Alemte'jo,

Alemte'jo, a province in the south of Portugal, with an area of 9381 sq. m. It is the largest but most sparsely peopled of the Portuguese provinces, lies N. of Algarve, and stretches from the Atlantic to the Spanish frontier. It is traversed by a number of mountain-chains, and is watered by the Tagus, Guadiana, and Saado or Sado. In the south and west, the climate is hot and dry; the plains are covered with brown heath, broken at intervals by marshy wastes, while the vegetation is extremely scanty. In the east, on the contrary, the valleys are fertile, and the mountains adorned with forests. The productions include wheat, barley, rice, maize, wine, and fruits. Swine, goats, and sheep are reared; mining, which might be profitably carried on, is neglected. The chief towns are Évora (the capital), Elvas, and Portalegre. Pop. 367,169.