Alcochete ( ) is a
municipality in Portugal
with a total
area of 129.0 km² and a total population of
14,347 inhabitants. The municipality is composed of three
parishes and is located in the district of
Setúbal. Alcochete is the site of
Sporting's academy.
The present mayor is Luís Franco, elected by the
Unitarian Democratic
Coalition.
The municipal holiday is
June 24.
The
largest outlet mall in the Iberian
Peninsula
is just
outside town. Alcochete is known for its
bullfighting tradition and its proximity to the
longest bridge in
Europe, the
Vasco da Gama Bridge.
The actual site of present-day Alcochete was already occupied
during
Roman times with a
clay production facility. Its name is thought to derive
from the
Arabic word for oven for reasons not
yet understood. It became a vacation site preferred by the
Portuguese royalty and the future king
D. Manuel I was born in the village. It
has experienced major development due to the construction of the
Vasco da Gama Bridge.
On January
10, 2008, Portuguese prime minister José Sócrates announced that
Alcochete had been selected as the site of the new airport serving Lisbon
, Portugal's
capital. The existing Portela Airport
, which is located within the city of Lisbon itself, has
become too small to handle demand. This preliminary decision
will be finalised after public consultation. The location of
Alcochete as the construction site of the future Lisbon Airport was
confirmed by the Portuguese Government on
May
8, 2008.
Parishes
External links
References