João da Madeira is situated in the extreme north of the district of Aveiro, in the historical region of Beira Litoral, occupying a position central in the subregion of Entre Douro e Vouga. It is approximately 18 kilometres from the Portuguese Atlantic coast, 32 kilometres from the regional capital of Porto, 40 kilometres from Aveiro and 275 kilometres from the national capital. It straddles the a hilltop portion of the geomorphological massif that extends from 50 to 400 metres above sea level. It is crossed at its farthest limit by the River Ul, which runs north to south. The climate in this region is maritime in character, with heavy winter rainfall countered by short dry summers. It is limited in the north by the civil parish of Milheirós de Poiares and west by Arrifana (both in the municipality of Santa Maria da Feira), while its southern border aligns with the civil parishes of Cucujães and São Roque and eastern frontier with Nogueira do Cravo and Macieira de Sarnes (in the municipality of Oliveira de Azeméis). São João da Madeira is a rare example of a municipality with only one civil parish (). Apart from its small dimensions, São João da Madeira is the second largest city in the district of Aveiro and the largest in the Entre Douro e Vouga subregion. Economy Its economy is based on services and industry, employing 62% in secondary and 38% in tertiary sectors. In 2007, there were 3660 registered companies dominated by micro and small businesses and employing 74% of the workers. São João da Madeira's motto, translated as "Labor, City of Work", appeals to its industrial history. In 2007, there were 3660 companies in São João da Madeira: despite being the smallest municipality in size in Portugal, it is the twentieth in economic turnover. It is the head of shoe industry in Portugal, an important industrial activity in Portugal, having the seat of the Shoe Technological Centre. Beyond that, the city is developing a Science Park and main Centro Empresarial e Tecnológico (Business and Technology Centre), as well as important commercial, financial and service centre of the region, having its largest Shopping Mall and largest concentration of banks. Inaugurated in 2008 by President Aníbal Cavaco Silva the centre is a modern project by architect Filipe Oliveira Dias, that services as an incubator for high technology businesses in order to diversify the local market.