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Vela

Parish of the municipality of Guarda (Guarda), district of Guarda.

Vela had 423 residents in the 2021 Census, 51,8% of whom were aged 65 or over, and 11,4% of the population aged 15 or over had completed higher education. It borders 8 parishes and its centroid is 10,2 km in a straight line from the centroid of the municipality of Guarda.

Population (inh.)
  • 121 – 181
  • 186 – 243
  • 258 – 298
  • 303 – 458
  • 483 – 26.441
Density (inh./km²)
  • 7,2 – 11,5
  • 12,1 – 15,6
  • 16,2 – 24,3
  • 25,5 – 35,4
  • 35,9 – 702,1
Area (km²)
  • 2,0 – 10,0
  • 10,2 – 13,0
  • 13,2 – 16,0
  • 16,3 – 23,7
  • 24,6 – 53,9
Quantile classes · current parish
Parish highlighted. Click a neighbouring parish to open its page. Geometry: CAOP2025, Direção-Geral do Território (simplified).

The 43 parishes of Guarda

Hover a row to highlight it on the map. Click a header to sort.

#ParishPopulationArea (km²)Inhab./km²
1Adão25828,329,1
2Aldeia Viçosa2677,4435,9
3Aldeia do Bispo19813,1715,0
4Alvendre18612,9414,4
5Arrifana55515,8235,1
6Avelãs da Ribeira14211,3012,6
7Benespera28118,0615,6
8Casal de Cinza48317,9726,9
9Castanheira29824,6412,1
10Cavadoude2436,6536,5
11Codesseiro1609,6216,6
12Faia18010,0018,0
13Famalicão45816,0228,6
14Fernão Joanes18625,067,4
15Gonçalo96027,1035,4
16Gonçalo Bocas2046,4431,7
17Guarda26.44137,66702,1
18Jarmelo São Miguel27617,0616,2
19Jarmelo São Pedro27631,088,9
20João Antão1268,7814,4
21Marmeleiro29729,6310,0
22Maçainhas97712,2080,1
23Meios1504,8331,1
24Panoias de Cima56811,3949,9
25Pega12110,6311,4
26Porto da Carne3381,98170,7
27Pêra do Moço79320,6038,5
28Ramela18110,1617,8
29Santana da Azinha52815,9433,1
30Sobral da Serra21311,2019,0
31União de freguesias de Avelãs de Ambom e Rocamondo15413,3411,5
32União de freguesias de Corujeira e Trinta40812,4732,7
33União de freguesias de Mizarela, Pêro Soares e Vila Soeiro20014,0214,3
34União de freguesias de Pousade e Albardo21416,8912,7
35União de freguesias de Rochoso e Monte Margarida21123,668,9
36Vale de Estrela35513,9425,5
37Valhelhas30320,1815,0
38Vela42321,0020,1
39Videmonte38853,927,2
40Vila Cortês do Mondego2834,3864,6
41Vila Fernando39616,2724,3
42Vila Franca do Deão13412,9910,3
43Vila Garcia30415,3319,8
Code (DTMNFR)
090748
Resident population (2021)
423
Area
21,00 km²
Density
20,1 inh./km²
Share of the municipality (population)
1,1%
Rank in the municipality (population)
10th of 43

INE, Censos 2021 (população residente por freguesia, geografia 2025, ind. 0014584); DGT, CAOP2025 (área). Population refers to the 2021 census moment, compiled by INE for the parish boundaries in force in 2025.

2021 Census in detail

Men
188 (44,4%)
Women
235 (55,6%)
Portuguese nationality
417 (98,6%)
Foreign nationality
6 (1,4%)
Ageing index
1.095,0 elderly per 100 young people
Private households
169
Average household size *
2,03 people
Dwellings
440
Classic family dwellings
439
Buildings
434
Buildings with 7 or more floors
0
With higher education (15+)
11,4% (46)
Unemployment rate *
6,67% (H 10,45% · M 1,89%)
Active / employed population
120 / 112

Population by age group

Population by age group0-14 years: 20 (4,7%); 15-24 years: 30 (7,1%); 25-64 years: 154 (36,4%); 65+ years: 219 (51,8%)0-1420 · 4,7%15-2430 · 7,1%25-64154 · 36,4%65+219 · 51,8%
Residents by age group and share of the total (423).
Age groupTotalMenWomen
0-14 years20119
15-24 years301614
25-64 years1547480
65+ years21987132

Source: INE, Censos 2021 — indicators 0014630, 0014631, 0014627, 0014623, 0014621, 0014635, 0014636, 0012481, 0012328, 0014632, obtained from the INE indicators API on 24/09/2026 (licence CC BY 4.0). Parish geography of 2025 (CAOP2025). Nationality (Portuguese, foreign, stateless) is INE indicator 0014632. * Indicator published by INE only for 2013 parish geography (NUTS 2024); used because the parish has the same territory in both geographies (identical population by sex and age group). Ageing index = population aged 65+ ÷ population aged 0–14 × 100; share with higher education = residents with completed higher education ÷ residents aged 15 or over (our calculations from INE figures).

Neighbouring parishes

Gonçalo · Benespera · Aldeia do Bispo · Ramela · Maçainhas (Belmonte) · Vale de Estrela · Belmonte (Belmonte) · Colmeal da Torre (Belmonte)

Straight-line distance to the centroid of the municipality of Guarda
10,2 km

Neighbourhood calculated from official boundaries: DGT, Carta Administrativa Oficial de Portugal (CAOP) 2025 (licence CC BY 4.0); two parishes are neighbours when they share a boundary segment. The distance is the straight-line (great-circle) distance between the geometric centroid of the parish and that of the municipality (in territories with islets, of the main part), not a road distance.

2025 local elections — Parish assembly

Registered voters
364
Voters
286
Turnout
78,57% (2021: 73,52%)
Seats
7
ListVotes%Seats
PS
Partido Socialista		17761,89%5
NC.PPM
PG - PELA GUARDA		9633,57%2
Blank votes41,40%
Null votes93,15%

Most-voted list, which elects the parish-council president: PS.

Source: SGMAI — official results of the local elections of 12 October 2025 (Secretary-General of the Ministry of Internal Administration), consulted on 25/09/2026. Percentages calculated by SGMAI over total voters.

Parish-council contacts

Address
Avenida Seara
Vela (GUARDA)
6300-243 VELA
Telephone
275431096
Fax
275431096
Email
geral@freguesiavela.pt

Source: DGAL - Portal Autárquico (Direção-Geral das Autarquias Locais), consulted on 25/09/2026.

More information

Coordinates
40,43889, -7,30972
Wikipedia
Vela (Guarda)
Wikidata
Q45879

Source: Wikidata (data under CC0 1.0), consulted on 24/09/2026. The patron saint and coordinates are those recorded on Wikidata.

Sources: INE, 2021 Census (resident population) · DGT, CAOP2025 (area and parishes) · more details · Data updated on 24/09/2026