BEIRA, an ancient principality and province of northern and central Portugal ; bounded on the north by Entre Minho e Douro and by Traz os Montes, east by the Spanish provinces of Leon and Estremadura, south by Alentejo and Portuguese Estremadura, and west by the Atlantic ocean. Pop. 1 ,734, 162 ; area 9,208sq.m. Beira is administratively divided into the districts of Aveiro, Coimbra, Vizeu, Guarda and Castello Branco, while it is popularly regarded as consisting of the three sections—Beira Alta or Upper Beira (Vizeu), north and west of the Serra da Estrella; Beira Baixa or Lower Beira (Guarda and Castello Branco), south and east of that range; and Beira Mar or Maritime Beira (Aveiro and Coimbra) . The coast, about 72m. long, is uniformly flat, with long stretches of sandy pine forest, heath, or marsh land bordered by a wide and fertile plain. Its most conspicuous features are the lagoon of Aveiro (q.v.) and the bold of Cape Mondego. Except along the coast, the surface is for the most part mountain ous, the highest point in the Serra da Estrella, which extends from north-east to south-west through the centre of the province, being 6, S3 2 f t. The northern and south-eastern frontiers are respectively marked by the two great rivers Douro and Tagus, which rise in Spain and flow to the Atlantic. The Agueda and Coa, tributaries of the Douro, drain the eastern plateaux of Beira; the Vouga rises in the Serra da Lapa, and forms the lagoon of Aveiro at its mouth; the Mondego springs from the Serra da Estrella, passes through Coimbra, and enters the sea at Figueira da Foz; and the Zezere, a tributary of the Tagus, rises north-north-east of Covilha and flows south-west and south.
Beira has a warm and equable climate, except in the mountains, where the snowfall is often heavy. The soil, except in the valleys, is dry and rocky, and large stretches are covered with heath. The principal agricultural products are maize, wheat, garden vegetables and fruit. The olive is largely cultivated and the oil exported; good wine is also produced. In the flat country between Coimbra and Aveiro the marshy land is laid out in rice-fields or in pastures for cattle and horses. Sheep farming is important in the highlands of Upper Beira ; while near Lamego swine furnish the well-known Lisbon hams. Iron, lead, copper, coal and marble are worked to a small extent, and millstones are quarried in some places. La goons along the coast yield salt.