Portugal–Spain border

Portugal–Spain border
Guadiana International Bridge, connecting Portugal and Spain
Characteristics
Entities Portugal  Spain
Length1234 km (de facto)[1]
History
Established1297
Treaty of Alcañices
Treaties

The Portugal–Spain border, also known as "the Stripe",[a] is an international border between Portugal and Spain. It is 1,234 km (767 mi) long, making it the longest continuous international border within the European Union. The Portugal–Spain border was first defined in 1297 by the Treaty of Alcañices and has barely changed since then, which makes it one of the world's oldest international borders. As a member of the Schengen Area since 1995, the Portugal–Spain border is an open border.[b]

History

The Treaty of Limits between Portugal and Spain was signed in Lisbon in 1864 and ratified in Madrid in 1866, leaving unsettled a southern stretch because of the Olivenza and the Moura strifes.[2] A 1926 Convention of Limits ratified the southern end of the border, incorporating a 1893 agreement concerning Moura, while the lands of Olivenza were left without demarcation because of Portuguese reluctance to recognise Spanish sovereignty over the territory.[3]

A number of treaties have been signed between Portugal and Spain to define the boundaries between the two countries:


The undefined sector (Markers 802 to 899)

Due to the unresolved status of the Olivenza dispute (see Claims of sovereignty), a specific stretch of the Portugal–Spain border remains officially undefined and unmarked on the ground. When the Mixed Boundary Commission (Comisión Mixta de Límites / Comissão Mista de Limites) was tasked with surveying and placing the stone border markers following 19th-century bilateral treaties, operations were suspended along this sector of the Guadiana River.[4]

Consequently, the boundary markers numbered from 802 to 899 were never installed. This leaves the border line completely untraced between the confluence of the Caia River (near Olivenza) and the confluence of the Cuncos Stream (Ribeira de Cuncos) with the Guadiana River.[5] Official maps produced by both nations' geographical and military institutes reflect this anomaly through unique cartographic asymmetries. While Spanish topographies apply an alternate styling along the river axis that lacks the standard boundary shading seen elsewhere, official Portuguese military charts completely omit the international boundary line in this specific sector.[6][7]

Customs and identity checks

Portugal and Spain signed the Schengen Agreement in June 1991. This came into effect on 26 March 1995, making Portugal and Spain part of the Schengen area, and thus their boundary became an open border.[8]

Portugal has since reintroduced border checks several times along the border with Spain: during the UEFA Euro 2004 championships, during the NATO 2010 Lisbon summit, and during Pope Francis's visit to Fátima in May 2017.[9]

On 16 March 2020, Portugal and Spain reintroduced border checks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with most people unable to cross; cross-border workers and goods were allowed to pass.[10] The checks were planned until 15 May 2020.[11] They were initially extended until 15 June 2020 [12] and eventually until 1 July 2020.[13]

On 29 January 2021, Portugal closed the border with Spain due to the COVID-19 pandemic; only people with exceptional reasons (force majeure) were able to cross. The planned closure was expected to last for fourteen days, but this was extended to 1 March.[14][15] The closure was further lengthened to 16 March 2021, then again to 5 April 2021.[16][17] It was extended again to 15 April 2021[18] and then to 3 May 2021. This was eventually shortened to 1 May 2021.[19][20]

Border crossing checkpoints

Border crossings

Vilar Formoso - Fuentes de Oñoro border crossing

The busiest crossing point between Portugal and Spain is Tui-Valença, with the main international bridge concentrating half of the total international road traffic between both countries.[21][22] Other important crossings are Vilar Formoso - Fuentes de Oñoro, Caminha and Bragança to Galicia, Portalegre and Elvas to Badajoz, and Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António to Ayamonte.

Bridges across the border include the Guadiana International Bridge and the Lower Guadiana International bridge.

An international bridge connects the Portuguese village of Várzea Grande (Arronches municipality) with the Spanish village of El Marco (La Codosera municipality). It is a wooden bridge only 3.2 meters long.[23]

A zipline across the border exists between Sanlucar de Guadiana in Spain and Alcoutim in Portugal; it is the first and currently only zip line over an international border.[24][25]

A microstate existed previously on the border called Couto Misto.

Bordering districts and provinces

Sign when entering Portugal from Spain.
Sign when entering Spain from Portugal.

Districts on the Portuguese side of the border from North to South:

Provinces on the Spanish side of the border from North to South:

Maritime borders

Portugal's maritime border delimitation, also known as the Exclusive economic zone of Portugal has been disputed for a number of years by Spain, relatively to the Savage Islands area, between Madeira and the Canary Islands.

Notes

  1. ^ Spanish: La Raya, Portuguese: A Raia, Galician: A Raia, Mirandese: La Raia
  2. ^ With a few temporary exceptions, such as in the 2020 lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Borders of Portugal-Spain.
  1. ^ "Orígenes históricos y ambigüedad de la frontera hispano-lusa (La Raya)" (PDF). Diputación de Badajoz, Gobierno de Extremadura. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  2. ^ Cairo, Heriberto; Simões, Dulce; González, Sergio (2022). "Microgeopolítica de las fronteras: el discurso político e infrapolítico de los marcadores físicos de la Raya/Raia hispano-portuguesa". Scripta Nova. 26 (1). Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona: 57. ISSN 1138-9788.
  3. ^ Cairo, Simões & González 2022, p. 58.
  4. ^ García, J. (1998). La delimitación de la frontera luso-española: de los tratados históricos a la cartografía actual (in Spanish). Centro de Estudios Ibéricos.
  5. ^ Fernández de Casadevante Romaní, Carlos (1999). La frontera luso-española: análisis de los tratados bilaterales y el contencioso de Olivenza (in Spanish). Universidad de Extremadura. pp. 87–89.
  6. ^ Instituto Geográfico Nacional (2015). Mapa Topográfico Nacional (MTN50) series, Olivenza sector layers (Map) (in Spanish). Madrid: Ministerio de Fomento. At specific zoom levels on the official Iberpix viewer, the international boundary line changes representation along the Guadiana River; it lacks the standard pink-shaded overlay used on other national borders, displaying only alternate blue cross marks without a legend definition.
  7. ^ Centro de Informação Geoespacial do Exército (CIGeoE) (2008). Carta Militar de Portugal 1:25,000, Sheet 441-A (Olivença) (Map) (in Portuguese). Lisbon: Exército Português.
  8. ^ "The Schengen area - PDF by EU" (PDF). Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Portugal declares Papal holiday". Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  10. ^ "Coronavirus: What you need to know about Spain closing its borders". 17 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Border with Spain to remain closed". Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Land borders with Spain to remain closed until June 15". Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Spain to open borders to EU, but Portugal remains off limits". Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  14. ^ "Portugal closes land border with Spain as virus cases soar". 28 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Spain-Portugal border closure extended until March 1st". 9 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Border with Spain closed until 16 March". Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Land and river border control will continue until April 5th". Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  18. ^ "Portugal extends restrictions on Spanish border until April 15". Reuters. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Flight rules remain and land border with Spain remains closed". Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  20. ^ "Land borders with Spain reopen tomorrow". Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  21. ^ El cierre de la frontera del Miño entre Galicia y Portugal cuesta 300 euros al mes a cada trabajador. El Español.
  22. ^ A fronteira máis transitada reabre afastada dos focos e das prioridades de Madrid e Lisboa. praza.gal
  23. ^ "The World's Shortest International Bridge". Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  24. ^ "Spain becomes home to world's first-ever 'time-travelling' zipline". Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  25. ^ "Travel From Spain To Portugal In Less Than A Minute With This Zany Zip-Line". Retrieved 2020-03-29.

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