A territory of inspiring natural heritage and a landscape moulded by human hands for more than 7500 years. The origin of the population is not known, but it is recognized that the first peasant communities known in the Iberian Peninsula lived here thanks to the archaeological remains and the megalithic cluster that can be found in the south-eastern quarter of the municipality.
Coruche marks the southern boundary of the Ribatejo region, the largest municipality in the district of Santarém and the tenth largest in Portugal. It offers several options by road, a privileged access with neighbouring Spain and between the capital cities: Portugal, Lisbon, capital of Ribatejo, Santarém and the capital of central Alentejo, Évora. Ribatejo is said to be pure emotion and Coruche combines the privilege of both beauty and bounty. About 50% of the municipality is forested, a mix of cork and pine trees. This is a territory of excellence, renowned for the products it generates; wood, cork and pine nuts of high quality (and great economic value), as well as the richness of flora and fauna that abounds, not forgetting the high environmental and ecological value that the region combines.
Visiting Coruche is an experience you will not forget. The landscape is marked by the seasons of the year with intense colour and by the forest and the Lezíria (low lands), fertilized by the Sorraia River, a tributary of the Tagus. This is where the best rice of Portugal grows. It is an essentially agricultural territory based on the richness of its fertile land and the exploitation of the water ways of the Sorraia River, providing the base for the traditional irrigation crops of rice, corn, tomato and more recently, market vegetables. All of these products are marketed internationally. The cork oak forest is a clear example of renewal and sustainable exploitation, making this territory very special. Due to the concentration of cork oak forests here, industry research and development of the cork sector, the municipality supplies about 8% of Portugal’s cork a world leader in the sector. Coruche supplies 5 million cork stoppers per day to the world. This explains why Coruche proudly holds the title of Cork Capital of the World.
