Chaves (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʃavɨʃ]) is a municipality and municipal seat of an area (591.3 km²) 10 km south of the Spanish border and 22 km south of Verín (Spain) in the north of Portugal. 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 with a population of 44,186 (2004), of whom, 17,535 reside in the urban area.