Alvega is a former ''

freguesia ''Freguesia'' (), usually translated as "parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former Port ...

'' ("civil parish"), located in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Abrantes Abrantes () is a concelho, municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal, central Médio Tejo Subregion, Médio Tejo subregion of Portugal. The population was 39,325, in an area of . The municipality includes several parishes divided by the Tagus ...

, in

Santarém District The District of Santarém ( pt, Distrito de Santarém ) is a district of Portugal, located in Portugal's ''Centro Region''. The district capital is the city of Santarém. The district is the 3rd largest in Portugal, with an area of , and a pop ...

, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish

Alvega e Concavada Union of Parishes of Alvega e Concavada is a ''freguesia'' ("parish") in the municipality of Abrantes, Portugal. It was formed in 2013 by the merger of the former parishes Alvega Alvega is a former ''freguesia'' ("civil parish"), located in the mu ...

. The population in 2011 was 1,499, in an area of 55.33 km².

History

On top of a hilltop encountered to the southwest of the confluence of the Tagus River with the Lampreia River, in the area of Barca de Bandos, are the ruins of a fortress. The vestiges of the surface area indicate the presence of the Phoenicians and Greeks. By the time the Romans began occupying the Iberian peninsula around 130, the area was already an important community, designated ''Ayre'' or ''Aritium'', with river port that provided a military connection between Lisbon and Mérida. The destruction of the Roman fort was attributed to the invasion of Vandals, on their way to Andalusia. Of this Roman ''civitas'' there are still some buildings, house foundations and graves, underground galleries, likely the ruins of an aqueduct, military roads, and along the Tagus, there are markers to indicate a Roman bridge. During the Muslim occupation the city continued to support a populous community. The toponymy, ''Alvega'', came from the Arab name ''Alrega'', with its history extending as far back as the Muslim occupation of Hispania.

Geography

The parish is located in the easternmost tip of the municipality, neighbouring with the municipalities of

Mação Mação () is a municipality in the Santarém District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 7,338, in an area of 399.98 km². The present Mayor is Vasco António Mendonça Sequeira Estrela, elected by the Social Democratic Party. The muni ...

to the north, with Gaviãoto the east and with

Ponte de Sor Ponte de Sor () is a municipality in Portalegre District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 16,722, in an area of 839.71 km2. The present Mayor is Hugo Hilário, elected by the Socialist Party. The municipal holiday is Easter Monday. Ec ...

to the south. The parish includes the localities of Alvega, Areia de Baixo, Areia de Cima, Casa Branca, Casal Ventoso, Lampreia, Monte Galego, Portelas and Tubaral. It is situated on the left margin of the

Tagus River The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...

, from the municipal seat of Abrantes. It is the centre of the Beira Baixa rail-line, in addition to having two river ports along the Tagus in Alvega and Barca de Bandos.

Climate

Alvega has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

with hot, dry summers and mild to cool, wet winters. It has a very high

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak d ...

(especially in summer) due to its location in the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see #Name, below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections ...

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

and long distance from the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

(which would otherwise increase nighttime temperatures) in low-latitude

Southern Europe Southern Europe is the southern regions of Europe, region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countrie ...

. The nights are cool, with an average yearly low of , and days are warm to hot, with an average yearly high of . The highest temperature recorded in Alvega was on 4 August 2018 and the coldest was on 2 February 1981. Variations in daily temperature can occasionally surpass 30 °C (54 °F) in the summer. More recently, temperatures went from on the night of 10 July 2021, to on the same day.

Economy

Alvega is essentially rural, involved in the cultivation of cereal grains, cork and olive orchards, as well as the raising of goats and sheep. In addition to

extraction of sand Sand mining is the extraction of sand, mainly through an open pit (or sand pit) but sometimes mined from beaches and inland dunes or dredged from ocean and river beds. Sand is often used in manufacturing, for example as an abrasive or in concret ...

from the river, the fishery, horticulture and fructiculture, among other activities are important parts of the local primary sector economies. Meanwhile, there are portions of the community involved in traditional tin, carpentry, tailoring and embroidery crafts, as a source of tourist dollars.

References

{{Authority control Former parishes of Abrantes