Ancient olive trees identified across Portugal
Researchers from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) are using scientific methods to date hundreds of ancient olive trees throughout Portugal. Findings suggest that some of these trees are over 2,000 years old, with one specimen in Vidigueira potentially exceeding 3,700 years in age.
UTAD is the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro), a public university based in Vila Real in northern Portugal offering undergraduate and graduate programmes across sciences, engineering, agriculture and health. It launched a medicine course for 2026/27 that added places to the national access competition, so prospective medical students should consider UTAD when applying.
