Mértola
Mértola (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈmɛɾtulɐ] ⓘ) is a town and municipality in southeastern Portuguese Alentejo near the Spanish border. In 2011, the population was 7,274, in an area of approximately 1,292.87 square kilometres (499.18 sq mi): it is the sixth-largest municipality in Portugal. Meanwhile, it is the second-lowest population centre by density with approximately 5.62 persons/1 square kilometre (0.39 sq mi) (second to the adjacent Alcoutim).
Mértola | |
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Mértola viewed from the opposite shore of the Guadiana, with the city wall and the medieval castle uphill | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
| Coordinates: 37°38′25″N 7°39′40″W | |
| Country | Portugal |
| Region | Alentejo |
| Intermunic. comm. | Baixo Alentejo |
| District | Beja |
| Parishes | 7 |
| Government | |
| • President | Jorge Rosa (PS) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,292.87 km2 (499.18 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 7,274 |
| • Density | 5.6/km2 (15/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC±00:00 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+01:00 (WEST) |
| Local holiday | Saint John June 24 |
| Website | Official website |
The seat of the municipality is the town of Mértola, which has around 2800 inhabitants (2011), located on a hill over the Guadiana River. Its strategic location made it an important fluvial commercial port in Classical Antiquity, through the period of Umayyad conquest of Hispania: Mértola's main church (the Church of Nossa Senhora da Anunciação) was the only medieval mosque to have survived the period in Portugal.
In 2017 Mértola started the process to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.