ALENTEJO - Geography and history
The Alentejo region is situated in the south of Portugal and is bounded to the north by a section of the Tejo river, to the south by the Algarve mountains, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east by the Guadiana river and the border with Spain. It covers an area of 31 199 square kilometres, or slightly more than a third of the country's total area, and has 57 municipalities. It is criss-crossed by the main national trunk roads, and in particular, those which link the north with the south (IP1 and IP2) and Lisboa with Madrid (IP7). The region comprises the districts of Alentejo Litoral, Alto Alentejo, Alentejo Central, Baixo Alentejo and Leziria Do Tejo.
The region is characterised by a degree of uniformity in topographical terms. A salient feature is its slightly undulating plain which has an average altitude of about 200 m and contains elevations of various geological origins, the highest point being located in the Sao Mamede mountains near Portalegre, at 1 025 m above sea level. The river system is formed by the Tejo in the north, the Guadiana in the east, the Sado in the west and the Mira in the southwest. Given its geographical situation, the region has a temperate climate with Mediterranean and continental features and is characterised by annual precipitation ranging from 400 to 600 mm, concentrated over a period of seven months (October to May), and hot, dry summers.
The Alentejo is predominantly agricultural and most of its area is devoted to farming (56%), about a third to woodland and just under 2% to built-up and developed areas. This region is also very rich in ornamental stone, copper pyrites and other mineral deposits of economic interest.
The region?s landscape
The north-western part of` the region, located on the banks of the Tagus and dominated by Santarém, consists of fertile grasslands, where the finest bulls and horses roam peacefully. To the northeast are the beautiful villages and towns which make-up the so-called Rota dos Castelos (Castle route): Nisa, Castelo de Vide, Marvão, Portalegre and Alter do Chão.
Further south, the landscape becomes warmer and flatter; around the capital town of Évora (one of the most beautiful towns in Portugal), are Monsaraz, Vila Viçosa, Estremoz, and Arraiolos (renowned for its hand-made tapestries, based on traditional drawings from the 17th and 18th centuries).
Going on to the south, the vast plains become less inhabited and sunnier, the only shade being provided by the olive trees and oak trees and the only amenity being provided by refreshing dams. The coastline to the southwest offers magnificent Atlantic beaches. The region has the highest thermal amplitude, going down to 5ºC or up to 33ºC.
Potential yet to be exploited
This region has a potential which makes it attractive and can be summed up as follows:
- large areas of fertile land with good production potential and major hydro-agricultural investments planned for the future (e.g. the Alqueva reservoir);
- good road, port and railway infrastructures;
- a valuable cultural heritage resulting from contacts with other people, which is manifested by monuments throughout the region and reflected in culinary specialities, crafts, customs and traditions;
- its considerable environmental merits and the originality of its typically rural landscape.
The development of this region has been affected by various negative factors, such as:
- its population density, which is the lowest in the country, and the high average age of its population;
- the absence of an industrial tradition or of any propensity for investment;
- constrictions in trading circuits resulting from large numbers of middlemen between production and final consumption; - under-use of regional resources, due to poor links between sectors, resulting in a large portion of the region's raw materials leaving the region unprocessed.
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