You can mark you interesting snippets of text that will be available through a unique link in your browser.


Minho

Minho
/mee"nyoo/, n.
a river in SW Europe, flowing SSW from NW Spain along the N boundary of Portugal into the Atlantic. 171 mi. (275 km) long. Spanish, Miño.

* * *

▪ historical province, Portugal
      historical provincia, northwesternmost Portugal. It was originally called Entre Douro e Minho, the region between the Minho and Douro rivers. The area was occupied by both the Celts and the Romans, the former having left numerous ruins called castra, or hill forts. There is a narrow coastal plain stretching for about 30 miles (50 km) from north to south and extending between 2 and 10 miles (3 and 16 km) inland to the Santa Luzia Mountains. The rest of the region consists of undulating plateaus traversed by deep valleys of the Minho, Lima, Cávado, and Ave rivers.

      High population densities have encouraged intensive cultivation. Corn (maize) and haricot beans are important crops, and the field borders are used for fruit trees and vines. Modern techniques, including low vine supports, have advanced the production of rigorously controlled, high-quality vinho verde (green wine) and estate-bottled wines (grown and bottled by the vineyard owner). The use of irrigation and of terraced fields on slopes characterize the landscape. Stock rearing is important on the higher lands, and the timber industry is significant. Fishing is of local importance at Esposende, Viana do Castelo, and Âncora-Gontinhaes. Textiles are manufactured in Braga, the capital of the historical provincia, and Guimarães. Many buildings are constructed out of local gray granite. An increasing number of tourists are drawn to the beauty of the Minho, its cool weather, its old, attractive towns and markets, and its many fine manor houses.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

  
Share  

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Minho — may refer to: Contents 1 People 2 Places 2.1 Jamaica 2.2 Portugal People Lee Min Ho, a South Korean actor …   Wikipedia

  • Minho — (portug., im span. Miño; spr. Minjo), 1) Fluß, entspringt auf der Sierra de Mondoñedo in der spanischen Provinz Lugo (Galicien), tritt in die Provinz Orense, macht auf eine Strecke die Grenze zwischen Portugal u. Spanien u. fällt nach einem Laufe …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Minho — (portug., spr. minnjŭ; span. Miño), Fluß der Pyrenäischen Halbinsel, entspringt im nordöstl. Galicien, mündet nach 253 km an der portug. Grenze in den Atlant. Ozean; Stromgebiet 17.011 qkm. – Die portug. Prov. M., 7273 qkm, (1900) 1.170.361 E.;… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Minho — Minho, span. Fluß, in Galizien entspringend, bildet auf eine Strecke die Gränze gegen Portugal, fällt nach einem Laufe von 36 Ml. in den atlant. Ocean Von ihm hat die nördlichste Provinz Portugals ihren Namen …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Minho — * * * Minho (le) (en esp. Miño) fl. (275 km) qui sépare l Espagne, au N., et le Portugal, au S., et se jette dans l Atlantique …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Minho — 41° 51′ 55″ N 8° 52′ 11″ W / 41.8653, 8.86972 Pour la province histori …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Minho — Vorlage:Infobox Fluss/DGWK fehltKoordinaten fehlen! Hilf mit.Vorlage:Infobox Fluss/EINZUGSGEBIET fehltVorlage:Infobox Fluss/ABFLUSS fehltVorlage:Infobox Fluss/KARTE fehlt Miño …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Minho — ► Río de Portugal. (V. Miño.) …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Minho-lima — Localisation du Minho Lima Le Minho Lima – en portugais : Minho Lima – est une des 30 sous régions statistiques du Portugal. Avec 7 autres sous régions, il forme la région Nord. Il correspond en totalité au …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Minho (province historique) — Minho 1936 – 1976 Informations générales Statut Province portugaise Chef lieu …   Wikipédia en Français