Geography

THE BASQUE COUNTRY

Now, we are going to tell you how we are situated in Spain. We live in the north of the country, near France. Our hometown is a small village called Muskiz.

Muskiz is a town surrounded by mountains except from the north, where there´s a beautiful beach which we are going to visit. The nearest city to us is Bilbao. Bilbao is a nice city which is crossed by a river that finishes near our beach. Bilbao is one of the most important cities in the region of Euskadi.

Living here is amazing and I think you will like it. Our scenery combines the mountains and the beach, so it´s very nice.

The only problem here is the weather, it usually rains. I hope it won´t when you come here, but it will be difficult.

THE BASQUE COUNTRY

The Basque Country is the name given to the home of the Basque people in the western Pyrenees that spans the border between France and Spain on the Atlantic coast. It is the oldest documented Basque name for the area they inhabit, dating to the 16th century and there are predates the emergence of Basque nationalism by at least two centuries.

It comprises the Autonomous Communities of the Basque Country and Navarre in Spain and the Northern Basque Country in France.

Even though they are not necessarily synonyms, the concept of a single culturally Basque area spanning various regions and countries has been closely associated with the politics of Basque nationalism. The region is home to the Basque people (Basque: Euskaldunak), their language (Basque: Euskara), culture and traditions. The area is neither linguistically nor culturally homogeneous, and certain areas have a majority of people who do not consider themselves Basque, such as the south of Navarre where in 1996 the census reported that 71% of inhabitants did not identify themselves as Basque - although a lot fewer people in the same area (53%) opposed measures to support the Basque language.

THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF EUSKAL HERRIA

The physical geography of Euskal Herria is very diverse despite the small size of the region. The Basque Country spreads from the rough coastal landscape to the semi-desert of Barde.

The main natural limits of Euskal Herria are the Cantabrian Sea (south Bay of Biscay) in the north and in the west side, and in the south side, the Ebro river. The highest place of the Basque Country is the peak of the mountain Hiru Erregeen Mahaia (It is to 2438m from the sea level).

 

The Coast

The coast of the Basque Country has 3 different sides. First, the coast of Bizkaia is really rough but in general there are big beaches. In addition there are two stuaries.

The coast of Gipuzkoa has bigger fluctuations and in general the slopes are bigger too. From the limit of Bizkaia to Zumaia there are smaller beaches and they are more rocky, from there on, they are bigger and longer.When different rivers join the sea they creates small estuaries and maritime branches.

 

Mountains

The Basque country is mountainous. Most of the mountains are along an east-west axis, in west of the Pyrenees. The most important rock there is limestone, but there are mountains that they are composed of other materials, for example, Aiako Harria is composed of granite. The highest mountain is Hiru Erregeen Mahaia.

 

 

Rivers

The Ebro is the largest river which crosses the Basque Country, it is 910 km long, and runs along the southern border the south side of Basque Country before it flows into the Mediterranean sea. In its way some other rivers join it, for example, Zadorra, Baias, Ega and Aragoi.

 

Forests

The biggest forest in Euskal Herria is Iratiko Oihana which covers parts of  Navarre and Zuberoa 

In Bizkaia, there are evergreen forests throughout 66% of the entire province. In Guipuzkoa, 56% of the trees there are there are conifers, but in Araba they consist of only 28% of the trees.

Currently, 55% of Basque Country is covered by trees.