ALCOUTIM, a cul-de-sac town on the banks of the Guadiana river 40 km north of where the river enters the sea at Vila Real de Santo António. At both Alcoutim and the adjacent Spanish village of San Lucar de Guadiana there are castle ruins hauntingly recalling centuries of fearful vigilance across the border. The fear and loathing has gone. So have the customs men. All that separates the two communities now is a narrow stretch of placid, slow-moving water.

See the official Alcoutim council site for more information (Portuguese language)