The district of Coimbra is Portuguese in the Centro region (Beiras Region, Northern Estremadura and Northern Ribatejo), mostly belonging to the historic province of Beira Litoral, although several municipalities in its eastern part are divided between the provinces Beira Alta and Beira Baixa. It borders on the north with the district of Aveiro and the district of Viseu, on the east with the district of Guarda and on the district of Castelo Branco, on the south with the district of Leiria and the west with the Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of 3 947 km² (12th largest Portuguese district) and a resident population of 429 714 inhabitants (2011). The district seat is the city with the same name.
The main geographical feature of the district of Coimbra is the valley of the river Mondego, which dominates the landscape across the west of the district and constitutes, with the valleys of two of its tributaries, the river Alva and the river Ceira, the main characteristics of the area Eastern. The district is therefore divided into two halves:
To the west extends a coastal plain, crossed, to the south, by the lower course of the Mondego. This area extends the coastal plain of the district of Aveiro and has the highest altitude (252 m in the Serra da Boa Viagem, near Cabo Mondego, next to Figueira da Foz. In the east, on the contrary, one enters the mountain range. area, the relief is not very pronounced yet, with the Serra do Buçaco reaching only 549 m in altitude, but the southeast dominates the central mountain range, with the Lousã mountain rising to 1 205 m in altitude, and the Serra do Açor up to 1,418 m The district ends at the western end of the Serra da Estrela, just over 10 km from the highest altitudes of the Portuguese mainland.
The Mondego dominates hydrography, running from northeast to southwest in the upper course and from east to west in the lower course, where it is surrounded by wetlands. The entire district is integrated into its hydrographic basin, except the north coast and the southeastern tip, and all the other main rivers are its tributaries.
The main geographical feature of the district of Coimbra is the valley of the river Mondego, which dominates the landscape across the west of the district and constitutes, with the valleys of two of its tributaries, the river Alva and the river Ceira, the main characteristics of the area Eastern. The district is therefore divided into two halves:
To the west extends a coastal plain, crossed, to the south, by the lower course of the Mondego. This area extends the coastal plain of the district of Aveiro and has the highest altitude (252 m in the Serra da Boa Viagem, near Cabo Mondego, next to Figueira da Foz. In the east, on the contrary, one enters the mountain range. area, the relief is not very pronounced yet, with the "Serra do Buçaco" reaching only 549 m in altitude, but the southeast dominates the central mountain range, with the Lousã mountain rising to 1 205 m in altitude, and the "Serra do Açor" up to 1,418 m The district ends at the western end of the Serra da Estrela, just over 10 km from the highest altitudes of the Portuguese mainland.
The Mondego dominates hydrography, running from northeast to southwest in the upper course and from east to west in the lower course, where it is surrounded by wetlands. The entire district is integrated into its hydrographic basin, except the north coast and the southeastern tip, and all the other main rivers are its tributaries.
