Chaves is a city and a
municipality in the north of
Portugal. It is 10 km south of the Spanish border and 22 km south of
Verín (Spain). The population in 2011 was 41,243, in an area of 591.23 km². The municipality is the second most populous of the district of
Vila Real (the district capital,
Vila Real, is 60 km south on the A24 motorway). With origins in the
Roman civitas Aquæ Flaviæ, Chaves has developed into a regional center. The urban area has 17,535 residents (2001).