Alcoutim
{{for|the civil parish|Alcoutim (parish)}}
{{Infobox Portuguese subdivision
| type = municipality
| official_name = Alcoutim
| image_flag = Alcoutim municipality flag.png
| image_shield = Alcoutim municipality coat of arms.png
| image_skyline = Alcoutim - Portugal (47485159741).jpg
| image_caption =
|coordinates = {{coord|37|28|N|7|28|W|type:adm1st_region:PT_dim:100000|display=inline,title}}
| image_map = LocalAlcoutim.svg
|region = Algarve
|CIM = Algarve
|district = Faro
|parishes = 4
| leader_party = PS
| leader_name = Osvaldo Gonçalves
| area_total_km2 = 575.36
| population_total = 2,917
| population_as_of = 2011
| holiday = Second Friday of September
| website = http://www.cm-alcoutim.pt
}}
Alcoutim ({{IPA|pt-PT|alkoˈtĩ|local|Pt-pt Alcoutim FF.ogg}}) is a town and a municipality in southeastern Portugal near the Portugal–Spain border.Detail Regional Map, Algarve- Southern Portugal, {{ISBN|3-8297-6235-6}} The population in 2011 was 2,917,[http://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xlang=en&xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_indicadores&indOcorrCod=0005889&contexto=pi&selTab=tab0 Instituto Nacional de Estatística] in an area of 575.36 km².{{Cite web |url=http://www.dgterritorio.pt/cartografia_e_geodesia/cartografia/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal_caop_/caop__download_/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal___versao_2017__em_vigor_/ |title=Áreas das freguesias, concelhos, distritos e país |access-date=2018-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105172426/http://www.dgterritorio.pt/cartografia_e_geodesia/cartografia/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal_caop_/caop__download_/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal___versao_2017__em_vigor_/ |archive-date=2018-11-05 |url-status=dead }} 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, 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 Alcoutim Castle, located in the municipality, dates from the 14th century.{{cite web |title=Alcoutim Castle |url=http://www.castles.nl/eur/pt/al/al.html |publisher=castles.nl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070816201725/http://www.castles.nl/eur/pt/al/al.html |accessdate=25 October 2020|archive-date=2007-08-16 }}
Coat of arms
File:Santarém - Igreja de Santa Maria da Graça - Túmulo de D. Pedro de Meneses.jpg, in the Igreja da Graça in Santarém.]]
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 or shuffleboard). It refers to a famous episode concerning Pedro de Menezes from shortly after the Conquest of Ceuta 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. 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."Eu só com este páu, sou capaz de defender Ceuta, de todo o poder dos mouros", as reported in Portugal antigo e moderno, 1878, [https://books.google.com/books?id=z5kDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA495 p. 495]. Pedro's descendants were later made Counts of Alcoutim. Similar design can be seen on the coat of arms of Vila Real.
Parishes
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes (freguesias):{{cite web|title=Law nr. 11-A/2013, page 552 8|url=http://dre.pt/pdf1sdip/2013/01/01901/0000200147.pdf |accessdate=16 July 2014|author=Diário da República|author-link=Diário da República|language=Portuguese}}
Climate
Alcoutim has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification 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 and Cordoba. With an average July high of around {{convert|35 to 36|C|F|0}} it is one of the hottest places in Portugal and Europe during the summer months.{{cite web |title=Average Weather in Alcoutim |url=https://weatherspark.com/y/32779/Average-Weather-in-Alcoutim-Portugal-Year-Round |publisher=Weatherspark.com |accessdate=25 October 2020}}
{{Weather box
|location = Alcoutim, 1985-2021, altitude: {{convert|32|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|metric first = yes
|single line = Yes
|width = auto
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 57.4
|Feb precipitation mm = 41.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 36.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 52.0
|May precipitation mm = 36.5
|Jun precipitation mm = 11.3
|Jul precipitation mm = 0.9
|Aug precipitation mm = 4.0
|Sep precipitation mm = 23.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 68.9
|Nov precipitation mm = 68.9
|Dec precipitation mm = 90.9
|year precipitation mm =
|source 1 = Portuguese Environment Agency{{cite web |title=Alcoutim (29M/01UG) |url=https://snirh.apambiente.pt/index.php?idRef=MTM4Ng==&findestacao=29M/01UG |publisher=APA |access-date=23 October 2021}}
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Wikivoyage}}
- {{Commons category-inline}}
- [http://www.cm-alcoutim.pt/ Official website] (in Portuguese)
{{Municipality of Faro District (Algarve)}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Populated places in Faro District