List of cities in Portugal
In Portugal, a city (Portuguese: cidade) is an honorific term given to locations that meet several criteria, such as having a minimum number of inhabitants good infrastructure (schools, medical care, cultural and sports facilities), or have a major historical importance.Some entirely urban municipalities do coincide with cities, such as Lisbon, Porto, Funchal, Amadora, Entroncamento, and São João da Madeira.During the Portuguese First Republic, the process was transferred to the parliament, which elevated three towns to the category of city.The dictatorial Estado Novo regime proclaimed seven cities on the Portuguese mainland (as well as some more in the colonies), this time by government decree.Eight locations have been always considered cities since Portugal became an independent kingdom (de facto 1128): Braga, Coimbra, Lamego, Porto and Viseu, as well as Évora, Lisbon and Silves, which were annexed at a later date.