| Portugal–Spain border | |
| Territory1: | |
| Length: | 1234 km (de facto)[1] |
| Established: | 1143 |
| Establishedreason: | The victory of king Afonso I of Portugal over his cousin king Alfonso VII of León at the Battle of Valdevez, forced the Kingdom of León to recognise Portugal as a country, thus establishing the northern borders of Portugal. |
| Treaties: | |
The Portugal–Spain border, also referred to as "The Stripe" (Spanish; Castilian: La Raya, Portuguese: A Raia, Galician: A Raia, Mirandese: La Raia), is one of the oldest geopolitical borders in the world. The current demarcation is almost identical to that defined in 1297 by the Treaty of Alcañices. The Portugal–Spain border is 1234km (767miles) long, and is the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union, being free of border control since March 26, 1995 (the effective date of the Schengen Agreement), with a few temporary exceptions, such as in the 2020 lockdown caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
A microstate existed previously on the border called Couto Misto.
Districts on the Portuguese side of the border from North to South:
Provinces on the Spanish side of the border from North to South:
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.[2]
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.[3]
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.[4] The checks were planned until 15 May 2020.[5] They were initially extended until 15 June 2020 [6] and eventually until 1 July 2020.[7]
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.[8] [9] The closure was further lengthened to 16 March 2021, then again to 5 April 2021.[10] [11] It was extended again to 15 April 2021[12] and then to 3 May 2021. This was eventually shortened to 1 May 2021.[13] [14]
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.
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.[15] [16] 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.[17]
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.[18] [19]