Alentejo (An Iberian Spain)

Alentejo
Alentejo
	Autonomous community
; Flag	; Coat of arms
	Anthem: "Himno Alentejano"; "Alentejan Hymn"
	; Location of the Alentejo within Spain
Country	Spain
Largest city	Ebra
Capital	Ebra
Provinces	Ebra, Beja, Portalegre, Grandola
Government
• Type	Devolved government in a constitutional monarchy
• Body	Junta del Alentejo
• President	Henrique Vallás Escoto (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party)
Area
• Total	31,551 km2 (12,182 sq mi)
Area rank	6th
Population (2016)
• Total	704,934
• Rank	15th
• Density	Bad rounding here22/km2 (Bad rounding here58/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code	ES-AJ
Statute of Autonomy	May 7, 1983
Official languages	Alentejan, Spanish
Other languages	Extremaduran, Portugalese, Bordero
Parliament	Assembly of the Alentejo
Congress	10 deputies (out of 350)
Senate	10 senators (out of 265)
HDI (2021)	0.867 · very high · 17th
Website	www.juntadelaj.es

The Alentejo (Spanish: Alentejo; Alentejan: Alêtexo; Portugalese: Alentexo) is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Ébra, which is also its largest city. Located in the south-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, its northern and eastern borders are partially defined by the Tagus and Guadiana rivers. The autonomous community is formed by four provinces: Ébra, Portalegre, Beja, and Grandola. It is bordered by Portugal to the north east, Valle del Tajo to the north-west, Extremadura to the east, Andalusia to the south-east, and the Algarve to the south.

The name of the region derives from Old Portuguese, being a combination of the words for Beyond (alén), and the Tagus River (Tejo), all together meaning "The Land Beyond the Tagus River". It was also historically called "Amtre-Tejo-e-Odiana", or "Between the Tagus and the Guadiana".

Dimensions

Alentejo's area extends to 31,551 square kilometres (12,182 square miles), which is around 5.27% of the country's area, and it has a population of 704,934, being around 12,5% of the country's population.

A typical landscape of the rural Alentejo region, with an undulating wheat field and a solitary suber oak.

Topography

View of the Portel Reservoir on the Guadiana from one of the many hills

Topographically, the countryside varies from the open rolling plains of the south of Alentejo to the granite hills in the northeast. To feed the water needs of this considerable area, a number of public dams have been constructed, most notably the dam of Portel.

The landscape is primarily one of soft rolling hills and plains, with conspicuous shrubs and the native cork oaks and holly/holm oaks, the established olive trees and grapevines, as well as eucalyptus trees and some native trees. Managed oak landscapes are locally known as montados.^[1]

In the north, traditional economic activity tends to be more livestock-based as typified by cattle, sheep, and pig (both white and black) farming. To the south, agriculture tends to be more predominant.

↑ Campos, Pablo; Huntsinger, Lynn; Oviedo Pro, Jose Luis; Starrs, Paul F; Diaz, Mario; Standiford, Richard B; Montero, Gregorio, eds. (2013). "Mediterranean Oak Woodland Working Landscapes". Landscape Series. 16. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-6707-2. ISBN 978-94-007-6706-5. ISSN 1572-7742. Unknown parameter |s2cid= ignored (help)

[1] Campos, Pablo; Huntsinger, Lynn; Oviedo Pro, Jose Luis; Starrs, Paul F; Diaz, Mario; Standiford, Richard B; Montero, Gregorio, eds. (2013). "Mediterranean Oak Woodland Working Landscapes". Landscape Series. 16. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-6707-2. ISBN 978-94-007-6706-5. ISSN 1572-7742. Unknown parameter |s2cid= ignored (help)

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