Our Series on Tiny Disputes takes us to the Iberian peninsula, where the two main nations, Portugal and Spain, have been living peacefully nearby for a very long time. Ever since the complete takeover of the peninsula from Muslim states at the end of the fifteenth Century, the border between Spain and Portugal has remained unchanged.
This example of stability is marked by one small exception: Olivenza. That small town was under Portuguese control but was difficult to defend as it was separated from the rest of the country by the Guadiana River. During the Napoleonic War, when Spain and Portugal were allied to different powers, the Spaniards took control of the town and formally annexed it at the Treaty of Badajoz in 1801. Portugal soon denounced that treaty and requested the land to be returned but the status of the town as a municipality of the Spanish province of Badajoz remains unchanged to-date. There are still Portuguese speakers in Olivenza, but there are no formal talks for retrocession.
The Olivenza Dispute
