Basque Country (greater region)

The Basque Country (Basque: Euskal Herria) is a region in Southwestern Europe that is within the borders of France and Spain. It is the home of the Basque people. It is at the western end of the Pyrenees on the Bay of Biscay. Its boundaries are complicated, as it consists of seven districts: four within Spain and three within France. 

 History 
 Origins 
No one knows when the Basques came to Europe. Many say that they have been in Europe since the Neolithic period at the end of the Stone Age, but others say that they were here even earlier. 

The first written information about the Basque Country is from the Roman times, when the Basque people already spoke their own language. During the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Basque Country was isolated from the invading Goths.

 Middle Ages 
During the Muslim invasion of Southern Europe, the Basque Country split in two: the Castilian and the Navarrese lands. A war with France later split the Navarrese zone in two. 

After the Reconquista, the Castilian Basque lands and Navarre became part of the new country: Spain. Since then, Basque people from the Spanish area of the Basque Country have had their own government and have fought to gain the northern part of the Basque Country from France.

 Now 
Today, three of the Basque districts in Spain (Araba, Bizkaia, and Gipuzkoa) form the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country. The political unit is one of 17 autonomous communities in Spain.

The fourth Basque district in Spain (Navarra) is its own separate autonomous community of Spain.

The three districts in the North (French) Basque Country are Lapurdi (Labourd), Nafarroa Beherea (Basse-Navarre) and Zuberoa/Xiberoa (Soule).

 Population 

The entire region has a surface area of 20,664 km2 (7978 sq mi). The Autonomous Community of the Basque Country has 7,234 km2 (2793 sq mi), and its population is about 2,000,000 - about 5% of the total population of Spain. Basque and Spanish are spoken, and its largest city is Bilbao although the capital is Vitoria-Gasteiz.

 Famous people 

 Miguel de Unamuno
 Maurice Ravel (through his mother)
 Che Guevara (through his mother)
 St. Ignatius Loyola
 Louis Daguerre
 Pío Baroja

 Largest cities 

 Bilbao
 Donostia
 Gazteiz
 Iruña
 Biarritz
 Baiona
 Maule
 Donibane Garazi

 Other websites 
 The official website of the Basque Autonomous Community

Category:Geography of France
Category:Geography of Spain
Category:Basques