BASQUE PROVINCES, a district of Spain, in lat.. 42° 25' to 43° 28' n., and long. 1° 44' to 3' 25 w., and comprising the three provinces of Biscay, Guipuzcoa, and Alava, which constituted the ancient They form a sort of triangle, the base of which is the bay of Biscay on the n., and the apex the town of Logrono in the s.; the boundary lines of Navarre on the e., and Santander and Burgos on the w., forming the two sides. The total area of the provinces is about 3000 sq.m., and the population in 1870, 471,989. The surface of the B. P. is very mountainous, particularly that of Alava, which is everywhere cut up into deep narrow valleys by offsets from the main chain of mountains. The rivers of Biscay and Guipuzcoa, none of which are important, empty themselves after a short course into the bay of Biscay; those of Alava flow down the opposite slopes into the Ebro, which carries their waters to the Mediterranean. The climate in all the three provinces is, on the whole, mild and salubrious. The general aspect of the country is very picturesque, the hills in most cases being covered with wood to the very summit. The principal trees are oak, beech, and chestnut. The fruit of the chestnut forms an article both for diet and of export. The soil in the valleys and plains, though not very rich, has been rendered productive by the energy of the people, who spare no labor in the cultivation. But as yet., science and machinery have done little or nothing to assist nature and manual exertion. A spade, or prong-fork, is the chief mechanical aid the Basque peasant has. The farms are small, usually only about four or five acres, and rarely more than can be managed by the farmer and his family. Not withstanding, the roads and agriculture of these provinces contrast very favorably with those of Spain generally. The products are wheat, barley, maize, flax, hemp, etc.; the wheat, however, only ripening in the most favored localities. Iron is found iu abundance ; also copper and tin, marble, porphyry, and jasper. The fisheries on the coast are pro
ductive.
The Basque race is not confined to the B. P., or to the southern side of the Pyrenees. The greater part of the inhabitants of Navarre (q.v.) are pure Basques. And on the French side of the Pyrenees, three cantons of the department Basses Pyrenees, with a pop. of 145,000, are inhabited by Basques, who, though they retain their own tongue, have not so fully preserved the characteristics of the race as their Spanish brethren.
The Spanish Basques are a simple, brave, and independent people, willing to undergo any hardships rather than surrender their mountain-freedom. None of their many invaders were ever able to effectually subdue or expel them. The B. P. retained till 1876 a separate constitution, guaranteeing them many political and fiscal privileges not pos sessed by the rest of Spain (see FuEnos). But on the suppression of the Carlist insurrec tion, which had all along its stronghold in the B. P. and in Navarre, the old immunities were abolished. The Basques are even prouder than Spaniards, and the mere fact of being horn in their territory secures the privilege of "universal nobility." Euscaldunac is the name the Basques give themselves; their country they call Euscaleria; and their language, which is peculiarly their own, L'useara,—the prefix Eusc being" the old Ose, Vese, Ian of Italy and Iberia." The origin of the Basques is doubtful. Humboldt considers them descendants of the ancient Iberi, who once occupied the whole of the peninsula, and spoke the language now confined solely to the B. P.; while Mr. Borrow's opinion is, that the language is of Tartar origin. The Basques are fond of music, and on their chief holiday, Sunday, they indulge in singing, dancing, and single-stick, which they enjoy immensely. For a more particular account of the B. P., we would refer to that excellent manual, Ford's Hand.book of Spain.
See ALT0-1111.1EVO.