Barrancos

Barrancos (European Portuguese: [bɐˈʁɐ̃kuʃ], locally: [bɐˈrɐ̃kuʃ] ^ⓘ: Barranquenho: Barrancu), officially the Town of Barrancos (Portuguese: Vila de Barrancos), is a town and a municipality in southeastern Portugal, by the Spanish border. With a population of 1,438 as of 2021, it is the least populated municipality in Continental Portugal. Covering an area of 168.42 square kilometres (65.03 mi²), Barrancos is one of only six Portuguese municipalities comprising a single civil parish.

The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with archaeological evidence dating back to the Paleolithic. During the Middle Ages, urbanization was centered around the Castle of Noudar, a fortress that changed hands between Portugal and Castile until its definitive incorporation into Portugal in 1295. In the 19th century, the administrative center shifted to Barrancos, which became the seat of the municipality.

Barrancos has a distinctive cultural identity shaped by centuries of cross-border interaction. It is known for the Barranquenho language, and for its annual Fêra de Barrancos, a festival combining religious and pagan traditions in honor of its patron saint, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. The town also holds the only bullfighting events in Portugal where killing the bull in the ring is permitted, under a legal exception granted in 2002.

Among its economic activities are agriculture and livestock rising, being a production center for Barrancos ham, a type of presunto (dry-cured ham), similar to the jamón ibérico, made from Black Iberian Pig (also known as Porco Alentejano).

The present Mayor is Leonel Caçador Rodrigues, elected by the Unitary Democratic Coalition.