Alentejo Region () is one of the seven NUTS 2 regions of Portugal. It covers all of the historical Alentejo Province and part of the historical

Ribatejo The Ribatejo () is the most central of the traditional provinces of Portugal, with no coastline or border with Spain. The region is crossed by the Tagus river (''Ribatejo'' translates to "upper Tagus", or more precisely, "up the Tagus" relativ ...

and Estremadura provinces. The greater region is defined within Portugal by the land bordering the left bank of the river

Tagus 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 ...

to the North and extending to the South where it borders the

Algarve The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese). The region has it ...

region. The origin of its name, "além" + "Tejo" combined as Alentejo, literally translates to "Beyond-the-Tagus". However, a large part of the subregion

Lezíria do Tejo The Comunidade Intermunicipal da Lezíria do Tejo (; English: ''Tagus Floodplain'') is an administrative division in Portugal. It was established as an ''Associação de Municípios'' in 1987, converted into a ''Comunidade Urbana'' in 2003, and co ...

is located on the right bank of the Tagus. The Alentejo is completely located beyond the left margin of the Tagus River. Its main cities are

Évora Évora ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District. Due to its well-preserved old ...

Elvas Elvas () is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about east of Lisbon, and about west of the Spanish fortres ...

, Portalegre, Beja, Moura,

Serpa Serpa () is a city and a Concelho (municipality) in the central Portuguese region Alentejo. The population in 2011 was 15,623, in an area of . The Guadiana River flows close to the town of Serpa. History Serpa has its origins in early settle ...

Sines Sines () is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The municipality, divided into two parishes, has around 14,214 inhabitants (2021) in an area of . Sines holds an important oil refinery and several petrochemical industries. It is also a popular ...

and Santarém.

Subdivisions

The region is subdivided into five intermunicipal communities ( NUTS 3 regions): *

Alentejo Litoral The Comunidade Intermunicipal do Alentejo Litoral () is an administrative division in Portugal. It was created in May 2009. It is also a NUTS3 subregion of the Alentejo Region.Alentejo Central The Comunidade Intermunicipal do Alentejo Central () is an administrative division in Portugal. It was created in 2009. The seat of the intermunicipal community is Évora, the main city. Other cities are Estremoz, Montemor-o-Novo, Vendas Novas an ...

* Alto Alentejo * Baixo Alentejo *

Demographics

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 least populated 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 still declining – especially in the east of the Alentejo. Locals are said to migrate from the villages to the towns and from the towns to cities beyond the Alentejo. Some migration into the Alentejo is from Northern Europeans looking to escape their overcrowded regions, though not always permanently, just for sunny holiday retreats. People from China, Brazil, and mostly from (South-)Eastern Europe add to curbing population decline.

Economy

In 2006, the region had an estimated GDP per inhabitant rating of 17,200 EUR. In 2018, the

Gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is oft ...

(GDP) of the region was 13.1 billion euros, accounting for 6.4% of Portugal's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 21,700 euros or 72% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 73% of the EU average.

Maps

File:Provincia Alto Alentejo.png,

Alto Alentejo Province Alto 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 ...

1936 File:Provincia Baixo Alentejo.png,

Baixo Alentejo Province Baixo Alentejo was a Portuguese province. It was abolished with the Constitution of 1976. Districts * Beja District * Setúbal District (southern half) Subregions The area is equal to the area covered by Baixo Alentejo Subregion The ...

1936 File:LocalRegiaoAlentejo.svg, Alentejo Region (NUTS II) File:LocalNUTS3LeziriaDoTejo.svg,

(NUTS III) File:LocalNUTS3AltoAlentejo.svg, Alto Alentejo (NUTS III) File:LocalNUTS3BaixoAlentejo.svg, Baixo Alentejo (NUTS III) File:LocalNUTS3AlentejoLitoral.svg,

(NUTS III)

References

External links

{{Authority control Alentejo NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union NUTS 2 statistical regions of Portugal