This research demonstrates a clear and direct relationship between population health status and the coastal location and urbanization of municipalities. In the beginning of the 90’s, municipalities with a higher score of health status were those located in the western coastal line of Portugal (Setubal - Viana do Castelo). Those showing lower health status scores belong to the rural municipalities of the country. Despite the general improvement of health status scores all over the country during the decade (more obvious in municipalities with lower health status scores, as a result of more expressive improvement of social and health related indicators) those municipalities with lower health status scores in 1991 keep their ranking position in 2001.
The inverse is, in general, also true, with coastal and urban municipalities maintaining their top positions at the end of the research period. Between 1991 and 2001 some few municipalities had seen their health status scores reduced (in absolute or relative terms).

keywords: health status; health st atus evaluation; health inequities; health variations; health geography.