Minho is an old Portuguese natural region, formally instituted in 1936. With the entry into force of the Portuguese constitution of 1976, the Minho region no longer has practical administrative application. However, it continues to have a strong presence in the daily vocabulary of the Portuguese, especially in popular art. Recognized as the homeland of traditional Portuguese handicrafts, the Minho region is the birthplace of several capitals of handicrafts: Barcelos no Figurado and Olaria, Braga in Cavaquinho, Vila Verde and Amares in Lenços dos Namorados, Viana do Castelo in Coração d 'Ouro, among others no less relevant. Minho is also, par excellence, the region of Portugal where popular songs and dances predominate with more joy and liveliness.

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Geographically, Minho is limited to the North and Northeast by Galicia (Spain), to the East by the Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, to the West by the Atlantic Ocean and to the South by the Douro Litoral. For some geographers, Minho, together with the Douro Litoral, forms the geographical unit of Entre Douro e Minho. This geographical unit is often referred to in statistical terms and in agricultural mapping. On the other hand, it is common to divide the Minho region into two sub-regions: Alto Minho, corresponding to the district of Viana do Castelo, and Baixo Minho, corresponding to the district of Braga.

 

Currently, its territory is located in the statistical region of the North, spreading over the totality of the sub-regions of Minho-Lima and Cávado, and partly by the sub-regions of Ave (Fafe, Guimarães, Póvoa de Lanhoso, Vieira do Minho, Vila Nova de Famalicão and Vizela) and Tâmega (Cabeceiras de Basto and Celorico de Basto counties).