{Geobox|Region
| name = Alentejo
| native_name =
| other_name = Região do Alentejo
| category =
RegionRegion is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
| image = Castro Verde Panorama from S. Pedro das Cabeças.JPG
| image_size = 235
| image_caption = The rural community of Castro Verde and the open spaces that characterize the interior Alentejo
{{Geobox|Region
| name = Alentejo
| native_name =
| other_name = Região do Alentejo
| category =
RegionRegion is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
| image = Castro Verde Panorama from S. Pedro das Cabeças.JPG
| image_size = 235
| image_caption = The rural community of Castro Verde and the open spaces that characterize the interior Alentejo
{{Geobox|Region
| name = Alentejo
| native_name =
| other_name = Região do Alentejo
| category =
RegionRegion is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
| image = Castro Verde Panorama from S. Pedro das Cabeças.JPG
| image_size = 235
| image_caption = The rural community of Castro Verde and the open spaces that characterize the interior Alentejo
{{Geobox|Region
| name = Alentejo
| native_name =
| other_name = Região do Alentejo
| category =
RegionRegion is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
| image = Castro Verde Panorama from S. Pedro das Cabeças.JPG
| image_size = 235
| image_caption = The rural community of Castro Verde and the open spaces that characterize the interior Alentejo
{{Geobox|Region
| name = Alentejo
| native_name =
| other_name = Região do Alentejo
| category =
RegionRegion is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
| image = Castro Verde Panorama from S. Pedro das Cabeças.JPG
| image_size = 235
| image_caption = The rural community of Castro Verde and the open spaces that characterize the interior Alentejo
| etymology =
além-Tejo PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
for
beyond the TagusThe Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. It is long, in Spain, along the border between Portugal and Spain and in Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of . The Tagus is highly utilized for most of its course...
or
across the Tagus
| country =
Portugal
| state =
| region = Alentejo
| district =
| capital =
| capital_lat_d =
| capital_lat_m =
| capital_lat_s =
| capital_lat_NS = N
| capital_long_d =
| capital_long_m =
| capital_long_s =
| capital_long_EW = W
| capital_elevation =
| part_type =
| part_count =
| part =
| part1 =
| city =
| city1 =
| municipality_type =
| municipality_count =
| area = 31551.2
| highest =
| highest location =
| highest_lat_d =
| highest_lat_m =
| highest_lat_s =
| highest_lat_NS =
| highest_long_d =
| highest_long_m =
| highest_long_s =
| highest_long_EW =
| highest_elevation =
| lowest = Sea level
| lowest_location = Atlantic Ocean
| lowest_lat_d =
| lowest_lat_m =
| lowest_lat_s =
| lowest_lat_NS =
| lowest_long_d =
| lowest_long_m =
| lowest_long_s =
| lowest_long_EW =
| lowest_elevation =
| population_as_of = 2011
| population = 758739
| population_density = 24.05
| established_type =
| established =
| leader =
| timezone =
WETWestern European Time , defined legally as Greenwich Mean Time in the United Kingdom, is the time zone covering parts of western and northwestern Europe, and includes the following countries and regions:...
| utc_offset = +0
| timezone_DST = WEST
| utc_offset_DST = +1
| code_type = ISO
| code = PT
| code1_type = NUTS
| code1 = PT15
| free_type = GDP per capita (PPS)
| free =
| free1_type =
| free1 =
| commons = Alentejo
| statistics =
| website = http://www.allentejo.com/
| footnotes = Statistics from
INEThe Instituto Nacional de Estatística is the National Statistical Institute of Portugal. Its headquarters are located in Lisbon. It also calls itself Statistics Portugal in English. The first census in Portugal was carried out in 1864...
(2005); geographic detail from Instituto Geográfico Português (2010)
}}
Alentejo (ɐlẽˈtɛʒu) is a south-central region of
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. The origin of its name, "Além-Tejo", literally translates to "Beyond the
TagusThe Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. It is long, in Spain, along the border between Portugal and Spain and in Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of . The Tagus is highly utilized for most of its course...
" or "Across the Tagus". The region is separated from the rest of Portugal by the Tagus river, and extends to the south where it borders the
Algarve. Alentejo is a region known for its polyphonic singing groups, comparable to those found on
SardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
and
CorsicaCorsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
.
Its main cities are
ÉvoraÉvora is a municipality in Portugal. It has total area of with a population of 55,619 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Évora District and capital of the Alentejo region. The municipality is composed of 19 civil parishes, and is located in Évora District....
,
Portalegre, Beja, Serpa and
SinesSines is a coastal municipality in the district of Setúbal, in the Alentejo Litoral region of the Portuguese Alentejo. Its population in 2011 was over 14260 residents, with a total area of 203.3 km², concentrated on the municipal seat of Sines.-History:...
.
Being a traditional region, it is also one of the more recent seven Regions of Portugal (
NUTSThe Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics or Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics is a geocode standard for referencing the subdivisions of countries for statistical purposes...
II subdivisions). Today
Lezíria do TejoLezíria do Tejo is a Portuguese NUTS III subregion, part of NUTS II Alentejo Region.Lezíria do Tejo belonging to Lisboa e Vale do Tejo Region for planning, but to Lisbon Region in the NUTS scheme, has its main urban center in the city of Santarém and almost coincides with the traditional Ribatejo...
subregion, formerly belonging to
Lisboa e Vale do TejoLisboa e Vale do Tejo was one of the five Regions of Portugal . Today two of the subregions are in the new Lisboa Region, two in the Centro Region and one in the Alentejo Region....
region, is part of Alentejo NUTS II region.
History
The
comarcaA comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
of the Alentejo became the
Alentejo ProvinceAlentejo Province is one of the six historical provinces of Portugal.It was later divided in Alto Alentejo Province and Baixo Alentejo Province....
, divided into upper (
Alto Alentejo ProvinceAlto Alentejo was a Portuguese province. It was abolished with the Constitution of 1976.The area is now covered by Alto Alentejo Subregion and Alentejo Central Subregion.-Municipalities:*Alandroal Municipality*Alter do Chão Municipality...
) and lower (
Baixo Alentejo ProvinceBaixo Alentejo was a Portuguese province. It was abolished with the Constitution of 1976.- Subregions :The area is equal to the area covered by Baixo Alentejo Subregion and Alentejo Litoral Subregion.-Municipalities:...
) designations. The modern region of the
AlentejoAlentejo Region is one of the NUTS 2 regions of Portugal. It covers all of the historical Alentejo Province, but the Lezíria do Tejo Subregion also covers areas of the Estremadura Province.-Subregions:* Alto Alentejo Subregion...
was expropriated from the medieval provinces and historical territories of Estremadura Province (specifically the 1936 portions of the Ribatejo).
Geography
{{main|Subdivisions of Alentejo}}
Topographically the countryside varies considerably, from the open rolling plains of the south of the Alentejo to the granite hills that border
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in the north-east. To feed the water needs of this considerable area a number of public dams have been constructed, most notably the
Alqueva DamThe Alqueva dam is a dam located on the Guadiana River in the Alentejo region. The reservoir is the largest in Portugal and Western Europe.The complex project was made to produce hydroelectric power, irrigation for farms in the surrounding area, as well as a large reservoir where several tourist...
. The landscape is primarily one of soft rolling hills and plains, with
cork oaksQuercus suber, commonly called the Cork Oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section Quercus sect. Cerris. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring. It is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa.It grows to up to 20 m,...
and
olive treesThe olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
, or the occasional
vineA vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
. In the north agriculture is mostly livestock-based as typified by cows, sheep, and pigs (both white and black). To the south the agriculture is mostly arable.
Biome
To the east of
Portalegre is the Parque Natural da Serra de São Mamede, a Nature Park Area that includes charming medieval villages that have changed very little from those days. In the south near
MértolaMértola is a municipality in southeastern Portugal next to the Spanish border. It has a total area of 1,292.87 km² and a total population of 8,712 inhabitants . In terms of land area, it is the sixth-largest municipality in Portugal. The resultant population density of 6.74 persons/km² is the...
is another Nature Park Area named Parque Natural do Vale Guadiana. This is mainly uninhabited and a contrast to the other above. To the west, the coastal strip that runs from the port of Sines down to Cabo de São Vicente is the
Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural ParkSouthwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park is a natural park in the Alentejo Region of south-central Portugal.It is one of the 30 Natural Park areas which are officially under Portuguese protection in the country.-see also:...
.
Climate
The climate of the region is typically very dry for a large part of the year with summer temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius and mild winters. Alentejo is one of the hottest places in Europe, as the South inland of Spain. In Alentejo, year temperature averages can be as high as 25 degrees, and 50 degrees can even be measured there (
AmarelejaAmareleja is a Portuguese civil parish of the municipality of Moura, in the district of Beja. In 2001, the population was 2763 inhabitants, in an area of 108.56 km² in area, and is one of the hottest places in Europe during the summer .-History:Archeological vestiges, from the Roman epoch are...
, 05/07/2010).
In most of the territory of Alentejo, the climate is Hot-Summer Mediterranean (Csa) but there is a part, in the South of Beja District that has Semi-Arid climate, where temperatures are really hot. In this part of Alentejo, the summers are even hotter than the summers in Almeria, a city in South Spain that has a Arid climate.
Most of the yearly rainfall occurs in the late autumn to early spring.
The biggest cities in Alentejo (Beja, Evora and Portalegre) are really hot in summer with a Hot-Summer mediterranean climate (Csa) but they are not the hottest cities, or villages in this hot Region. Some studies even show that Alentejo is not the hottest place in Portugal.
Subregions
- Alentejo Central
Alentejo Central is a NUTS3 subregion of Alentejo Region, in Portugal. Alentejo Central is composed entirely of the Évora District minus the municipality of Mora, but including one municipality of the Portalegre District, Sousel....
- Alentejo Litoral
Alentejo Litoral is a NUTS3 subregion of the Alentejo Region, in Portugal. Alentejo Litoral is comprised by municipalities of both the Beja District and the Setúbal District. The chief city is Sines...
- Alto Alentejo
Alto Alentejo is a NUTS3 subregion of the Alentejo Region, in Portugal. It consists of 15 concelhos. It has a total area of 6,230 km² and a population of 127,025 ; thus 20,3 people/km².The chief city is Portalegre...
- Baixo Alentejo
Baixo Alentejo is a NUTS3 subregion of Alentejo Region, in Portugal. It consists of 13 concelhos. It has a total area of 8,505 km² and a population of 135,105 ; thus 15.8 people/km².The chief city is Beja....
- Lezíria do Tejo
Lezíria do Tejo is a Portuguese NUTS III subregion, part of NUTS II Alentejo Region.Lezíria do Tejo belonging to Lisboa e Vale do Tejo Region for planning, but to Lisbon Region in the NUTS scheme, has its main urban center in the city of Santarém and almost coincides with the traditional Ribatejo...
Demography
The resident population of the Alentejo stands at around 759,000 (fourth quarter, 2008 – 2 700 less than the fourth quarter of 2007), with 49% men and 51% women. It is the most depopulated region in the country, representing over one third of national territory but only 7.1% of its population. It is also the region with the oldest population, 22.9% being 65 years of age or more (while the national average is 17.5%).
The population is low and declining - especially to the east of Alentejo. Portuguese migrate from the villages to the towns and from the towns to cities beyond Alentejo. Virtually the only migration into Alentejo is from Northern Europeans looking to escape their overcrowded countries, either permanently or for sunny holiday retreats.
Education
The illiteracy rate in the region is quite high among people older than 60 years, though there has been much improvement in recent years as generations have been replaced. The rate of coverage of pre-primary education is amongst the highest in the country. Institutions of higher education include:
- Instituto Politécnico de Beja
The Polytechnical Institute of Beja is a state-run polytechnic institute of higher education, comprising several schools. It is located in Beja, on the south region of Alentejo, Portugal...
- Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre
- Universidade de Évora
Economy
The area is commonly known as the "bread basket" of Portugal, a region of vast open countryside with undulating plains and rich fertile soil. With very few exceptions all the major towns are mainly reliant on agriculture, livestock and wood. There are several types of typical cheeses, wines and smoked hams and sausages made in Alentejo region, among these:
Queijo de Serpa,
Queijo de Évora and
Queijo de NisaQueijo de Nisa is a semi-hard sheep's milk cheese from the municipality of Nisa, in the subregion of Alto Alentejo in Portugal. It is created from raw milk, which is coagulated, then curdled using an infusion of thistle...
(
cheeseCheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
s);
Vinho do AlentejoAlentejo is Portuguese wine region located in the Alentejo region of the country. The entire region is entitled to use the Vinho Regional designation Alentejano VR, while some areas are also classified at the higher Denominação de Origem Controlada level under the designation Alentejo DOC...
and
Vinho do Redondo (
wineWine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
s); and
presuntoPresunto is the name given to dry-cured ham from Portugal, similar to Spanish jamón or Italian prosciutto crudo.Among the wide variety of presuntos in Portugal, the most famous are presunto from Chaves, produced in the north of Portugal, and that from the Alentejo, in the south, made from local...
(
hamHam is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
).
MarbleMarble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
,
corkCork is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber , which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...
,
olive oilOlive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
and
miningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
industries are other important activities in the region. The
Alqueva damThe Alqueva dam is a dam located on the Guadiana River in the Alentejo region. The reservoir is the largest in Portugal and Western Europe.The complex project was made to produce hydroelectric power, irrigation for farms in the surrounding area, as well as a large reservoir where several tourist...
is an important
irrigationIrrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
and hydroelectric power generation facility which supports a part of Alentejo's economy.
The region is the home of the world's most important area for the growing of
corkCork is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber , which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...
. Cork-oak, known in Portugal as "sobreiro", has been grown commercially in the region for the past 300 years, with the areas between the trees typically given over to
grazingGrazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
, or on the more productive soils, to the growing of citrus fruit, vines or olives. As a consequence, a uniquely rich and varied eco-system has developed. The bark of the cork-oak is still harvested by teams of men using locally made hand-
axeThe axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
s. No mechanical method has yet been invented that will allow the harvest to be achieved as effectively. The stripping of the bark is performed only in mid summer, when the bark can be removed more easily. The cork-oak is the only tree known that will allow this regular stripping of bark without damage. The harvest of one mature tree provides sufficient bark to produce about 4,000
wine bottleA wine bottle is a bottle used for holding wine, generally made of glass. Some wines are fermented in the bottle, others are bottled only after fermentation. They come in a large variety of sizes, several named for Biblical kings and other figures. The standard bottle contains 750 ml,...
corks. The industry provides employment for about 60,000 workers. In 2006, the region had an estimated GDP per inhabitant rating of 17,200 EUR.