Basque Country (autonomous community)

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Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco /
Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoa
Image:Basque Country Flag.png
Flag of Basque Country
Image:Locator map of Basque Country.png
Capital Vitoria-Gasteiz
Official languages Basque and Spanish
Area
 – Total
 – % of Spain
Ranked 14th
 7 234 km²
 1,4%
Population
 – Total (2003)
 – % of Spain
 – Density
Ranked 7th
 2 108 281
 5,0%
 291,44/km²
Demonym
 – English
 – Basque
 – Spanish

 Basque
 euskal herritar, euskaldun
 vasco/a, vascongado/a
GDP GDP/Cápita 30.680 US$
ISO 3166-2 PV
Parliamentary
representation

 – Congress seats
 – Senate seats
 19
 3
President Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu (PNV)
Eusko Jaurlaritza/Gobierno Vasco

Basque Country (Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community within Spain, the capital of which is Vitoria (Basque Gasteiz). It is part of the larger Basque native lands, which are also called the “Basque Country.”

The following Spanish provinces make up Basque Country:

Álava (Basque Araba) capital Vitoria (Basque Gasteiz)
Vizcaya (Basque Bizkaia) capital Bilbao (Basque Bilbo)
Guipúzcoa (Basque Gipuzkoa) capital San Sebastián (Basque Donostia)

Before the Spanish Constitution of 1978 and its system of autonomous communities, these three provinces were known in Spanish as the Provincias Vascongadas, a term still used by some nostalgics of the Franco era and by independentists who despise the current autonomy and reserve "Basque Country" for the union of the seven territories.

Political Spain in 1854, after the first Carlist War
Enlarge
Political Spain in 1854, after the first Carlist War

Economy

The economy of the Basque Country is one of the most developed in Spain. In 2004, its GDP (PPP) per capita was at 120.6% of the EU average [1]


Autonomous Communities of Spain Flag of Spain
Andalusia | Aragon | Asturias | Balearic Islands | Basque Country | Canary Islands | Cantabria | Castile–La Mancha | Castile–Leon | Catalonia | Extremadura | Galicia | Madrid | Murcia | Navarre | La Rioja | Valencia | Ceuta | Melilla | Plazas de soberanía


 
Traditional provinces of Euskal Herria / Basque Country
Traditional provinces of Euskal Herria / Basque Country
Hegoalde: Gipuzkoa | Araba | Bizkaia | Nafarroa
Iparralde: Lapurdi | Nafarroa Beherea | Zuberoa
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