Vila Nova de Gaia, or simply Gaia, is a city in Portugal. It is located in the Porto district, south of the city of Porto on the other side(south) of the river Douro. The city proper has a population of 178,255 and the municipality contains 24 parishes with a total population of 288,749 inhabitantes, being the most populated municipality in Norte region. Gaia together with Porto and other 12 municipalities makes up the commonly designated Porto Metropolitan Area.