The Porto Metropolitan Area is a metropolitan area in northern Portugal centered on the City of Porto, Portugal's second largest city. The metropolitan area, covering 17 municipalities, is the second largest urban area in the country and one of the largest in the European Union, with a population in 2011 of 1,721,038 in an area of 2,040.31 km².
The Porto Metropolitan Area is a major economic engine in Portugal, with a very high HDI and a GDP above the European average. Porto has been Portugal's largest manufacturing region since the Industrial Revolution and is home to many of the country's largest corporations.