The Ribatejo () is the most central of the traditional

provinces of Portugal The term "provinces" () has been used throughout history to identify regions of continental Portugal. Current legal subdivisions of Portugal do not coincide with the provinces, but several provinces, in their 19th- and 20th-century versions, s ...

, with no coastline or border with Spain. The region is crossed by the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...

river (''Ribatejo'' translates to "upper Tagus", or more precisely, "up the Tagus" relative to

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

at its mouth). The region contains some of the nation's richest agricultural land, and it produces most of the animals used in the Portuguese style of bullfighting. Ribatejo Province was formally created in 1936. It contained the municipalities of

Abrantes Abrantes () is a concelho, municipality in the 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 River, which runs through ...

, Alcanena, Almeirim,

Alpiarça Alpiarça () is a municipality in Santarém District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 7,702, in an area of 95.36 km2. The present Mayor is Mário Fernando Pereira and the President of the Municipal Assembly is Mario Santiago. The munic ...

, Azambuja, Benavente,

Cartaxo Cartaxo () is a concelho, municipality in the district of Santarém (district), Santarém in continental Portugal. The population in 2011 was 24,462, in an area of 158.17 km2. The urbanized centre of Cartaxo had a population of 9,507 in 2001. ...

Chamusca Chamusca () is a municipality in Santarém District in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 8,530, in an area of 746.01 km2. The present Mayor is Paulo Queimado, elected by the Socialist Party. The municipal holiday is Ascension Day. Cli ...

, Constância, Coruche, Entroncamento, Ferreira do Zêzere, Golegã, Rio Maior,

Salvaterra de Magos Salvaterra de Magos () is a municipality in the district of Santarém in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 22,159, in an area of 243.93 km2. The present Mayor is Hélder Manuel Ramalho de Sousa Esménio of the PS. The previous mayor Ana ...

, Santarém, Sardoal,

Tomar Tomar (), also known in English as Thomar (the ancient name of Tomar), is a Portugal, Portuguese city and a municipality in the historical Ribatejo Portuguese Provinces of Portugal, province, and in Santarém District, Santarém district. The to ...

Torres Novas Torres Novas () is a Portugal, Portuguese Concelho, municipality in the district of Santarém (district), Santarém, in the Médio Tejo Subregion, Médio Tejo of the Oeste e Vale do Tejo region. The population of the municipality was approximately ...

Vila Franca de Xira Vila Franca de Xira (), officially the City of Vila Franca de Xira (), is a city and municipality in the Lisbon District in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 137,659, in an area of 318.19 km2. Situated on both banks of the Tagus River, ...

and Vila Nova da Barquinha. The largest towns were Santarém and

. In 1976 the Ribatejo Province was dissolved. Most of the area belongs to the

Santarém District The District of Santarém ( ) is a district of Portugal, located in Portugal's West and Tagus Valley region. The district capital is the city of Santarém. The district is the 3rd largest in Portugal, with an area of , and a population of 475 ...

. For EU statistical purposes, it was divided between the Lezíria do Tejo,

Médio Tejo The Intermunicipal communities of Portugal, Comunidade Intermunicipal do Médio Tejo (; English language, English: ''Middle Tagus'') is an administrative division in Portugal. It was created in December 2008, replacing the former ''Comunidade Urban ...

Lisbon metropolitan area The Lisbon Metropolitan Area (; abbreviated as AML) is a metropolitan areas in Portugal, metropolitan area in Portugal centered on Lisbon, the capital and largest city of the country. The metropolitan area, covering 17 List of cities in Portuga ...

and Alto Alentejo subregions ( NUTS III), belonging to the

Centro Centro may refer to: Places Brazil *Centro, Santa Maria, a neighborhood in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * Centro, Porto Alegre, a neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * Centro (Duque de Caxias), a neighborhood of Du ...

and

Alentejo Alentejo ( , , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond the Tagus" (). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo Province, Alto Alentejo and Bai ...

EU statistical regions (

NUTS II Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics or NUTS () is a geocode standard for referencing the administrative divisions of countries for statistical purposes. The standard, adopted in 2003, is developed and regulated by the European Un ...

Municipalities

* Lisboa District: Arruda dos Vinhos, Azambuja and

municipalities * Portalegre District: Ponte de Sor municipality *

, Alcanena, Almeirim,

, Benavente,

, Constância, Coruche, Ferreira do Zêzere, Golegã, Rio Maior,

, Santarém, Sardoal,

and Vila Nova da Barquinha municipalities

References

Provinces of Portugal (1936–1976) {{Portugal-geo-stub

Municipalities

See also

References