Alandroal Municipality is a municipality in Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 located on the eastern frontier with Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 along the Guadiana River in the Central Alentejo region

Alentejo Central

Alentejo Central is a NUTS3 subregion of Alentejo Region, in Portugal. Alentejo Central is composed entirely of the Évora District minus the municipality of Mora, but including one municipality of the Portalegre District, Sousel....

. In 2001 its population was over 6000 inhabitants, within an area of approximately 542 km².

History

Alandroal was elevated to town in 1486, by foral

Foral

thumb|left|200px|Foral of Castro Verde - PortugalThe word foral derives from the Portuguese word foro, ultimately from Latin forum, equivalent to Spanish fuero, Galician foro, Catalan furs and Basque foru ....

 attributed to King John II of Portugal, but only includes the parish of Nossa Senhora da Conceição.

During the 19th Century territories of the older municipalities of Terena and Juromenha where annexed to Alandroal. The community of Villarreal, situated in the municipality of Olivenza (Spain) was once apart of the antique administration of Juromenha.

Geography

The municipality is delimited in the north by Vila Viçosa

Vila Viçosa

Vila Viçosa is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 195.0 km² and a total population of 8,745 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 5 parishes, and is located in the District of Évora....

, east by the Guadiana River and Spanish border, south by Mourão

Mourão

Mourão is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 279.0 km² and a total population of 3,315 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 3 parishes, and is located in the District of Évora...

 and Reguengos de Monsaraz

Reguengos de Monsaraz

Reguengos de Monsaraz is Portuguese municipality in with a total area of 464 km² and a total population of 11,355. The City of Reguengos de Monsaraz proper has a population of 7,308....

, and west by the municipality of Redondo

Redondo

Redondo is a municipality in Portugal with an area of 370.0 km² and a population of 7,020 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 2 parishes, and is located in the District of Évora....

. Alandroal is one of three towns defined within the municipality of the same name, and includes the vilas of Terena and Juromenha.

The municipality is located in the district of Évora, is an administrative unit comprising six individual parishes, with their own local government structures:

• Alandroal (Nossa Senhora da Conceição)
• Capelins (Santo António)
• Juromenha (Nossa Senhora do Loreto)
• Santiago Maior
• São Brás dos Matos (Mina do Bugalho)
• Terena (São Pedro)

Notable citizens

• Diogo Lopes de Sequeira
  Diogo Lopes de Sequeira
  Diogo Lopes de Sequeira was a Portuguese fidalgo, sent to analyze the trade potential in Madagascar and Malacca, he arrived at Malacca on 11 September, 1509. He left the next year when he discovered that Sultan Mahmud Shah, the local leader, was devising his assassination...
  
   (c. 1465 - c. 1530), Governor of India (1518-1522)

External links

• Photos from ALANDROAL