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União das freguesias de Arca e Varzielas

Parish of the municipality of Oliveira de Frades (Oliveira de Frades), district of Viseu.

União das freguesias de Arca e Varzielas had 559 residents in the 2021 Census, 36,9% of whom were aged 65 or over, and 6,1% of the population aged 15 or over had completed higher education. It borders 5 parishes and its centroid is 14,2 km in a straight line from the centroid of the municipality of Oliveira de Frades.

Population (inh.)
  • 409 – 559
  • 587 – 748
  • 859
  • 1.115 – 1.223
  • 4.006
Density (inh./km²)
  • 25,8 – 27,4
  • 33,0 – 51,6
  • 54,8
  • 56,1 – 91,2
  • 178,0
Area (km²)
  • 8,2 – 12,4
  • 15,7 – 20,4
  • 21,6
  • 21,8 – 22,5
  • 22,8
Quantile classes · current parish
Parish highlighted. Click a neighbouring parish to open its page. Geometry: CAOP2025, Direção-Geral do Território (simplified).

The 8 parishes of Oliveira de Frades

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

#ParishPopulationArea (km²)Inhab./km²
1Arcozelo das Maias1.22321,8156,1
2Pinheiro1.11521,6251,6
3Ribeiradio85915,6754,8
4São João da Serra40912,4133,0
5São Vicente de Lafões7488,2091,2
6União das freguesias de Arca e Varzielas55920,3727,4
7União das freguesias de Destriz e Reigoso58722,7625,8
8União das freguesias de Oliveira de Frades, Souto de Lafões e Sejães4.00622,51178,0
Code (DTMNFR)
181013
Resident population (2021)
559
Area
20,37 km²
Density
27,4 inh./km²
Share of the municipality (population)
5,9%
Rank in the municipality (population)
7th of 8

Simplified designation (CAOP2025): “Arca e Varzielas”.

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
289 (51,7%)
Women
270 (48,3%)
Portuguese nationality
550 (98,4%)
Foreign nationality
9 (1,6%)
Ageing index
542,1 elderly per 100 young people
Private households
225
Average household size *
2,48 people
Dwellings
452
Classic family dwellings
452
Buildings
448
Buildings with 7 or more floors
0
With higher education (15+)
6,1% (32)
Unemployment rate *
11,11% (H 6,15% · M 17,31%)
Active / employed population
234 / 208

Population by age group

Population by age group0-14 years: 38 (6,8%); 15-24 years: 51 (9,1%); 25-64 years: 264 (47,2%); 65+ years: 206 (36,9%)0-1438 · 6,8%15-2451 · 9,1%25-64264 · 47,2%65+206 · 36,9%
Residents by age group and share of the total (559).
Age groupTotalMenWomen
0-14 years382711
15-24 years513120
25-64 years264131133
65+ years206100106

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

União das freguesias de São João do Monte e Mosteirinho (Tondela) · Alcofra (Vouzela) · Guardão (Tondela) · Campia (Vouzela) · União das freguesias do Préstimo e Macieira de Alcoba (Águeda)

Straight-line distance to the centroid of the municipality of Oliveira de Frades
14,2 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
566
Voters
391
Turnout
69,08% (2021: 68,01%)
Seats
7
ListVotes%Seats
PPD/PSD.CDS-PP
TODOS POR OLIVEIRA DE FRADES		26868,54%6
PS
Partido Socialista		7017,90%1
Blank votes4411,25%
Null votes92,30%

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 ouro, anta arqueológica de vermelho entre, em chefe, duas capuchas de negro, alinhadas em faixa, e monte de três cômoros de verde, movente dos flancos e de ponta ondada de três tiras ondadas de prata e azul. Coroa mural de três torres. Listel de prata com a legenda a negro, em maiúsculas "UNIÃO DAS FREGUESIAS DE ARCA E VARZIELAS".

Flag: vermelha. Cordões e borlas de ouro e vermelho. Haste e lança de ouro.

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

Heraldic ordinance published by Edital n.º 960/2020, Diário da República n.º 172/2020, Série II de 2020-09-03 (issuer: União das Freguesias de Arca e Varzielas). Excerpt of the official text (coat of arms, flag and seal), reproduced unchanged.

Parish-council contacts

Address
Rua Estrada do Rapigo, N.º 1
Arca (OLIVEIRA DE FRADES)
3475-010 ARCA
Telephone
232861107
Email
ufarcavarzielas@gmail.com

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

More information

Coordinates
40,59730, -8,19650
Wikipedia
Arca e Varzielas
Wikidata
Q16493336

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