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Alentejo
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Alentejo
Alentejoəlāntā'zhoo, historic province, SE Portugal, now divided into Altro (Upper) Alentejo (4,888 sq mi/12,660 sq km) and Baixo (Lower) Alentejo (5,318 sq mi/13,774 sq km). The capital of Altro Alentejo is Évora, and the capital of Baixo Alentejo is Beja. The historic province has been further subdivided into the districts of Beja, Évora, and most of Setúbal and Portalegre. Alentejo, the granary of Portugal, is drained by the Guadiana River and tributaries of the Sado River. Sheep, horses, cattle, and hogs are raised, and wheat, grains, olives, and fruits are grown. Alentejo produces over half of the world's cork. Alentejo was involved in Portugal's many wars with Castile. The name was formerly spelled Alemtejo.

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Wikipedia search results for: Alentejo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alentejo is a south-central region of Portugal. Its name's origin, "Além-Tejo", literally translates to "Beyond the Tagus" or "Across the Tagus". The region is separated from the rest of Portugal by the Tagus river, and extends to the south where it borders the Algarve. Alentejo is a region known for its polyphonic singing groups, comparable to those found on Sardinia and Corsica. Its main cities are Évora, Santarém, Portalegre, Beja, and Sines. Being a traditional region, it is also one of the more recent seven Regions of Portugal. Today Lezíria do Tejo subregion, formerly belonging to Lisboa e Vale do Tejo region, is part of Alentejo NUTS II region....more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Alentejo
Results 1 - 7  of 7
  • Ourique

    Ourique, town (1991 pop. 1,339), Beja dist., S Portugal, in Baixo Alentejo. Although tradition says Alfonso I defeated the Moors there in 1139, the battle of Ourique was actually fought at som...

  • Aviz

    Aviz, village, Portalegre dist., central Portugal, in Alto Alentejo. The Castilian order of the Knights of Calatrava assisted in driving the Moors from Portugal and in 1166 settled at Évora. A...

  • Beja

    Beja, town (1991 pop. 20,005), S Portugal, capital of Beja dist. and Baixo Alentejo. It is an important regional trade center with copper, silver, lead, and zinc mining nearby. Beja was import...

  • Elvas

    Elvas, town (1991 pop. 13,422), E central Portugal, in Altro Alentejo, near the Spanish border. Jewelry is made there. A heavily fortified town, it was important in all the Portuguese wars but...

  • Estremoz

    Estremoz, town (1991 pop. 16,910), Évora dist., S central Portugal, in Alto Alentejo. It is famous for its white, almost translucent marble and also for its pottery. The castle, with its state...

  • Évora

    Évora, town (1991 pop. 38,938), capital of Évora dist. and of Altro Alentejo, S central Portugal. It is the commercial center of a fertile agricultural area. Cork and textiles are produced and...

  • Portugal

    Portugal, officially Portuguese Republic, republic (2005 est. pop. 10,566,000), 35,553 sq mi (92,082 sq km), SW Europe, on the western side of the Iberian Peninsula and including the Madeira I...

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