Basque people

:This article is about the Basque people. For other meanings, see Basque.

Geography and distribution

The current autonomous Basque area of Spain, known as "Euskadi" in Basque, "País Vasco" in Spanish, "Pays Basque" in French and the "Basque Country" in English, is composed of three provinces or territories: Araba/Álava, Bizkaia/Vizcaya and Gipuzkoa/Guipúzcoa (in each case, this is the Euskara name followed by the Spanish name). There are 2,123,000 people living in the Basque Country: Araba, 279,000; Bizkaia, 1,160,000; and Gipuzkoa, 684,000. The most important cities are: Bilbo/Bilbao (in Bizkaia), Donostia/San Sebastián (in Gipuzkoa) and Gasteiz/Vitoria (in Araba). Both Euskara and Spanish are official languages. Knowledge of Spanish is virtually universal; 27 per cent of the people speak the Basque language, but this number is increasing for the first time in many centuries.

Related Topics:
Basque - País Vasco - Spanish - Pays Basque - French - Basque Country - English - Araba/Álava - Bizkaia/Vizcaya - Gipuzkoa/Guipúzcoa - Bilbo/Bilbao - Donostia/San Sebastián - Gasteiz/Vitoria

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There is also a substantial Basque population in the adjacent Spanish autonomous community and province of Navarre, and in nearby parts of France — see Basque Country for more information. There is at least some ethnic Basque presence in many countries of the Americas, including Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela and a community in Idaho, eastern Nevada, south Texas, and throughout California who first came over to herd sheep.

Related Topics:
Basque Country - Mexico - Argentina - Chile - Ecuador - Peru - Uruguay - Venezuela - Idaho - Nevada - Texas - California - Sheep

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The destination of the majority of Basque emigrants was Argentina, with Basque culture contributing much to Argentine culture. There are Basque cultural centres in most large cities, as well as pelota courts and Basque language schools. Many places have been given Basque names, including the main international airport, Ezeiza. Several of Argentina's Presidents have been of Basque descent, including Irigoyen, Aramburu and Urquiza, not to mention other figures, notably Che Guevara. There are an estimated 15,000 surnames in Argentina of Basque descent.

Related Topics:
Argentina - Ezeiza - Argentina's Presidents - Irigoyen - Aramburu - Urquiza - Che Guevara

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Chile also received many Basque emigrants ; Augusto Pinochet is of Basque ancestry.

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The largest community of Basques in North America exists in the greater Boise area. Boise is home to the Basque Museum & Cultural Center. The area around the center includes a variety of stores and restaraunts featuring Basque culture in a so-called "Basque block." The current mayor of Boise, David H. Bieter is Basque.

Related Topics:
North America - Boise - David H. Bieter

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In the Caribbean, Basque descendants exist in the hills of Esperón in the province of Habana, where many originally settled during the Spanish colonial period.

Related Topics:
Caribbean - Habana

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