Couto Misto

Couto Misto
Microstate
10th century–1868
Flag
Motto "Tres Unum Sunt"  (Latin) "Three are One"
Map of the Couto Misto
Capital		Santiago de Rubiás
Languages		Portuguese, Spanish, Galician
Religion		Roman Catholic
Government		Popular assembly
Judge
•	ca 1860	Delfim Modesto Brandão1
History
•	Foundation	10th century
•	Partitioned	September 29, 1864
•	Formal annexation	June 23, 1868
Area
•	1845	27 km² (10 sq mi)
Population
•	1845 est.	800
Density		29.6 /km²  (76.7 /sq mi)
•	2011 est.	290
Preceded by Succeeded by Kingdom of Galicia History of Spain (1814–73) Kingdom of Portugal
Today part of		Portugal  Spain
1Delfim Modesto Brandão (born in Tourém in 1835), was the second to last head of state, taking office in January 1863, according to his memoirs, and followed by one last "Juiz" whose mandate ceased with the partition and annexation of the territory.

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Couto Misto (Portuguese: Couto Misto [ˈko(w)tu ˈmisto], Galician: Couto Mixto, Spanish: Coto Mixto) was an independent microstate on the border between Spain and Portugal. It was composed of 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 located 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 of 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 numerous privileges, including exemption from military service and taxes, and could grant asylum to outsiders and deny access to any foreign military contingent.