly rain and color the wet months from October to March.
- Growth chart: plot Braga's three census counts from 2001 to 2021.
- Panorama: draw a wide view from a hill near your home, with what is near at the bottom and far away at the top.
Key vocabulary: census, district, province, textiles, panorama, cradle
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Braga , Larousse encyclopédie
- Minho , Larousse encyclopédie
- Portugal , Larousse encyclopédie
- Portugal: Regions and Cities , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from Instituto Nacional de Estatística (Statistics Portugal)
- Braga: climatological information (1971–2000) , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service
- Braga-1-CTH , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.