Alcochete

Alcochete
Municipality
View of the old part of the city of Alcochete.

Flag
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 38°45′N 8°58′W / 38.750°N 8.967°W / 38.750; -8.967Coordinates: 38°45′N 8°58′W / 38.750°N 8.967°W / 38.750; -8.967
Country  Portugal
Region Lisbon
Subregion Península de Setúbal
Metropolitan area Lisbon
District Setúbal
Parishes 3
Government
 • President Luís Franco (CDU)
Area
 • Total 128.36 km2 (49.56 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 17,569
 • Density 140/km2 (350/sq mi)
Time zone WET/WEST (UTC+0/+1)
Website http://www.cm-alcochete.pt

Alcochete (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐɫkuˈʃet(ɨ)]) is a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 17,569,[1] in an area of 128.36 km².[2] The municipality is composed of three parishes and is located in Setúbal District.

The present mayor is Luís Franco, elected by the Democratic Unity Coalition.

Alcochete Pier

The municipal holiday is June 24.

The largest outlet mall in the Iberian Peninsula, Freeport Designer Outlet, is just outside town. Alcochete is known for its bullfighting tradition and its proximity to the longest bridge in Europe, the Vasco da Gama Bridge.

The actual site of present-day Alcochete was already occupied during Roman times with a clay production facility. Its name is thought to derive from the Arabic word for oven for reasons not yet understood. It became a vacation site preferred by the Portuguese royalty and the future king D. Manuel I was born in the village. It has experienced major development due to the construction of the Vasco da Gama Bridge.

On January 10, 2008, Portuguese prime minister José Sócrates announced that Alcochete had been selected as the site of the new airport serving Lisbon, Portugal's capital.[3] The existing Portela Airport, which is located within the city of Lisbon itself, has become too small to handle demand. This preliminary decision will be finalised after public consultation. The location of Alcochete as the construction site of the future Lisbon Airport was confirmed by the Portuguese Government on May 8, 2008.[4]

Sporting Clube de Portugal has a football training facility (Academia Sporting in Alcochete), which accommodated Portugal during the Euro 2004 competition. Famous for its football youth academy system which features a range of well-equipped facilities and is one of the most renowned in the world, Sporting has continuously developed many world class footballers, such as Ballon d'Or recipients Cristiano Ronaldo and Luís Figo. The current squad for the 2015-2016 season has 11 players graduated from their youth ranks, including Rui Patrício, William Carvalho, João Mário, Adrien Silva, André Martins, Rúben Semedo, Carlos Mané, Ricardo Esgaio, Tobias Figueiredo, Gelson Martins and Matheus Pereira.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 3 civil parishes (freguesias):[5]

  • Alcochete
  • Samouco
  • São Francisco

References

  1. ↑ Instituto Nacional de Estatística
  2. ↑ Direção-Geral do Território
  3. ↑ Portugal's new Lisbon airport to be built in Alcochete for 4.9 bln eur - PM from Forbes online, January 10, 2008
  4. ↑ Portal do Governo
  5. ↑ Diário da República. "Law nr. 11-A/2013, page 552 7" (pdf) (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 July 2014.
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