Montijo
Encyclopedia
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
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...
with a total area of 348.0 km² and a population of 40,199 inhabitants. The town of Montijo
Montijo, Portugal
Montijo is a town in Montijo Municipality in Portugal.The town has a population of 25,719.-References:...
has a population of 25,719.
The municipality is composed of eight civil parishes and is located in Setúbal District. It is one of the few municipalities in Portugal without territorial continuity; that is, its component parts are not conjoined. It is located in the Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
.
The present mayor of Montijo is Maria Amélia Macedo Antunes (Socialist
Portuguese Socialist Party
The Portuguese Socialist Party was a political party in Portugal.The party was founded in 1875. During its initial phase the party was heavily influenced by Proudhonism, and rejected revolutionary Marxism. The party suffered constant factional struggles...
), and the President of the Municipal Assembly is António Isidro Paracana (Socialist).
History
Montijo was known as Aldeia Galega until July 6, 1930, in spite of the fact that it was a small town and no longer a village. It was elevated to city status on August 14, 1985.Existing evidence points to occupation of the area since paleolithic
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
times, although it was not until the 16th century that the village was officially established. It was also during the 16th century that the main headquarters of the royal postal service was established in the village. As a result the village saw an increase in activity which provided an economic boost, although the main economy still developed around agriculture and fishing.
In the 18th century, with the introduction of industry
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
and the increased importance of commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
, agriculture and fishing began to lose their prominence as Montijo's main economic activities. This trend intensified throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and Montijo became known for its processing industries, which mainly dealt with pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
meat and cork
Cork (material)
Cork is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber , which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...
.
Transport
The Vasco da Gama Bridge, inaugurated in 1998, connects Montijo with the capital city of LisbonLisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. Numerous roads, including the IC13, provide access to the south, east and west of Portugal.
Although the train service was discontinued, Montijo maintains a network of public transportation that connects it to other nearby major cities and villages by bus and by a river service connecting it with Lisbon.
Parishes
- Afonsoeiro
- Alto-Estanqueiro-Jardia
- Atalaia
- Canha
- Montijo
- Pegões (Montijo)
- Santo Isidro de Pegões
- Sarilhos Grandes