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União das freguesias de Vila e Roussas

Parish of the municipality of Melgaço (Melgaço), district of Viana do Castelo.

União das freguesias de Vila e Roussas had 2.300 residents in the 2021 Census, 31,1% of whom were aged 65 or over, and 13,7% of the population aged 15 or over had completed higher education. It borders 5 parishes and its centroid is 6,2 km in a straight line from the centroid of the municipality of Melgaço.

Population (inh.)
  • 146 – 239
  • 422 – 445
  • 477 – 492
  • 503 – 559
  • 1.030 – 2.300
Density (inh./km²)
  • 4,7 – 13,0
  • 16,0 – 50,3
  • 53,8 – 65,9
  • 75,9 – 112,8
  • 121,3 – 199,8
Area (km²)
  • 3,7 – 5,6
  • 7,2 – 8,9
  • 10,0 – 11,2
  • 11,5 – 18,6
  • 29,8 – 106,1
Quantile classes · current parish
Parish highlighted. Click a neighbouring parish to open its page. Geometry: CAOP2025, Direção-Geral do Território (simplified).

The 13 parishes of Melgaço

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

#ParishPopulationArea (km²)Inhab./km²
1Alvaredo4924,36112,8
2Cousso2397,2333,1
3Cristoval4225,5675,9
4Fiães14611,2113,0
5Gave18018,649,7
6Paderne1.03012,8580,2
7Penso4458,8550,3
8São Paio5359,9553,8
9União das freguesias de Castro Laboreiro e Lamas de Mouro503106,094,7
10União das freguesias de Chaviães e Paços5598,4865,9
11União das freguesias de Parada do Monte e Cubalhão47729,8416,0
12União das freguesias de Prado e Remoães4453,67121,3
13União das freguesias de Vila e Roussas2.30011,51199,8
Code (DTMNFR)
160323
Resident population (2021)
2.300
Area
11,51 km²
Density
199,8 inh./km²
Share of the municipality (population)
29,6%
Rank in the municipality (population)
1st of 13

Simplified designation (CAOP2025): “Vila e Roussas”.

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
1.045 (45,4%)
Women
1.255 (54,6%)
Portuguese nationality
2.210 (96,1%)
Foreign nationality
90 (3,9%)
Ageing index
315,4 elderly per 100 young people
Private households
956
Average household size *
2,30 people
Dwellings
1.843
Classic family dwellings
1.839
Buildings
1.232
Buildings with 7 or more floors
0
With higher education (15+)
13,7% (283)
Unemployment rate *
4,82% (H 5,30% · M 4,39%)
Active / employed population
996 / 948

Population by age group

Population by age group0-14 years: 227 (9,9%); 15-24 years: 218 (9,5%); 25-64 years: 1.139 (49,5%); 65+ years: 716 (31,1%)0-14227 · 9,9%15-24218 · 9,5%25-641.139 · 49,5%65+716 · 31,1%
Residents by age group and share of the total (2.300).
Age groupTotalMenWomen
0-14 years227113114
15-24 years218105113
25-64 years1.139532607
65+ years716295421

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

Straight-line distance to the centroid of the municipality of Melgaço
6,2 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
2.441
Voters
1.358
Turnout
55,63% (2021: 42,75%)
Seats
9
ListVotes%Seats
PPD/PSD.CDS-PP
AD - Coligação PPD/PSD-CDS/ PP
70051,55%5
PS
Partido Socialista
59043,45%4
PCP-PEV
CDU - Coligação Democrática Unitária
110,81%0
Blank votes342,50%
Null votes231,69%

Most-voted list, which elects the parish-council president: PPD/PSD.CDS-PP.

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.

Heraldry

Coat of arms: escudo de vermelho, torre quadrangular de prata lavrada e frestada de negro, carregada de uma cruz latina de azul, acompanhada, no cantão dextro, por rouxinol de sua cor e, no sinistro, por abelha de ouro, alada de prata e realçada de negro; campanha de três tiras ondadas de prata e azul. Coroa mural de prata, com quatro torres aparentes. Listel de prata com a legenda a negro, em maiúsculas, "UNIÃO DAS FREGUESIAS DE VILA E ROUSSAS".

Flag: esquartelada de branco e vermelho. Cordões e borlas de vermelho e prata. Haste e lança de ouro.

Seal: nos termos do artigo 18.º da Lei n.º 53/91, com a legenda "União das Freguesias de Vila e Roussas.

Heraldic ordinance published by Edital n.º 98/2015, Diário da República n.º 23/2015, Série II de 2015-02-03 (issuer: União das Freguesias de Vila e Roussas). Excerpt of the official text (coat of arms, flag and seal), reproduced unchanged.

Parish-council contacts

Address
Av.ª Inês Negra, N.º 78
Vila
4960-534 VILA
Telephone
251404169
Email
freguesia.vila.roussas@sapo.pt

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

More information

Coordinates
42,11400, -8,25900
Wikipedia
Vila e Roussas
Wikidata
Q17514498

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