BAIXO MONDEGO - Geography and history
The Baixo Mondego has an area of 2 062 km2 and comprises eight municipalities: Coimbra, Cantanhede, Condeixa-a-Nova, Figueira da Foz, Mira, Montemor-o-Velho, Penacova and Soure. To the north it is bounded by the Baixo Vouga and Dão-Lafões, to its south and east by, respectively, Pinhal Litoral and Pinhal Interior Norte, and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean.
The region is crossed from east to west by the Mondego, the longest entirely Portuguese river, which rises in the Serra da Estrela and joins the ocean at Figueira da Foz. The Mondego drives the Centro region's largest hydro-electric power station, at Aguieira, near Penacova, fed by the dam at Raiva in the same municipality. The coast is mainly beach.
Morphologically the Baixo Mondego comprises some mountain, mainly in the municipality of Penacova, plains, and sandy alluvial soil closer to the coast. Agricultural conditions improve as we approach the coast, with prominence being given to the campos do Mondego - the Mondego fields, which have a reputation for fertility and good growing conditions are located in the region's central strip.
Average temperatures are around 15°-16°C, although in the summer they can reach 40°C in the areas furthest from the ocean.
A major university and medical centre
The Baixo Mondego region has special access advantages, the result of its strategic situation on the Portuguese coast and relatively close to both the country's leading conurbations, Lisboa and Porto. The country's principal highway and the main north-south railway, both linking Lisboa and Porto, cross the region and bring advantages in development. The still incomplete East-West IPS highway links the Baixo Mondego to certain inland regions.
The municipality of Coimbra, the most important urban center in the Baixo Mondego, had about 140 000 inhabitants in 2000, with most of its population living in urban surroundings - that is, municipalities with more than 2 000 inhabitants. This is a big advantage for the region, since Coimbra acts as a magnet for a range of activities almost invariably associated with major urban populations. Coimbra thus stands out regionally and even nationally as one of the major centres for services, in particular hospitals and university. The region has numerous specialised hospitals and two of the region's general hospitals. The university of Coimbra, in addition to being one of the region's motors, is rated amongst the country's most prestigious universities. It is one of the great universities, and is additionally associated with many research centres operating in a wide range of specialisations.
The repartition of the Gross Value Added by sector was comparable to the distribution of the total country in 2000: the primary sector accounted for 3% of the GVA, the secondary sector for 30% and the tertiary sector for 67%.
Wide-ranging supply of quality services
Baixo Mondego is one of the Centre's most heavily-populated regions, with a total population exceeding 339 800 in 2001 and only Baixo Vouga had more inhabitants in Centro region. The region's resident population has increased by 3% between 1995 and 2001.
Population density in the region is high (162 inhabitants per square kilometres), particularly in comparison with that of the Centro region (83 inhabitants per square kilometres). The Baixo Mondego nevertheless shows substantial internal imbalances of population density, with Coimbra showing a density in excess of 400 per km2, whilst Penacova falls short of 75 per km2. Figueira da Foz, one of the Centre's commercial ports, is the Baixo Mondego's second city, after Coimbra. However, the highway connections between the two cities are still less than ideal, and worsened by the heavy daily traffic in both directions.
The region's economic fabric is clearly marked by the domination of the tertiary sector in employment: it represented 63% of the employment of the region. The available range of services is wide and of high quality, with a specialisation in health and education. The Baixo Mondego is one of Portugal's most favoured regions, whether expressed in terms of doctors or hospital beds per head of population, or in terms of education rates. Also significant are public administration generally, and the considerable supply of recreational and cultural services, ahead of any other Baixo region of the Centro in both quantity and quality.
Industry accounted for 24% of employment in the Baixo Mondego in 2000, 8 percentage points less than the Centro region average. Noteworthy amongst the principal industries are paper and pulp in the municipality of Figueira da Foz. Miscellaneous non-metallic mineral products is another industrial sector of notable weight in employment, and predominating in the municipalities of Coimbra (cement, and ceramics in general) and Condeixa-a-Nova (associated with the manufacture of 'Coimbra' tableware). In Penacova, the principal industry is timber and cork. Textiles are worth a mention generally across the region, being important for the employment they generate despite a less significant volume of turnover.
As in the Baixo Vouga, agriculture can be regarded also here as falling short of the level which would be justified by certain fertile soils. Agriculture is nonetheless frequently a secondary activity of those employed in other sectors of activity.
From the tourist's point of view the Baixo Mondego is a rather attractive region, with around a quarter of the entire accommodation of the Centro region - mainly in the municipalities of Coimbra and Figueira da Foz. A substantial contribution to this is made by the University and mediaeval city of Coimbra, the ruins of Conimbriga, and the seaside resort at Figueira da Foz.
|
|