Basque Country (greater region)

TheBasque Country(Basque:Euskal Herria;Spanish:País Vasco;French:Pays basque) is the name given to the home of theBasque people.The Basque Country is located in the westernPyrenees, straddling the border betweenFranceandSpainon the coast of theBay of Biscay.
Encompassing theAutonomous Communitiesof theBasque CountryandNavarrein Spain and theNorthern Basque Countryin France,the region is home to theBasque people(Basque:Euskaldunak), theirlanguage(Basque:Euskara), culture and traditions. The area is neither linguistically nor culturally homogeneous, and certain areas have a majority of people who do not consider themselves Basque, such as the south ofNavarre.The concept is still highly controversial, and the Supreme Court of Navarre has upheld a denial of government funding to school books that include the Navarre community within the Basque Country area.
The name inBasqueisEuskal Herria. The name isdifficult to accurately translateinto other languages due to the wide range of meanings of the Basque wordherri. It can be translated asnation;country,land;people,populationandtown,village,settlement.The first part,Euskal, is the adjectival form ofEuskara"the Basque language".Thus a moreliteral translationwould be "country/nation/people/settlement of the Basque language", a concept difficult to render into a single word in most other languages.
The two earliest references (in various spelling guises) are inJoan Perez de Lazarraga's manuscript, dated around 1564–1567 aseusquel erriaandeusquel erriauandheuscal herrian('in the Basque Country') andHeuscal-HerrianinJoanes Leizarraga's Bible translation, published in 1571.
The term Basque Country refers to a collection of regions inhabited by theBasque people, known asEuskal HerriainBasque language, and it is first attested as including seven traditional territories inAxular's literary workGero(he goes on to suggest that Basque language is spoken "in many other places"), in the early 17th century. Some Basques refer to the seven traditional districts collectively asZazpiak Bat, meaning "The Seven [are] One", a motto coined in the late 19th century.
TheNorthern Basque Country, known in Basque asIparralde(literally, "the northern part"), is the part of the Basque Country that lies entirely withinFrance, specifically as part of thePyrénées-Atlantiquesdépartementof France, and constitutes theBasque Municipal Community.As such it is usually known asFrench Basque Country(Pays basque françaisinFrench).  In most contemporary sources, it is defined as covering thearrondissementofBayonneand thecantonsofMauléon-LicharreandTardets-Sorholus, but sources disagree on the status of the village ofEsquiule.Within these conventions, the area of Northern Basque Country (including the 29 square kilometres (11 square miles) of Esquiule) is 2,995 square kilometres (1,156 square miles).
The French Basque Country is traditionally subdivided into three provinces:
This summary presentation suggests difficulty in justifying the inclusion of a fewcommunesin the lowerAdourregion. Jean Goyhenetche suggests it would be more accurate to depict the region as the reunion of five entities: Labourd, Lower Navarre, Soule but alsoBayonneandGramont.
TheSouthern Basque Country, known in Basque asHegoalde(literally, "the southern part"), is the part of the Basque region that lies completely withinSpain. It is frequently known as Spanish Basque Country. It is the largest and most populated part of the Basque Country. It includes twomain regions: theBasque Autonomous Community(Vitoria-Gasteizis the capital) and theChartered Community of Navarre(capital cityPamplona-Iruña).
TheBasque Autonomous Community(7,234 km²)consists of threeprovinces, specifically designated "historical territories":
The Chartered Community ofNavarre(10,391 km²)is a single-province autonomous community. Its name refers to the charters, theFueros of Navarre. TheSpanish Constitutionof 1978 states that Navarre may become a part of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country if it is so decided by its people and institutions (theDisposición transitoria cuartaor "Fourth Transitory Provision"). To date, there has been no implementation of this law. Despite demands for a referendum by minority leftist forces and Basque nationalists in Navarre, it has been opposed by mainstream Spanish parties and theNavarrese People's Union, which was the ruling party until 2015. The Union has repeatedly asked for an amendment to the Constitution to remove this clause.
In addition to those, twoenclaveslocated outside of the respective autonomous community are often cited as being part of both the Basque Autonomous Community and also the Basque Country (greater region).
The Basque Country region is dominated by a warm, humid and wetoceanic climate. The coastal area is part ofGreen Spainand by extension, the climate is similar forBayonneandBiarritzas well. Inland areas inNavarreand the southern regions of the autonomous community are transitional, with continentalMediterranean climate, with somewhat wider temperature swings between seasons. The list only sources locations inSpain, but Bayonne/Biarritz have a very similar climate to nearbyHondarribiaon the Spanish side of the border. The values do not apply toDonostia-San Sebastián, since its weather station is at a higher elevation than the urban core, where temperatures are higher year-round and similar to those inBilbaoandHondarribia.
According to some theories, Basques may be the least assimilated remnant of thePaleolithicinhabitants of Western Europe (specifically those of theFranco-Cantabrian regionknown asAzilian) to the Indo-European migrations. Basque tribes were mentioned by Greek writerStraboand Roman writerPliny the Elder, including theVascones, theAquitani, and others. There is considerable evidence to show their Basque ethnicity in Roman times in the form of place-names, Caesar's reference to their customs and physical make-up, the so-called Aquitanian inscriptions recording names of people and gods (approx. 1st century, seeAquitanian language), etc.
Geographically, the Basque Country was inhabited inRoman timesby several tribes: theVascones, theVarduli, theCaristi, theAutrigones, theBerones, theTarbelli, and theSibulates. Some ancient place-names, such asDeba, Butrón,Nervión,Zegama, suggest the presence of non-Basque peoples at some point inprotohistory. The ancient tribes are last cited in the 5th century, after which track of them is lost, with only Vascones still being accounted for,while extending far beyond their former boundaries, e.g. in the current lands of Álava and most conspicuously around the Pyrenees andNovempopulania.
The territory of the Cantabri encompassed probably present-dayBiscay,Cantabria,Burgosand at least part ofÁlavaandLa Rioja, i.e. to the west ofVasconterritory in theEarly Middle Ages,but the ethnic nature of this people, often at odds with and finally overcome by theVisigoths, is not certain. The Vascones aroundPamplona, after much fighting againstFranksand Visigoths, founded theKingdom of Pamplona(824), inextricably linked to their kinsmen theBanu Qasi.
All other tribes in theIberian Peninsulahad been, to a great extent, assimilated byRoman cultureand language by the end of theRoman periodor early period of theEarly Middle Ages, while ethnic Basques inhabited well east into the lands of thePyrenees(Pallars,Val d'Aran) from the 8th to the 11th century.
In the Early Middle Ages (up to the 9th century) the territory between theEbroandGaronnerivers was known asVasconia, a blurred ethnic area andpolitystruggling to fend off theFrankishfeudal authority from the north and the pressure of the IberianVisigothsand AndalusiCordovansfrom the south.
By the turn of the millennium, a recedingCarolingianroyal authority and establishing feudalism left Vasconia (to becomeGascony) fragmented into a myriad ofcountiesandviscounties,e.g.Fezensac,Bigorre,Astarac,Béarn,Tartas,Marsan,Soule,Labourd, etc., out of former tribal systems and minor realms (County of Vasconia), while south of the Pyrenees, besides the aboveKingdom of Pamplona,Gipuzkoa,ÁlavaandBiscayarose in the current lands of theSouthern Basque Countryfrom the 9th century onward.
These westerly territories pledged intermittent allegiance to Navarre in their early stages, but were annexed to theKingdom of Castileat the end of the 12th century, so depriving the Kingdom of Navarre of direct access to the ocean. In theLate Middle Ages, important families dotting the whole Basque territory came to prominence, often quarreling with each other for power and unleashing the bloodyWar of the Bands, only stopped by royal intervention and the gradual shift of power from the countryside to the towns by the 16th century.Meanwhile, the viscounties ofLabourdandSouleunder Englishsuzeraintywere finally incorporated to France after theHundred Years' War, with Bayonne remaining the lastPlantagenetstronghold up to 1453.
In Navarre, the civil wars between theAgramontand the Beaumontconfederaciespaved the way for theSpanish conquest of the bulk of Navarrefrom 1512 to 1524.The independent Navarre north of the Pyreneeswas largely absorbed by France in 1620, despite the fact that KingHenry III of Navarrehad decreed Navarre's permanent independence from France (31 December 1596).In the decades after the Spanish annexation, the Basque Country went through increased religious, ideological and nationalhomogenization,encouraged by new national ideas embraced by the rising Spanish and Frenchabsolutist monarchiesduring theRenaissance.
From 1525, witchcraft allegations originating in a number of Pyrenean valleys on the rearguard of the Lower Navarre front and recent theatre of war (Salazar,Roncal,Burguete, etc.) were followed by the intervention of newly reformed and recent institutions, such as Spain's central tribunal Inquisition, the (Navarrese) Royal Tribunals, and the Diocesan Tribunal, who organized a series of trials for alleged witchcraft and heretical practices. In the heat of the Wars of Religion and the struggle for Navarre, persecution came to a head in the hysteria of the 1609–1611Basque witch trialson both sides of the Spanish-French border, easing afterwards.
In theFrench Basque Country, its provinces underwent an ever-shrinking self-government status until the French Revolution,when thetraditional provinces were reshapedto form the currentBasses-Pyrénéesdepartment along withBéarn. In theSouthern Basque Country, theregional Charterswere upheld until theCarlist Wars,when the Basques supported heir-apparent Carlos and his descendants to the cry of "God, Fatherland, King" (The Charters were finally abolished in 1876). The ensuing centralizedstatus quobred dissent and frustration in the region, giving rise toBasque nationalismby the end of the 19th century, influenced byEuropean Romantic nationalism.
Since then, attempts were made to find a new framework for self-empowerment. The occasion seemed to have arrived on the proclamation of the2nd Spanish Republicin 1931, when a draft statute was drawn up for theSouthern Basque Country(Statute of Estella), but was discarded in 1932. In 1936 a short-lived statute of autonomy was approved for theGipuzkoa,ÁlavaandBiscayprovinces, but war prevented any progress. AfterFranco's dictatorship, a new statute was designed that resulted in the creation of the currentBasque Autonomous Communityand Navarre, with a limited self-governing status, as settled by the Spanish Constitution. However, a significant part of Basque society is still attempting higher degrees of self-empowerment (seeBasque nationalism), sometimes by acts of violence (ETA's permanent ceasefire in 2010). The French Basque Country, meanwhile, lacks any political or administrative recognition whatsoever, while a majority of local representatives have lobbied to create a Basque department, to no avail.
The Basque Country has a population of approximately 3 million as of early 2006. The population density, at about 140/km(360/sq mi) is above average for both Spain and France, but the distribution of the population is fairly unequal, concentrated around the main cities. A third of the population is concentrated in theGreater Bilbaometropolitan area, while most of the interior of the French Basque Country and some areas ofNavarreremain sparsely populated: density culminates at about 500/km(1,300/sq mi) forBiscaybut falls to 20/km(52/sq mi) in the northern inner provinces ofLower NavarreandSoule.
A significant majority of the population of the Basque country live inside theBasque Autonomous Community(about 2,100,000, or 70% of the population) while about 600,000 live inNavarre(20% of the population) and about 300,000 (roughly 10%) inNorthern Basque Country.
José Aranda Aznar writesthat 30% of the population in the Basque Country Autonomous Community were born in other regions of Spain and that 40% of the people living in that territory do not have a single Basque parent.
Most of these peoples ofGalicianandCastilianstock arrived in the Basque Autonomous Community in the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century, as the region became more and more industrialized and prosperous and additional workers were needed to support the economic growth. Descendants of immigrants from other parts of Spain have since been considered Basque for the most part, at least formally.
Over the last 25 years, some 380,000 people have left the Basque Autonomous Community, of which some 230,000 have moved to other parts of Spain. While certainly many of them are people returning to their original homes when starting their retirement, there is also a sizable tract of Basque natives in this group who have moved due to a Basque nationalist political environment (including ETA's killings) which they perceive as overtly hostile.These have been quoted to be as high as 10% of the population in the Basque Community.
VariousRomanigroups existed in the Basque Country and some still exist as ethnic groups. These were grouped together under the generic termsijituak(Gypsies) andbuhameak(Bohemians) by Basque speakers.
In theMiddle Ages, manyFrankssettled along theWay of Saint Jamesin Navarre and Gipuzkoa and to a lesser extent in Bizkaia. This process also happened in Northern Castile. They were all collectively called Franks because most of them came from French regions (Normans, Bretons, Burgundians, Aquitanians etc.) but an important minority of them were in fact of German, Dutch, Italian, English and Swiss stock. Some were also from even more distant lands such as Poland or Denmark. Due to this migration,Gasconwas spoken in the centre ofDonostia-San Sebastián, until the beginning of the 20th century.Navarre also heldJewishandMuslimminorities but these were expelled or forced to assimilate after theSpanish conquestin the 16th century. One of the notable members of such minorities wasBenjamin of Tudela.
Much as has been the case for Spain's two other major economic poles (Madrid and Catalonia), the Basque Country received significant immigration from other poorer regions of Spain, due to its higher level of economic development and early industrialization. During the second half of the 20th century, such immigrants were commonly referred to by some Basques asmaketos, a derogatory term which is less used today.
Since the 1980s, as a consequence of its considerable economic prosperity, the Basque Country has received an increasing number of immigrants, mostly from Eastern Europe, North Africa, Latin America,Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and China, settling mostly in the major urban areas. Nevertheless, foreign immigrant population is lower in the Basque country than in Madrid and Catalonia, despite having similar GDP per capita and significantly lower levels of unemployment.
Currently, the predominant languages in the Spanish and French Basque Countries are Spanish and French, respectively. In the historical process of forging themselves asnation-states, both the Spanish and French governments have tried more or less intensely to discourage the use ofBasqueand itslinguisticidentity.The language chosen forpublic educationis the most obvious expression of this phenomenon, something which surely had an effect on the current status of Basque.
Despite being spoken in a relatively small territory, the rugged features of the Basque countryside and the historically high population density resulted in a heavy dialectal fragmentation throughout history, which increased the value of both Spanish and French respectively aslingua francas.In this regard, the currentStandard form of Basquewas only introduced in the late 1960s, which helped Basque move away from being perceived – even by its own speakers – as a language unfit for educational purposes.
While theFrench Republichas historically attempted to absorb ethnic minority groups – including the French Basques – into a linguistically unified state, Spain in turn has accepted intermittently in its history some degree of linguistic, cultural, and political autonomy to the Basques. Altogether there was a gradual language shift towards Spanish language in the Basque-speaking areas of the Spanish Basque Country, a phenomenon initially restricted to the upper urban classes, but progressively reaching the lower classes. Western Biscay, most of Alava and southern Navarre have been Spanish-speaking (or Romance-speaking) for centuries.
But under theregime of Francisco Franco, the government attempted to suppress Basque nationalism and limit the uses of the Basque language. Even the activities of theEuskaltzaindia(Basque Language Academy) were severely curtailed. In general, during these years, cultural activity in Basque was limited to folkloric issues and theRoman Catholic Church, while a higher, yet still limited degree of tolerance was granted to Basque culture and language inÁlavaandNavarre,since both areas mostly supported Francoist troops during the war.
Nowadays, the Basque Autonomous Community enjoys some cultural and political autonomy and Basque is an official language along with Spanish. Basque is favoured by a set oflanguage policiessponsored by the Basque regional government which aim at the generalization of its use. However, the actual implementation of this official status is patchy and problematic, relying ultimately on the will of the different administrative levels to enforce it—Justice, Health, Administration. It is spoken by approximately a quarter of the total Basque Country, its stronghold being the contiguous area formed by Gipuzkoa, northern Navarre and the Pyrenean French valleys. It is not spoken natively in most of Álava, western Biscay and the southern half of Navarre. Of a total estimation of some 650,000 Basque speakers, approximately 550,000 live in the Spanish Basque country, the rest in the French.
TheBasque education systemin Spain has three types of schools differentiated by their linguistic teaching models: A, B and D. Model D, with education entirely in Basque, and Spanish as a compulsory subject, is the most widely chosen model by parents. InNavarre, there is an additional G model, with education entirely in Spanish.
The ruling conservative government ofUnión del Pueblo Navarroopposes Basque nationalist attempts to provide education in Basque through all Navarre (which would include areas where it is not traditionally spoken). Basque language teaching in the public education network is therefore limited to the Basque speaking north and central regions. In the central region, Basque teaching in the public education network is fairly limited, and part of the existing demand is served via private schools orikastolak. In southern and some central areas this policy has resulted in schoolchildren having to travel sometimes for hours every day in order to attend education provided in the historic language of Navarre, largely relying on public subscription (yearly festival Nafarroa Oinez, solidarity from the ikastola network, donations, etc.) or receiving as a result no allowances for school meals. Even in northern Basque or mixed language areas, allegations raised by Basque speaker associations point regularly to a conspicuous disregard for recognised language rights, e.g. virtual non-existence of Basque language medical assistance across areas where the vast majority is Basque speaking, insufficient Basque speaking librarians,no broadcasting permission in the last 20 years (as of 2013) for the only Basque language radio in Pamplona,Spanish monolingual signalization and even removal of bilingual one, etc. Spanish is or can be spoken in Navarre by the entire population, with few exceptions in remote rural areas.
The European Commission for Regional or Minority Languages to which Spain is signatory has issued a number of recommendations in order to guarantee a real official status for Basque language (2004), e.g. the suppression of the administrative linguistic divides of Navarre for considering it an obstacle to the normal use of Basque and discriminating against Basque speakers,the filing of the case against newspaperEuskaldunon Egunkariaand restitution to its normal operation,as well as guarantees to prisoners of receiving and sending correspondence in Basque,to mention but a few.
The situation of the Basque language in the French Basque Country is vulnerable (as rated by Unesco). The pressure of French as a well-established mainstream language and different administrative obstacles to the consolidation ofBasque-language schoolingmake the language's future prospects uncertain. On 14 June 2013, pointing to the 1850 Falloux act and declaring thereafter that French is the official language of France, the regional subprefect declared illegal theHendayecouncil's subsidies to finance a new building for a Basque-language school.On 6 November 2013, the Basque language school network in theFrench Basque Country, Seaska, bitterly criticized the French state beforeUNESCOfor not complying with its international commitments and actually failing to accept minorities by violating their linguistic rights.In November 2013, France decided not to ratify theEuropean Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
The earliest university in the Basque Country was theUniversity of Oñati, founded in 1540 inHernaniand moved toOñatiin 1548. It lasted in various forms until 1901.In 1868, in order to fulfill the need for college graduates for the thriving industry that was flourishing in the Bilbao area, there was an unsuccessful effort to establish a Basque-Navarrese University. Nonetheless, in 1897 theBilbao Superior Technical School of Engineering(the first modern faculty of engineering in Spain), was founded as a way of providing engineers for the local industry; this faculty is nowadays part of theUniversity of the Basque Country. Almost at the same time, the urgent need for business graduates led to the establishment of the Commercial Faculty by the Jesuits, and, some time thereafter, theJesuitsexpanded their university by formally founding theUniversity of DeustoinDeusto(now a Bilbao neighbourhood) by the turn of the century, a private university where the Commercial Faculty was integrated. The first modern Basque public university was the Basque University, founded 18 November 1936 by the autonomous Basque government in Bilbao in the midst of theSpanish Civil War. It operated only briefly before the government's defeat byFrancisco Franco's fascist forces.
Several faculties, originally teaching only in Spanish, were founded in the Basque region in theFrancisco Francoera. A public faculty of economics was founded inSarriko(Bilbao) in the 1960s, and a public faculty of medicine was also founded during that decade, thus expanding the college graduate schools. However, all the public faculties in the Basque Country were organized as local branches of Spanish universities. For instance, the School of Engineering was treated as a part of theUniversity of Valladolid, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) away from Bilbao. Indeed, the lack of a central governing body for the public faculties of the Bilbao area, namely those of Economics in Sarriko, Medicine in Basurto, Engineering in Bilbao and the School of Mining in Barakaldo (est. 1910s), was seen as a gross handicap for the cultural and economic development of the area, and so, during the late 1960s many formal requests were made to the Francoist government in order to establish a Basque public university that would unite all the public faculties already founded in Bilbao. As a result of that, theUniversity of Bilbaowas founded in the early 1970s, which has now evolved into theUniversity of the Basque Countrywith campuses in the western three provinces.
InNavarre,Opus Deimanages theUniversity of Navarrewith another campus in San Sebastián. Additionally, there is also thePublic University of Navarre, with campus in Pamplona and in Tudela, managed by theNavarrese Foral Government.
Mondragón Corporación Cooperativahas established its institutions for higher education as theMondragon University, based inMondragónand nearby towns.
There are numerous other significant Basque cultural institutions in the Basque Country and elsewhere. Most Basque organizations in the United States are affiliated with NABO (North American Basque Organizations, Inc.).
Since the last quarter of the 20th century, there have been very different political views on the significance of the Basque Country, with some Basque nationalists aiming to create an independent state including the whole area, and Spanish nationalism denying the very existence of the Basque Country. The dynamics of controversial decisions imposed by Spanish tribunals on Basque nationalist parties ideologically close toETAleft for over a decade a distorted representation of the Basque politics in local councils and regional parliaments, as well as a swiftly changing array of disbanded party names, new alliances, and re-accommodations (since 1998).
During the 2011 Spanish parliamentary elections, the coalitionAmaiur(formerBatasunaplusEusko Alkartasuna) came up first in parliamentary seats (7) and second only toUPN-PP (5 seats) in popular vote in theSouthern Basque Country, followed closely by theSpanish Socialist Workers' Party(5 seats).Geroa Baisecured a seat in Navarre, with theBasque Nationalist Partygetting 5 (all from Basque Autonomous Community).
Despite Amaiur's results, the group was refused a parliamentary group in an unprecedented decision in the Spanish Parliament, on the grounds that the coalition's MPs represented two different constituencies. As a result, Amaiur (5th political group in theSpanish Parliamentaltogether)remained in theGrupo Mixtowith a myriad of different parties from all over Spain, while the so-calledBasque Groupincludes only the 5 members of the PNV and the Basque Autonomous Community (Euskadi).
However, in December 2015, the Spanish parliamentary elections saw the rise ofPodemos(7 MPs) and the Basque Nationalist Party (6 MPs) at the expense of EH Bildu (2 MPs), while Madrid-based mainstream parties continued their steady decline trend, with the Spanish Conservatives (allied with UPN in Navarre) getting 4 MPs, and the Socialists 4 MPs.
In the Northern Basque Country, the French right is the most popular political faction, but since its creation the coalitionEH Bai(the northern equivalent ofEH Bildu) has seen a rise in popularity, and in the2020 municipaland2021 departmentalelections the coalition came up second in popular vote.
Since the 19th century,Basque nationalism(abertzaleak) has demanded the right of some kind ofself-determination,which is supported by 60% of Basques in the Basque Autonomous Community, and independence, which would be supported in this same territory, according to a poll, by approximately 36%of them. This desire for independence is particularly stressed amongleftistBasque nationalists. The right of self-determination was asserted by theBasque Parliamentin 1990, 2002 and 2006.
According to Article 2 of theSpanish Constitution of 1978, "The Constitution is based on the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation, the common and indivisible homeland of all Spaniards". Therefore, since this precludes a declaration of independence of Spanish regions, some Basques abstained and some even voted against it in the referendum of 6 December of that year. The constitution was neverthelessapproved by a clear majority in the whole of Spain, albeit with some degree of opposition in the Southern Basque Country. The derived autonomous regime for the BAC was approved in later referendum and the autonomy of Navarre (amejoramiento del fuero: "improvement of the charter") was approved by the regional parliament of Navarra.
There are not many sources on the issue for the French Basque country, but the establishment of an autonomic regime in the Northern Basque Country and the officiality of the Basque language are two of the main demands of Basque nationalists.
Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) was an armedBasque nationalistandseparatistorganization.  The group was founded in 1959 and evolved from a group promotingBasque cultureto a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Basque Country. ETA is the main organisation of theBasque National Liberation Movementand was the most important participant in theBasque conflict. ETA declared temporary ceasefires in 1989, 1996, 1998 and 2006, but these subsequently came to an abrupt end. However, on 5 September 2010, ETA declared a permanent ceasefire,and on 20 October 2011 ETA announced a "definitive cessation of its armed activity".On 2 May 2018, ETA issued a historic statement declaring a definitive end to its armed struggle and the organisation was officially dissolved, after six decades of political conflict.
A Basque Country including Navarre has proved controversial. TheSpanish Constitution of 1978included the "Disposición transitoria cuarta" (Basque:Espainiako Konstituzioko laugarren xedapen iragankorra) which allowed Navarre to be eventually absorbed in the Basque Country at their request. This was added after the rejection of the majority of the political parties of Navarre to be incorporated in a joined Basque Country Autonomous Community. The  coat of arms of the Basque Autonomous Community included the coat of arms of Navarre (along the coats of arms of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa) when theStatute of Autonomy of the Basque Country of 1979was approved. Following a legal suit by the Navarre government claiming that the usage of the arms of a region on the flag of another was illegal, theConstitutional Court of Spainforced the Basque government to remove the chains of Navarre, leaving the red background where the chains were.
Among other controversies in 2018 the Supreme Court of Navarre (Spanish:Tribunal Supremo de Justicia de Navarra) ruling against the use of some school books that had in their content a map that displayed the Chartered Community of Navarre within the Basque Country area, claiming it distorted the natural, historic, legal, social, geographic and political reality of Navarre.The same court has also ruled against considering the knowledge of the Basque language when hiring in the public administration, and the establishment of Basque-medium schools has usually been opposed by Navarrese and municipal governments. The Navarrese government and courts have also taken measures to remove Basque symbols from public buildings. As an example, the Administrative Court of Navarre (Spanish:Tribunal Administrativo de Nafarroa) recently ordered the removal of theBasque coat of armsfrom afronton, placed by the municipal government.
The Basque Country has also contributed many sportsmen, primarily infootball,rugby union, cycling,jai-alaiandsurfing.
The main sport in the Basque Country, as in the rest of Spain and much of France, isfootball. The top teams –Athletic Bilbao,Real Sociedad,Osasuna,Eibar,Alavés,Real UniónandBarakaldo– play in theSpanish football league system. Athletic Bilbao has apolicy of hiring only Basque players, which has been applied with variable flexibility.Local rivalsReal Sociedad used to practice the same policy, until they signed IrishstrikerJohn Aldridgein the late 1980s. Since then, Real Sociedad have had many foreign players. Athletic's policy does not apply to head coaches, with famous names asHoward KendallandJupp Heynckescoaching the team at various points.
The most renowned Basque footballer of all time is possiblyAndoni Zubizarreta, who holds the record for appearances inLa Ligawith 622 games and won six league titles and oneEuropean Cup. Nowadays, the most well-known Basque football player isXabi Alonso(winner of two European Championships and oneFIFA World Cup) who played for Real Sociedad,Liverpool,Real MadridandBayern Munich. Other notable Basque players includeJon Andoni Goikoetxea,Mikel Arteta,Javi Martínez,Iker Muniain,César Azpilicueta,Asier Illarramendi,Andoni Iraola,Aritz AdurizandAnder Herrera. Both Athletic and Real Sociedad have won the Spanish league, including dominating the competition in the early 1980s, with the last title won by a Basque club being Athletic's1984 title.
At international level,Basque playerswere especially prominent inSpanish selectionsprior to the Civil War, with all of those at the1928 Olympics, and the majority of the1920 Olympicsand1934 World Cupsquads, born in the region.
Football is slightly less popular in Northern Basque country but the region has produced two well known and successful French players,Bixente LizarazuandDidier Deschamps, who were among 22 players that wonthe 1998 World Cup. In the 2010s,Aviron Bayonnais FCdeveloped international playersStéphane RuffierandKévin Rodrigues(capped byPortugal) andAymeric Laportewho eventually played for Spain based on his residency in the southern Basque country. The club has also played in the French third tier.
The territory has anunofficial 'national' teamwhich plays occasional friendlies, but not competitive matches, against conventional national teams. Navarre has itsown representative sidewhich convenes rarely.
Cycling as a sport is popular in the Basque Country.Miguel Indurain, born inAtarrabia(Navarre), won theTour de Francefive times. Fellow Basque cyclistAbraham Olanohas won theVuelta a Españaand theWorld Championship.
Movistar Team, atop levelcycling team, hails fromNavarre, and is a continuation from theBanestoteam for which Indurain ran.Euskaltel–Euskadiwas a team operating at the same level until 2013 which was commercially sponsored, but also worked as an unofficial Basque national team and was partly funded by the Basque Government. Its riders were Basque, or at least grew up in the region's cycling culture; members of the team were sometimes strong contenders in theTour de FranceorVuelta a España. The races often saw Basque fans lining the roads during Pyrenean stages of the Tour de France. Team leaders included riders such asIban Mayo,Haimar Zubeldia,Samuel SánchezandDavid Etxebarria.Another team of the same namewas raised to ProTeam level in 2019.
In the north,rugby unionis another popular sport with the Basque community. InBiarritz, the local club isBiarritz Olympique Pays Basque, the name referencing the club's Basque heritage. They wear red, white and green, and supporters wave theBasque flagin the stands. A number of 'home' matches played by Biarritz Olympique in theHeineken Cuphave taken place atEstadio Anoetain San Sebastian. The most famous Basque Biarritz player was the legendary French fullbackSerge Blanco, whose mother was Basque, andMichel Celayacaptained both Biarritz and France.Aviron Bayonnaisis another top-flight rugby union club with Basque ties.
A Basque club was the last to win the cupbefore the banning ofrugby league, along with other professional sports, by the German collaboratingVichyregime after the defeat of France in 1940.
Pelota(jai alai) is the Basque version of the European game family that includesreal tennisandsquash. Basque players, playing for either the Spanish or the French teams, dominate international competitions.
Mountaineeringis popular due to the mountainous terrain of the Basque Country and its proximity to thePyrenees.Edurne Pasabanbecame the first woman to climb the fourteenmountains of greater than 8000 metre altitude;Alberto IñurrategiandJuanito Oiarzabalhave done so without supplementary oxygen.Josune BereziartuandPatxi Usobiaga, a former world champion, are among top Basques inrock climbing.  Related to mountaineering istrail running, where the Basque Country plays host to the popularZegama-Aizkorriskyrunning races, held annually since 2002.
One of the topbasketballclubs in Europe,Saski Baskonia, is based inVitoria-Gasteiz.Bilbao BasketandGipuzkoa BCalso play inLiga ACB, Spain's top league.
In recent yearssurfinghas taken off on the Basque shores, andMundakaandBiarritzhave become spots on the world surf circuit.
The Basque country sporting tradition is linked to agricultural pursuits such asmowingwith ascythe, or loading carts, but adapted as competitions with points awarded for specific criteria such as time, precision, elegance and productivity. Rural Basque sports includeAizkolaritza(wood chopping),Harri-jasotzaileak(stone lifting),Idi probak(leading oxen to drag rocks) and Sokatira (tug-of-war).
42°52′55″N1°55′01″W﻿ / ﻿42.88194°N 1.91694°W﻿ /42.88194; -1.91694