Porto

Porto (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpoɾtu]), also known as Oporto in English, is the second-largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon, and one of the major urban areas in Southwestern Europe. The urban area of Porto, which extends beyond the administrative limits of the city, has a population of 1.4 million (2011) in an area of 389 km² (150 sq mi), making it the second-largest urban area in Portugal. Porto Metropolitan Area, on the other hand, includes an estimated 1.8 million people. It is recognized as a Gamma-level global city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) Study Group, the only Portuguese city besides Lisbon to be recognised as a global city.

Located along the Douro river estuary in Northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European centres, and its historical core was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. The western part of its urban area extends to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. Its settlement dates back many centuries, when it was an outpost of the Roman Empire. Its combined Celtic-Latin name, Portus Cale, has been referred to as the origin of the name "Portugal", based on transliteration and oral evolution from Latin. In Portuguese, the name of the city is spelled with a definite article ("o Porto"; English: the port). Consequently, its English name evolved from a misinterpretation of the oral pronunciation and referred to as Oporto in modern literature and by many speakers.

Porto District

The District of Porto (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpoɾtu], Portuguese: Distrito do Porto), is located on the north-west coast of Portugal. The district capital is the city of Porto, the second largest city in the country. It is bordered by the Aveiro and Viseu districts to the south, Braga district to the north and Vila Real district to the east. Its area is 2395 km² and its population is 1,781,826.

Municipalities

The district comprises 18 municipalities:

All of the above Municipalities are Cities, except Baião and Lousada. Some municipalities include one or more cities;the municipality of Paredes has the most cities within its municipality: Paredes, Gandra, Rebordosa and São Salvador de Lordelo. Other cities in Porto district: Rio Tinto and Valbom (in Gondomar municipality), Ermesinde (in Valongo municipality), São Mamede de Infesta (in Matosinhos municipality), Freamunde (in Paços de Ferreira municipality) and Lixa (in Felgueiras municipality).

Porto de Sanabria

Porto de Sanabria (Galician: Porto de Seabra; Leonese: Porto de Senabria), also known as Porto, is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2012 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 216 inhabitants.

Geography

Porto is located near the borders of Castile and León with Galicia, in the Sanabria Lake Natural Park, nearby the Galician Massif. It is 90 km far from Bragança, in Portugal, 113 from Ponferrada, and 171 from Zamora. Its municipal territory counts several lakes, reservoirs and rivers.

Culture

Porto is one of the few bilingual places of its province, in which is commonly spoken both Spanish and Galician.

See also

References

External links

Media related to Porto de Sanabria at Wikimedia Commons

Furniture

Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., chairs, stools and sofas) and sleeping (e.g., beds). Furniture is also used to hold objects at a convenient height for work (as horizontal surfaces above the ground, such as tables and desks), or to store things (e.g., cupboards and shelves). Furniture can be a product of design and is considered a form of decorative art. In addition to furniture's functional role, it can serve a symbolic or religious purpose. It can be made from many materials, including metal, plastic, and wood. Furniture can be made using a variety of woodworking joints which often reflect the local culture.

Archeological research shows that Neolithic people used stone to build cupboards, dressers, beds, shelves and seats. Ancient furniture from the 8th-century BC includes tables and serving stands. The furniture of the Middle Ages was usually heavy, oak, and ornamented. Furniture design expanded during the Italian Renaissance of the fourteenth and fifteenth century. The seventeenth century, in both Southern and Northern Europe, was characterized by opulent, often gilded Baroque designs. The nineteenth century is usually defined by revival styles. The first three-quarters of the twentieth century are often seen as the march towards Modernism. One unique outgrowth of post-modern furniture design is a return to natural shapes and textures.

Furniture (band)

Furniture was a British new wave band, active from 1979 to 1991. The band is best known for the 1986 Top 30 hit, "Brilliant Mind".

The longest-serving and best-known line-up of Furniture (from 1983–1990), comprised founder members Jim Irvin (vocals), singer/multi-instrumentalist Tim Whelan and drummer Hamilton Lee, plus bass player/occasional singer Sally Still and keyboard player Maya Gilder. Larry N’Azone (saxophone) was an occasional member during this period and often appeared with the band live. Furniture's chief success was in the UK but they also enjoyed a following throughout Eastern Europe where they toured in 1987 and 1988.

Since the break-up of the band, Furniture has retained a certain cult appeal, partly due to a continuing high reputation for songwriting and partly due to the nature of the band's career. Noted for the bad luck and practical frustration that prevented them from making a long term-breakthrough, Furniture have been described as "one of the most unfortunate of bands, and a salutory lesson for any young hopefuls being courted by minor labels."

Furniture (song)

"Furniture" is a song by Amy Studt which was released as a digital download single on December 3, 2007. It is Studt's first single released on the 19 Entertainment record label. It is taken from her forthcoming album My Paper Made Men. This was a download only single and was therefore unable to chart on the UK Singles Chart.

Furniture is about a woman becoming an ornament to her partner. “There comes a point where you’re constantly together, but you may as well not have been there,” Studt explains. “You have your uses – you cook, you clean and someone has sex with you – and you just become part of the furniture.”

Track listing

Music video

There are two official music videos. The first one is a simple one of Studt wet and is shown with make-up running down her face in a bathroom. The second one was produced by Lee Lennox and shows Studt in a picture frame. The picture seems to be floating in the air for the whole song with cuts of various other pictures in the video through an old house.