Basque Country (autonomous community)

Basque Country
Euskadia (in Basque)
País Vasco or Euskadi (in Spanish)
Autonomous Community of the Basque Country
Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoab (in Basque)
Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco (in Spanish)
Anthem:
Eusko Abendaren Ereserkia "Anthem of the Basque ethnicity"
Location of the Basque Country community in Spain
Location of the Basque Country community in Spain
Coordinates: 42°50′N 2°41′W / 42.833°N 2.683°W / 42.833; -2.683
Country Spain
CapitalVitoria-Gasteiz
Largest cityBilbao
ProvincesÁlava,
Biscay,
Gipuzkoa
Government
 • TypeDevolved government under constitutional monarchy
 • BodyBasque Government
 • Lehendakari (Head of the government)Iñigo Urkullu (EAJ/PNV)
Area
 • Total7,234 km2 (2,793 sq mi)
 • Rank14th (1.4% of Spain)
Population
 (2023)
 • Total2,222,164
 • Density310/km2 (800/sq mi)
 • Rank
7th (4.9% of Spain)
DemonymsBasque
euskaldun, euskal herritar
vasco (m), vasca (f)
GDP
 • Total€79.350 billion (2022)
 • Per capita€35,832 (2022)
Area code+34 94-
ISO 3166 codeES-PV
Statute of Autonomy25 October 1979
Official languagesBasque
Spanish
ParliamentBasque Parliament
Congress18 deputies (of 350)
Senate15 senators (of 266)
HDI (2021)0.932[2]
very high · 2nd
WebsiteBasque Government
Map
a. ^ Also Euskal Herria, according to the Basque Statute of Autonomy .
b. ^ Also Euskal Herriko Autonomia Erkidegoa, according to the Basque Statute of Autonomy.

The Basque Country (/bæsk, bɑːsk/; Basque: Euskadi [eus̺kadi]; Spanish: País Vasco [paˈiz ˈβasko]),[3] also called the Basque Autonomous Community,[4] is an autonomous community in northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay, and Gipuzkoa. It also surrounds an enclave called Treviño, which belongs to the neighboring autonomous community of Castile and León.

The Basque Country or Basque Autonomous Community was granted the status of nationality within Spain, attributed by the Spanish Constitution of 1978. The autonomous community is based on the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country, a foundational legal document providing the framework for the development of the Basque people on Spanish soil. Navarre, which had narrowly rejected a joint statute of autonomy with Gipuzkoa, Álava and Biscay in 1932,[5] was granted a separate statute in 1982.

Currently there is no official capital in the autonomous community, but the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the province of Álava, is the de facto capital as the location of the Basque Parliament, the headquarters of the Basque Government, and the residence of the President of the Basque Autonomous Community (the Palace of Ajuria Enea). The High Court of Justice of the Basque Country has its headquarters in the city of Bilbao. Whilst Vitoria-Gasteiz is the largest municipality in area, with 277 km2 (107 sq mi), Bilbao is the largest in population, with 353,187 people, located in the province of Biscay within a conurbation of 875,552 people.

The term Basque Country may also refer to the larger cultural region (Basque: Euskal Herria), the home of the Basque people, which includes the autonomous community.

  1. ^ "Contabilidad Regional de España" (PDF). www.ine.es.
  2. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  3. ^ French: Pays Basque
  4. ^ (Basque: Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoa, EAE; Spanish: Comunidad Autónoma Vasca, CAV)
  5. ^ Blinhorn, Martin The Basque Ulster': Navarre and the Basque Autonomy Question under the Spanish Second Republic The Historical Journal Vol. 17, No. 3 (Sep. 1974), pp. 595-613

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