Parish of Cortes Do Meio / Freguesia de Cortes Do Meio

Cortes do Meio is a Portuguese parish in the municipality of Covilhã, with an area of 47.4 km² and 748 inhabitants (2021). Its population density is 18.6 inhab/km². The parish is made up of the neighboring villages of Bouça, Cortes de Baixo, Ourondinho and Penhas da Saúde. It belongs to the Aldeias de Montanha network.

The toponymy "Cortes do Meio" is due to the presence of stone pastoral huts, with thatched straw roofs, which served to guard the cattle - "the Cortes". These constructions have a significant rustic beauty, having been born as a result of the ingenuity of the shepherds in the use of local resources. They are, therefore, one of the most important examples of agro-pastoral heritage and a mark linked to the transhumance of cattle.