Alto Alentejo, Portugal

Alto Alentejo is a Portuguese sub-region located in the center-east of the country, belonging to the Alentejo region. It has a total extension of 6,230 km2, 104,930 inhabitants in 2021 and a population density of 17 inhabitants per km2.

It is made up of 15 municipalities and 69 parishes, with the city of Portalegre being the administrative city and one of the main urban centers in the sub-region. With 14,318 inhabitants in its urban area and 22,368 inhabitants in the whole municipality, it is the second largest city, after Elvas with 14,438 inhabitants, and the largest municipality in the sub-region, being limited to the north by Beira Baixa, to the west by the Spanish region of Estremadura, to the south with Alentejo Central, to the southwest with Lezíria do Tejo and to the northwest with the Médio Tejo.

 

Cities

Arraiolos
Arronches
Castelo de Vide
Évora
Estremoz
Elvas
Montemor-o-Novo
Portalegre
Vila Viçosa

 

Other destinations

Serra de São Mamede Natural Park
Castelo de Vide
Marvão
Redondo
Reguengos de Monsaraz

 

Olivença, a municipality belonging de facto to the Spanish community of Estremadura, and de jure to the Portuguese region of Alto Alentejo, has been claimed by Portugal since the 19th century.

 

Geography

The subregion is bordered by:

in the north, the Pinhal Interior Sul and Beira Interior Sul sub-regions
in the east - Spain
in the south - sub-region Alentejo Central
in the west - the sub-regions of Leziria do Tejo and Medio Tejo

 

Limits and extent

It was bordered to the north by the Beira Baixa, to the northwest by the Ribatejo, to the West by Extremadura, to the South by the Baixo Alentejo and to the East by Spain (provinces of Badajoz and Cáceres, in Extremadura). Then, it was constituted by 27 municipalities, integrating the entire district of Évora and almost the entire district of Portalegre (only the municipality of Ponte de Sor was not part of the province, as it was integrated into the Ribatejo).

District of Évora: Alandroal, Arraiolos, Borba, Estremoz, Évora, Montemor-o-Novo, Mora, Mourão, Portel, Redondo, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Viana del Alentejo, Vila Viçosa.
District of Portalegre: Alter do Chão, Arronches, Avís, Campomayor, Castelo de Vide, Crato, Elvas, Fronteira, Gavião, Marvão, Monforte, Nisa, Portalegre, Sousel.