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Messejana

Parish of the municipality of Aljustrel (Aljustrel), district of Beja.

Messejana had 811 residents in the 2021 Census, 36,1% of whom were aged 65 or over, and 7,0% of the population aged 15 or over had completed higher education. It borders 5 parishes and its centroid is 8,6 km in a straight line from the centroid of the municipality of Aljustrel.

Population (inh.)
  • 661
  • 811
  • 917
  • 1.360
  • 5.125
Density (inh./km²)
  • 7,1
  • 17,7
  • 23,6
  • 26,8
Area (km²)
  • 37,4
  • 38,9
  • 77,0
  • 113,8
  • 191,4
Quantile classes · current parish
Parish highlighted. Click a neighbouring parish to open its page. Geometry: CAOP2025, Direção-Geral do Território (simplified).

The 5 parishes of Aljustrel

Hover a row to highlight it on the map. Click a header to sort.

#ParishPopulationArea (km²)Inhab./km²
1Aljustrel5.125191,4026,8
2Ervidel91738,8523,6
3Messejana811113,777,1
4Rio de Moinhos66137,4317,7
5São João de Negrilhos1.36077,0217,7
Code (DTMNFR)
020103
Resident population (2021)
811
Area
113,77 km²
Density
7,1 inh./km²
Share of the municipality (population)
9,1%
Rank in the municipality (population)
4th of 5

INE, Censos 2021 (população residente por freguesia, geografia 2025, ind. 0014584); DGT, CAOP2025 (área). Population refers to the 2021 census moment, compiled by INE for the parish boundaries in force in 2025.

2021 Census in detail

Men
391 (48,2%)
Women
420 (51,8%)
Portuguese nationality
805 (99,3%)
Foreign nationality
6 (0,7%)
Ageing index
348,8 elderly per 100 young people
Private households
348
Average household size *
2,24 people
Dwellings
635
Classic family dwellings
634
Buildings
616
Buildings with 7 or more floors
0
With higher education (15+)
7,0% (51)
Unemployment rate *
8,31% (H 7,07% · M 10,08%)
Active / employed population
313 / 287

Population by age group

Population by age group0-14 years: 84 (10,4%); 15-24 years: 53 (6,5%); 25-64 years: 381 (47,0%); 65+ years: 293 (36,1%)0-1484 · 10,4%15-2453 · 6,5%25-64381 · 47,0%65+293 · 36,1%
Residents by age group and share of the total (811).
Age groupTotalMenWomen
0-14 years843450
15-24 years532231
25-64 years381212169
65+ years293123170

Source: INE, Censos 2021 — indicators 0014630, 0014631, 0014627, 0014623, 0014621, 0014635, 0014636, 0012481, 0012328, 0014632, obtained from the INE indicators API on 24/09/2026 (licence CC BY 4.0). Parish geography of 2025 (CAOP2025). Nationality (Portuguese, foreign, stateless) is INE indicator 0014632. * Indicator published by INE only for 2013 parish geography (NUTS 2024); used because the parish has the same territory in both geographies (identical population by sex and age group). Ageing index = population aged 65+ ÷ population aged 0–14 × 100; share with higher education = residents with completed higher education ÷ residents aged 15 or over (our calculations from INE figures).

Neighbouring parishes

Straight-line distance to the centroid of the municipality of Aljustrel
8,6 km

Neighbourhood calculated from official boundaries: DGT, Carta Administrativa Oficial de Portugal (CAOP) 2025 (licence CC BY 4.0); two parishes are neighbours when they share a boundary segment. The distance is the straight-line (great-circle) distance between the geometric centroid of the parish and that of the municipality (in territories with islets, of the main part), not a road distance.

2025 local elections — Parish assembly

Registered voters
703
Voters
527
Turnout
74,96% (2021: 75,10%)
Seats
7
ListVotes%Seats
PCP-PEV
CDU - Coligação Democrática Unitária
32962,43%5
PS
Partido Socialista
17933,97%2
Blank votes122,28%
Null votes71,33%

Most-voted list, which elects the parish-council president: PCP-PEV.

Source: SGMAI — official results of the local elections of 12 October 2025 (Secretary-General of the Ministry of Internal Administration), consulted on 25/09/2026. Percentages calculated by SGMAI over total voters.

Heraldry

Coat of arms: escudo de prata, com um castelo de vermelho, aberto e iluminado de azul, tendo a torre central carregada de uma cruz da Ordem de Santiago, perfilada de ouro; o castelo acompanhado de dois ramos de oliveira folhados e frustados de sua cor e atados de vermelho em ponta; em chefe, cinco escudetes de azul, besantados de prata, postos em cruz, os laterais apontados ao centro, entre dois crescentes de vermelho. Coroa mural de prata de quatro torres. Listel branco, com a legenda a negro: «Messejana».

Flag: esquartelada de azul e vermelho. Cordão e borlas de azul e vermelho. Haste e lança de ouro.

Seal: nos termos da lei, com a legenda: «Junta de Freguesia de Messejana - Aljustrel».

Heraldic ordinance published by Edital n.º 742/2008, Diário da República n.º 137/2008, Série II de 2008-07-17 (issuer: Junta de Freguesia de Messejana). Excerpt of the official text (coat of arms, flag and seal), reproduced unchanged.

Parish-council contacts

Address
Praça 1º de Julho
Messejana (ALJUSTREL)
7600-318 MESSEJANA
Telephone
284655148
Fax
284655148
Email
jfmessejana@hotmail.com

Source: DGAL - Portal Autárquico (Direção-Geral das Autarquias Locais), consulted on 25/09/2026.

More information

Coordinates
37,83333, -8,23333
Wikipedia
Messejana
Wikidata
Q1020212

Source: Wikidata (data under CC0 1.0), consulted on 24/09/2026. The patron saint and coordinates are those recorded on Wikidata.

Sources: INE, 2021 Census (resident population) · DGT, CAOP2025 (area and parishes) · more details · Data updated on 24/09/2026