Navarre

Navarre (Spanish Navarra, Basque Nafarroa) is an autonomous community and province of Spain. Its official Spanish-language name is Comunidad Foral de Navarra (for an explanation of foral, see fuero).

People and culture

Navarre is a mixture of the Basque influence from the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean influences coming from the Ebro. The Ebro valley is amenable to wheat, vegetables, wine, and even olive trees, as in Aragon and la Rioja. It was occupied by the Roman Empire and later the taifa kingdom of Tudela. During the Reconquista, the Northerners extended southwards. In the Middle Ages, Pamplona was a crossroads for Basques, Gascons from beyond the Pyrenees and Romance speakers.

Related Topics:
Pyrenees - Mediterranean - Ebro - Wheat - Vegetable - Wine - Olive tree - Roman Empire - Taifa - Tudela - Reconquista - Middle Ages - Gascons - Romance

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The Basque language has been losing ground for centuries. Often feelings of "Basqueness" are linked to use of the language. For example, a person from a place where Basque was lost decades ago might say that they are not Basque, but that their grandfather was. Feelings of Basqueness often are carried onto politics with Basque nationalism being stronger in the North, either within Navarrese branches of Basque parties like Batasuna, or as homegrown movements like Batzarre. Among the parties that downplay links to the Basque Country, there are local branches of Spanish parties such as the PSOE, as well as local movements such as Convergencia de Demócratas Navarros.

Related Topics:
Basque language - Basque nationalism - Batasuna - Batzarre - PSOE - Convergencia de Demócratas Navarros

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