Disputed Status of Olivenza

The Disputed status of Olivenza refers to a dispute between Portugal and Spain over the territory on the border of those two states known as Olivenza (Olivença in Portuguese).

The area has been under Spanish control since the War of Oranges in 1801, but it is not recognized by Portugal. The dispute for Olivenza was old. It is located on the frontier between the two Iberian countries in Upper Alentejo (Alto Alentejo), on the left bank of the Rio Guadiana, neighbor to Elvas and 24 km to the south of Badajoz. An area of much litigation and conflict since the thirteenth century, the bridge that linked the two sides of the frontier was destroyed during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1709. The declaration of war between the two countries in 1801 led to the Spanish occupation of Olivenza, confirmed by the Treaty of Badajoz in the same year. The Franco-Spanish project of occupying and dividing Portugal resulted in the Portuguese royal family going to the Portuguese territory of Brazil, while the agreements made with the English resulted in Spanish control being maintained. Despite the recognition in the Treaty of Vienna of Portuguese rights to the territory of Olivenza, it remained as part of Spain after the Bourbon restoration.

In Portuguese official maps the border is unmarked in that region (left bank of Guadiana river south of Badajoz), and until the 20th-century Portuguese was the local language. Although the annexation is still unrecognized (a matter brought every now and then in diplomatic circles) the question is far from being a major problem between both countries.