Alcoutim () is a town and a

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

in southeastern

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

near the Portugal–Spain border. The population in 2011 was 2,917, in an area of 575.36 km². It is the least densely populated municipality in Portugal. The municipality is limited on the north by Mértola Municipality, on the east by Huelva Province in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, on the southeast by Castro Marim Municipality, on the southwest by Tavira Municipality and on the west by Loulé Municipality and Almodôvar Municipality. The administrative center is the town of Alcoutim, located at the extreme eastern part of the municipality on the Spanish frontier, just across the Guadiana River from the Spanish town of Sanlúcar de Guadiana in Huelva Province. The

Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

Alcoutim Castle, located in the municipality, dates from the 14th century.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Alcoutim - a wreath of ''zambujeiro'' (wild olive tree) and the slogan ''Aleo'' - is derived from the decorative motif of the tomb of Pedro de Menezes, 1st Count of Vila Real, found in the Igreja da Graça in Santarém. 'Aleu' or 'aleo' is an old Portuguese term for a 'gaming stick' (as used in

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

shuffleboard Shuffleboard (Deck shuffleboard) is a game in which players use cues to push weighted discs, sending them gliding down a narrow court, with the purpose of having them come to rest within a marked scoring area. As a more generic term, it refers t ...

). It refers to a famous episode concerning Pedro de Menezes from shortly after the

Conquest of Ceuta The Portuguese conquest of Ceuta took place on 21 August 1415, between Portuguese forces under the command of King John I of Portugal and the Marinid Sultanate, Marinid sultanate of Morocco at the city of Ceuta. The city's defenses fell unde ...

on September 2, 1415 (commemorated on Ceuta Day). Pedro de Menezes was engaged in an outdoor game in the king's presence when a messenger arrived reporting an imminent Moroccan attack on Portuguese-held

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

. Menezes is said to have raised his gaming stick (''aleo'') and told the king that "with that stick alone" he could defend Ceuta from all the power of Morocco. Pedro's descendants were later made Counts of Alcoutim. Similar design can be seen on the coat of arms of

Vila Real Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the Norte, Portugal, North region, Portugal. It is also the seat of the Douro (intermunicipal community), Douro Intermunicipal communities of Portugal, intermunicipal comm ...

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes ('' freguesias''): * Alcoutim e Pereiro * Giões * Martim Longo * Vaqueiros

Climate

Alcoutim has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Csa'') with very hot and dry summers and mild winters. Due to its location in the Guadiana River basin it has a climate that very much resembles that of relatively nearby

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

and Cordoba. With an average July high of around it is one of the hottest places in Portugal and Europe during the summer months.

References

External links

*
Official website
(in Portuguese) {{Authority control Populated places in Faro District Municipalities of the Algarve Municipalities of Faro District