Located in the Center Region of Portugal, in a plain coastal area, Ílhavo (with an extension of 75 square kilometres and about 40.000 inhabitants) was always deeply anchored between the Atlantic coast and “Ria de Aveiro” Lagoon.
Historically, the Cod fishery and the adjacent economical activities, in special the shipbuilding and repairs, have greatly contributed to its growth and development.
Known as land of brave skippers, birthplace of captains, pilots and sailors, Ílhavo’s cod fishing epopee lived in the cold seas of the Greenland and of the Newfoundland, since the XVth century, and is deeply present in the collective memory.
