Couto Misto

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Couto Misto (Portuguese: Couto Misto [ˈkotu ˈmiʃtu]; Galician: Couto Mixto; Spanish: Coto Mixto) was an independent microstate on the border between Spain and Portugal. It comprised the villages of Santiago de Rubiás, Rubiás (now in the Spanish municipality of Calvos de Randín), and Meaus (now in the Spanish municipality of Baltar), all in the Salas Valley, Ourense, Galicia. The territory of the Couto Misto also included a small uninhabited strip now part of the Portuguese municipality of Montalegre. As a result of complex medieval manorial relations, this land eluded both Portuguese and Spanish control for centuries, actually operating as a sovereign state in its own right until the 1864 Treaty of Lisbon that partitioned the territory between Spain (which annexed most of the land including the three villages) and Portugal (which remained with a smaller uninhabited strip of land). As a de facto independent country, the inhabitants of the Couto Misto had many privileges, including exemption from military service and taxes, and could grant asylum to outsiders and deny access to any foreign military contingent.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Couto Misto (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Couto Misto
OU-1110, Calvos de Randín

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude	Longitude
N 41.9086858 °	E -7.8331329 °

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Address

OU-1110
32633 Calvos de Randín
Galicia, Spain
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Nearby Places

Rubiás

Rubiás is a village in the municipality of Calvos de Randín, Ourense, Galiza, Spain. The census for 2019 showed that the town has 58 people, with 29 men and 29 women. Until 1868 it formed with Santiago de Rubiás and Meaus the de facto independent state Couto Misto.

Rubiás dos Mixtos

Rubiás dos Mistos is a parish in the municipality of Calvos de Randín, Ourense, Galiza. The census for 2007 showed 162 inhabitants (85 men and 77 women). The parish is formed by two villages, Santiago and Rubiás, and in the past also incorporated the village of Meaus. Until 1868 the three villages formed a de facto independent state called Couto Misto.

Santiago de Rubiás

Santiago de Rubiás is a village in the municipality of Calvos de Randín, Ourense, Galicia. The census for 2007 showed 65 inhabitants. Until 1868 it formed with Meaus and Rubiás a de facto independent state called Couto Misto, of which Santiago was the capital.

Picoña Castle

The Picoña Castle (Spanish: Castillo de Picoña; Galician: Castelo da Picoña; Portuguese: Castelo da Piconha) is a Portuguese medieval fortification now situated in the Spanish municipality of Calvos de Randín, Ourense, Galicia. The castle, now in ruins, dates back to the early period of Portuguese independence (12th century) and was constructed over a previous Callaeci fort. In 1650 it was destroyed by Castilian troops during the Portuguese war of Restoration. Even though the castle was the head of the Terras da Piconha, this jurisdiction was suppressed in 1866 with the transfer of the land to the Kingdom of Spain. The castle, part of the domains of the House of Braganza also guaranteed the privileges of the Couto Misto, an independent state formed by the villages of Santiago, Meaus and Rubiás.

Meaus

Meaus is a village in the municipality of Baltar, Ourense, Galiza. The census for 2007 showed 38 inhabitants (19 men and 19 women). Until 1868 it formed with Santiago and Rubiás a de facto independent state called Couto Misto.

Calvos de Randín

Calvos de Randín is a municipality in the province of Ourense, in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It is located in one of the southernmost points of Galicia, bordering Portugal to the south. It consists of the parishes of Calvos (Santiago); Castelaus (San Martiño), Feás (San Miguel), Golpellás (San Xoán), Lobás (San Vicente), Randín (San Xoán), Rioseco (Santa Mariña) Rubiás de los Mixtos and Vila (Santa María).

Tourém

Tourém is a village and parish (freguesia) in the municipality of Montalegre in the far north of Portugal. The main part of the territory of the parish stretches as a small peninsula of Portuguese land within Spanish territory. The northern extremity of the parish is, in formal terms, a Portuguese exclave within Spain, being separated from the rest of the Parish, and the rest of Portugal, by a lake in Spanish territory. This is one of only two exclaves of Portugal. The parish has an area of 16,61 km² and 112 inhabitants (2021).

Pitões das Júnias

Pitões das Júnias is a Portuguese freguesia ("civil parish"), located in the municipality of Montalegre in the district of Vila Real. The population in 2011 was 161, in an area of 36.89 km2.At around 1200 meters of elevation, it is one of the highest parishes in Portugal.

Muíños

Muiños is a municipality in the province of Ourense, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the comarca of A Baixa Limia. It has a population of 1572 as of 2016 and an area of 110 km².