Contexto Socioeconómico
Mértola
With a length of 1 292 km2, the municipality of Mértola, part of the Beja District, is located in the Lower Alentejo region, bordering Serpa (to the north), Castro Verde and Almodôvar (to the west), Alcoutim (to the south) and Spain (to the east).
According to the 2011 census, the municipality of Mértola has 7 274 inhabitants. The population is spread out through over one hundred and fifty different locations, resulting in a demographic rate of 5.3 km2.
The municipality currently has 7 parishes: Corte do Pinto, Santana da Cambas, Mértola, Alcaria Ruiva, Espírito Santo, S. João dos Caldeireiros and the merged parishes of S. Pedro de Sólis, S. Sebastião dos Carros and S. Miguel do Pinheiro.
The parish of Mértola is the largest with 323 km2 and Corte do Pinto is the smallest parish with 71 km2.
The municipality of Mértola is located 50 km from Beja, 240 km from Lisbon and 250 km from Seville.
Serpa
With a length of 1 111 km², Serpa is one of the largest national municipalities, split into 5 parishes: Brinches, Pias, Serpa (Salvador e Santa Maria), Vila Nova de São Bento e Vale de Vargo and Vila Verde de Ficalho.
In 2011, there were 19 674 inhabitants. The municipality is bordered by the municipality of Vidigueira (to the north), Moura (to the northeast), Spain (to the east), Mértola (to the south) and Beja (to the west).
