Olivenza

Olivenza
Olivenza  (Spanish)
Olivença  (Portuguese)

Castle of Olivenza/Olivença

Flag

Coat of arms

Location of the Olivenza/Olivença territory in the Portuguese-Spanish border
Coordinates: 38°41′N 7°6′W / 38.683°N 7.100°W / 38.683; -7.100Coordinates: 38°41′N 7°6′W / 38.683°N 7.100°W / 38.683; -7.100
Country Spain (claimed by Portugal)
Autonomous Community Extremadura
Province Badajoz
Government
  Mayor Manuel José González Andrade (PSOE)
Area
  Total 750 km2 (290 sq mi)
Elevation 327 m (1,073 ft)
Population (2005)
  Total 11,512
  Density 27/km2 (70/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 06100
Website Town Hall (Spanish)
Manueline door of Olivenza town hall
Ruins of 16th-century Ajuda bridge over the Guadiana, in the ancient road between Elvas and Olivenza
Part of an 18th-century Spanish map, showing Olivenza as part of Portugal
Portuguese late Gothic-style interior of Santa Maria Madalena church

Olivenza (Spanish: [oliˈβenθa]) or Olivença (Portuguese: [oliˈvẽsɐ]) is a town situated on a disputed section of the Portugal-Spain border. It is administered de facto by Spain, as part of the autonomous community of Extremadura. Portugal holds a claim on the town and its surrounding territory.[1]

As Olivença, the town was under Portuguese sovereignty between 1297 (Treaty of Alcañices) and 1801 when it was invaded by the Spanish during the War of Oranges and then ceded to Spain under the Treaty of Badajoz. Spain has since administered the territory (now split into two municipalities, Olivenza and Táliga), whilst Portugal invokes the self-revocation of the Treaty of Badajoz, plus the Treaty of Vienna of 1815, to claim the return of the territory. In spite of the territorial dispute between Portugal and Spain, the issue has not been a sensitive matter in the relations between these two countries.[2][3] Olivenza and other neighbouring Spanish (La Codosera, Alburquerque and Badajoz) and Portuguese (Arronches, Campo Maior, Estremoz, Portalegre and Elvas) towns reached an agreement in 2008 to create a euroregion.[4][5]

Geography

Olivenza is located on the left (east) bank of the Guadiana river, at an equal distance of 24 kilometres (15 miles) south of Elvas in Portugal and Badajoz in Spain. The territory is triangular, with a smaller side resting on the Guadiana and the opposite vertex entering south-east and surrounded by Spanish territory. By an agreement between Spain and Portugal, the left bank of the river was recognized as being Portuguese territory (to a non-defined width, though), and sets de facto border in that area.

Besides the town, the municipality of Olivenza includes six villages: San Francisco (Portuguese: São Francisco), San Rafael (São Rafael), Villarreal (Vila Real), Santo Domingo de Guzman (São Domingos de Gusmão), San Benito de la Contienda (São Bento da Contenda), and San Jorge de Alor (São Jorge da Lor). Another village, Táliga, was detached to become the seat of a separate municipality in 1850.

Total population is 10,762 (2002), of which 8,274 live in Olivenza. The total area is 750 square kilometres (290 sq mi). Like the surrounding regions, population density is low, at 11 inhabitants per km².

Some monuments include the Saint Mary of the Castle Church (Spanish: Iglesia de Santa María del Castillo, Portuguese: Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo), Holy Ghost Chapel (Capilla del Espíritu Santo, Capela do Espírito Santo), Saint Mary Magdalene Church (Iglesia de Santa María Magdalena, Igreja de Santa Maria Madalena, considered a masterwork of Portuguese Manueline architecture), Saint John of God Monastery (Monasterio de San Juan de Dios, Mosteiro de São João de Deus), the keep (torre del homenaje, torre de menagem), and the ruins of the Our Lady of Help Bridge (Puente de Nuestra Señora de Ayuda, Ponte de Nossa Senhora da Ajuda, destroyed in 1709 and never rebuilt).

There are still traces of Portuguese culture and language in the people, although the younger generations speak Spanish only. At the beginning of the 1940s the city was reportedly mainly Portuguese-speaking, but after the 1940s a language shift towards Spanish took place. Famous people born in Olivenza include Cardinal Pedro da Fonseca (?-after 1419) and music composer Vicente Lusitano (?-after 1561).

Chronology

Claims of sovereignty

Olivenza was under Portuguese sovereignty since 1297. During the War of the Oranges, French and Spanish troops, under the command of Manuel de Godoy, took the town on May 20, 1801. In the aftermath of that conflict, the Treaty of Badajoz was signed, with the Olivenza territory remaining a part of Spain.

Spain claims de jure sovereignty over Olivenza on the grounds that the Treaty of Badajoz still stands and has never been revoked, thus making the case that the border between the two countries in the region of Olivenza should be demarcated as said by the treaty.

Portugal claims de jure sovereignty over Olivenza on the grounds of the cancellation of the Treaty of Badajoz, since it was revoked by its own terms. The breach of any of its articles would lead to its cancellation, and that happened when Spain invaded Portugal in the Peninsular War of 1807. Portugal further bases its case on Article 105 of the Treaty of Vienna of 1815 (which Spain signed in 1817) that states that the winning countries are "committed to employ the mightiest conciliatory effort to return Olivenza to Portuguese authority" and that the winning countries "recognize that the return of Olivenza and its territories must be done".[17] Thus, the border between the two countries in the region of Olivenza should be demarcated by the Treaty of Alcanizes of 1297.

Spain interprets Article 105 as not being mandatory on demanding Spain to return Olivenza to Portugal, thus not revoking the Treaty of Badajoz.

Portugal has never made a formal claim to the territory after the Treaty of Vienna, but has equally never directly acknowledged the Spanish sovereignty over Olivenza.

Portuguese military maps don't show the border at that area, implying it to be undefined. Also, the latest road connection between Olivenza and Portugal (entirely paid by the Portuguese state,[18] although it involved the building of a bridge over the Guadiana, an international river) has no indication of the Portuguese border, again implying the undefined status.

There is no research on the opinion of the inhabitants of Olivenza about their status. Spanish public opinion is not generally aware of the Portuguese claim on Olivenza (in contrast to the Spanish claim on Gibraltar or the Moroccan claims on Ceuta, Melilla and the Plazas de soberanía). On the other hand, awareness in Portugal has been increasing under the efforts of pressure groups to have the question raised and debated in public.[19][20][21]

References

  1. Rongxing Guo, Territorial Disputes and Resource Management: A Global Handbook, Nova Science Publisher/New York, 2007
  2. Portugal desmiente a la CIA y niega que haya un conflicto por Olivenza (Spanish)
  3. Martins da Cruz Afirma Que a Questão de Olivença "Está Congelada" (Portuguese)
  4. Europacto en la frontera hispano-lusa (Spanish)
  5. Euroregião e Declaração de Olivença (Portuguese)
  6. 1 2 3 Templespaña (2012). Gran Guía de la España Templaria (in Spanish). Santillana. ISBN 8403012071.
  7. Margarida Garcez Ventura, A Definição das Fronteiras, Ed. Quidnovi, Matosinhos/Lisbon, 2007, ISBN 978-972-8998-85-1
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 António Pedro Vicente, Guerra Peninsular, Ed. Quidnovi, Matosinhos/Lisbon, 2007, ISBN 978-972-8998-86-8
  9. 1 2 in António Ventura, Guerra das Laranjas, Ed. Quidnovi, Matosinhos/Lisbon, 2008, ISBN 978-989-628-075-8, the text of the Treaty of Badajoz: "[Preamble] [...] dois Tratados, sem que na parte essencial seja mais do que um, pois que a Garantia é recíproca, e não haverá validade em alguns dos dois, quando venha a verificar-se a infracção em qualquer dos Artigos, que neles se expressam. [...] Artigo I: Haverá Paz [...] entre Sua Alteza Real o Príncipe Regente de Portugal, e dos Algarves, e Sua Majestade Católica El-Rei de Espanha, assim por mar, como por terra em toda a extensão dos seus reinos [...]. Artigo III: Sua Majestade Católica [...] conservará em qualidade de Conquista para unir perpetuamente aos seus Domínios, e Vassalos, a Praça de Olivença, seu Território, e Povos desde o Guadiana; de sorte que este Rio seja o limite dos respectivos Reinos, naquela parte que unicamente toca ao sobredito Território de Olivença. [...] Artigo IX: Sua Majestade Católica se obriga a Garantir a Sua Alteza Real o Príncipe Regente de Portugal a inteira conservação dos Seus Estados, e Domínios sem a menor excepção, ou reserva. [...]"
  10. Instrumento de ratificación del Convenio y Protocolo adicional entre España y Portugal para regular el uso y aprovechamiento hidráulico de los tramos internacionales de los ríos Limia, Miño, Tajo, Guadiana y Chanza y sus afluentes, firmado en Madrid el 29 de mayo de 1968.. Article III states:
    El aprovechamiento hidráulico de las siguientes zonas de los tramos internacionales de los restantes ríos mencionados en el artículo primero será distribuido entre España y Portugal de la forma siguiente:
    [...]
    E) Se reserva a Portugal la utilización de todo el tramo del río Guadiana entre los puntos de confluencia de éste con los ríos Caya y Cuncos, incluyendo los correspondientes desniveles de los afluentes en el tramo.
    In the same article, sections A and B are assigned to Portugal, while C, D and F are assigned to Spain.
  11. Instrumento de ratificacion de España del Tratado de Amistad y Cooperacion entre España y Portugal, hecho en Madrid el dia 22 de noviembre de 1977 (Spanish).
  12. Martins da Cruz Afirma Que a Questão de Olivença "Está Congelada" (Portuguese), Público.
  13. «Una cuestión congelada», según Portugal (Spanish), ABC, September 15, 2004
  14. RESOLUCIÓN de 6 de septiembre de 2004, de la Consejería de Cultura, por la que se incoa expediente de declaración de bien de interés cultural, para el puente de Ajuda en la localidad de Olivenza (Badajoz) (Spanish).
  15. http://dn.sapo.pt/inicio/portugal/interior.aspx?content_id=1590520&seccao=Sul (Portuguese)
  16. http://diariodigital.sapo.pt/news.asp?id_news=753161 Dezenas de habitantes de Olivença pedem e obtêm nacionalidade portuguesa (Portuguese)
  17. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sp.html#Issues
  18. http://www.ionline.pt/artigos/portugal/fronteira-invisivel-se-dia-portugal-espanha-se-unirem-capital-sera-olivenca
  19. Jefferies, Anthony (19 August 2006). "The best of both worlds". Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  20. Mora, Miguel (4 December 2000). "La eterna disputa de Olivenza-Olivença". El País (in Spanish). Ediciones El País, S.L. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  21. Caetano, Filipe (18 January 2008). "Cimeira Ibérica: Olivença ainda é questão?". IOL Diário (in Portuguese). Media Capital Multimedia. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
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