Basque Region

The present Basque region occupies areas on both the Spanish and French sides of the western Pyrenees. The Spanish region comprises the three Autonomous Communities of Vizcaya, Alava, and Guipuzcoa and the Foral Community of Navarre. The french region occupies part of the department of Pyrenees -- Atlantiques. The Basques are arguably the most ancient people of western Europe but their language is unrelated to any other European language and links to other languages are disputed. The Basques' strong sense of cultural and linguistic identity has led to a desire for political autonomy. In Spain especially, where Basque language and culture were severely repressed by the Franco regime, this desire extends, at its most militant, to demands for total independence, demands which are backed by the armed struggle waged by ETA.