Biscay is a
province of SpainSpain and its autonomous communities are divided into fifty provinces .In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. província.*Galician , sing. provincia.*Basque |Galicia]] — are not also the capitals of provinces...
and a historical territory of the
Basque CountryThe Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
, heir of the ancient
Lord of BiscayLord of Biscay is a historical title of the head of state of the autonomous territory of Biscay, Basque Country.- History :The first known Lord of Biscay , Íñigo López "Ezkerra" was a lieutenant of the Kingdom of Pamplona , and this was until the Castilian conquest of Gipuzkoa in 1200...
. Its capital city is
BilbaoBilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
. It is one of the most prosperous and important provinces of
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
as a result of the massive industrialization of the last years of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century. Currently, the industrial activity has given away space to an important activity in the services sector, especially since the deep deindustrialization of the 1970s.
Etymology
It is nowadays accepted in linguistics (
Koldo MitxelenaKoldo Mitxelena Elissalt was an eminent Basque linguist...
, etc.) that Bizkaia, the original Basque term, is a cognate of bizkar (cf.
BiscarrosseBiscarrosse is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France. It is located southwest of Bordeaux, and inland from the seaside resort of Biscarrosse-Plage on the Atlantic coast....
in
AquitaineAquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
), with both place-name variants well attested in the whole Basque Country and out meaning 'low ridge' or 'prominence' (Iheldo bizchaya attested in 1141 for the hill Igeldo in Donostia).
Bizkaia
“Bizkaia” is the
BasqueBasque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
denomination recommended by the
Royal Academy of the Basque languageEuskaltzaindia is the official academic language regulatory institution which watches over the Basque language. It carries out research on the language, seeks to protect it, and establishes standards of use...
, and it is commonly used on official documents on that language. It is also used on documents in
SpanishSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, and it is the most used denomination by the media in Spanish in the
Basque CountryThe Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
. It is also the denomination used in the Basque version of the
Spanish constitution-Structure of the State:The Constitution recognizes the existence of nationalities and regions . Preliminary Title As a result, Spain is now composed entirely of 17 Autonomous Communities and two autonomous cities with varying degrees of autonomy, to the extent that, even though the Constitution...
and in the Basque version of the
Statute of Autonomy of the Basque CountryThe Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country is the legal document organizing the political system of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country' which includes the historical territories of Alava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa. It forms the region into one of the autonomous communities envisioned in...
.
Bizkaia is also the only official denomination approved for the historical territory by the Juntas Generales of the province.
Vizcaya
“Vizcaya” is the denomination in
SpanishSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, recommended by the
Royal Spanish AcademyThe Royal Spanish Academy is the official royal institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, but is affiliated with national language academies in twenty-one other hispanophone nations through the Association of Spanish Language Academies...
. It is used in non-official documents and, in general, by Spanish speakers. It is also the Spanish denomination used in the Spanish version of the Constitution and in the Spanish version of the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country.
History
Biscay has been inhabited since the Middle
PaleolithicThe Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
, as attested by the archaeological remains and cave paintings found in its many caves. The
RomanThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
presence had little impact in the region and the
Basque languageBasque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
and traditions have survived to this day.
Biscay itself appears in the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, as a dependency of the kingdom of Pampelune (XI cent.) that became autonomous and finally a part of the
Crown of CastileThe Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
. The first mention of the name Biscay is appearing in a donation act to the monastery of Bickaga, located on the ria of Mundaka. According to Anton Erkoreka, the Vikings had a commercial base there from which they were expelled by 825. The ria of Mundaka is a easiest way to the river Ebro and at the end of it, the mediterranean trade.
In the
modern ageModern Age is an American conservative academic quarterly journal, founded in 1957 by Russell Kirk in close collaboration with Henry Regnery...
, the province became a major commercial and industrial area. Its prime
harbour of BilbaoThe Port of Bilbao is located on the Bilbao Abra bay, and along the Estuary of Bilbao, in Biscay . The main facilities are in the Santurtzi and Zierbena municipalities, approximately 15 km west of Bilbao...
soon became the main Castilian gateway to
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Later, in the 19th and 20th centuries, the abundance of prime quality
iron ore and the lack of
feudal castesSerfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
favored rapid industrialization.
Middle Paleolithic
The first evidence of human dwellings (
NeanderthalThe Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia...
people) in Biscay happens in this period of prehistory.
MousterianMousterian is a name given by archaeologists to a style of predominantly flint tools associated primarily with Homo neanderthalensis and dating to the Middle Paleolithic, the middle part of the Old Stone Age.-Naming:...
artifacts have been found in three sites in Biscay: Benta Laperra (Karrantza), Kurtzia (Getxo) and Murua (Durangoaldea).
Late Paleolithic
- Chatelperronian
Châtelperronian was the earliest industry of the Upper Palaeolithic in central and south western France, extending also into Northern Spain. It derives its name from the site of la Grotte des Fées, in Châtelperron, Allier, France....
culture (normally associated with Neanderthals as well) can be found in SantimamiñeSantimamiñe cave, Kortezubi, Biscay, Basque Country, Spain, is one of the most important archaeological sites of the Basque Country, including a nearly complete sequence from the Middle Paleolithic to the Iron Age....
cave (Busturialdea).
Most important settlements by modern humans (H. sapiens) can be considered the following:
- Aurignacian
The Aurignacian culture is an archaeological culture of the Upper Palaeolithic, located in Europe and southwest Asia. It lasted broadly within the period from ca. 45,000 to 35,000 years ago in terms of conventional radiocarbon dating, or between ca. 47,000 and 41,000 years ago in terms of the most...
culture: Benta Laperra, Kurztia, and Lumentxa (Lekeitio)
- Gravettian
thumb|right|Burins to the Gravettian culture.The Gravettian toolmaking culture was a specific archaeological industry of the European Upper Palaeolithic era prevalent before the last glacial epoch. It is named after the type site of La Gravette in the Dordogne region of France where its...
culture: Santimamiñe, Bolinkoba (Durangoaldea) and Atxurra (Markina)
- Solutrean
The Solutrean industry is a relatively advanced flint tool-making style of the Upper Palaeolithic, from around 22,000 to 17,000 BP.-Details:...
culture: Santimamiñe and Bolinkoba
- Magdalenian
The Magdalenian , refers to one of the later cultures of the Upper Paleolithic in western Europe, dating from around 17,000 BP to 9,000 BP...
culture: Santimamiñe and Lumentxa
Paleolithic art is also present. Benta Laperra cave shows the oldest paintings, maybe from the Aurignacian or Solutrean period. Bison and bear are the animals depicted, together with abstract signs. From later periods (Magdalenian) are the murals of Arenaza (Sodupe) and Santimamiñe. In Arenaza female deers are the dominant motive, Santimamiñe shows bisons, horses, goats and deers.
Epi-paleolithic
This period (also called
MesolithicThe Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
sometimes) is dominated in Biscay by the
AzilianThe Azilian is a name given by archaeologists to an industry of the Epipaleolithic in northern Spain and southern France.It probably dates to the period of the Allerød Oscillation around 10,000 years ago and followed the Magdalenian culture...
culture. Tools become smaller and more refined and, while hunting remains, fishing and seafood gathering become more important, finding now clear evidence of wild fruits too. Again Santimamiñe is one of the most important sites of this period. Others are Arenaza, Atxeta (not far from Santimamiñe), Lumentxa and nearby Urtiaga and Santa Catalina, together with Bolinkoba and neighbour Silibranka.
Neolithic
While the first evidences of
NeolithicThe Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
contact in the Basque Country can be dated to the 4th millennium BCE, it will be not until the beginning of the 3rd one that the area accepts, gradually and without radical changes, the agricultural and specially shepherding advances. Biscay is not particularly affected by this change and only three sites can be mentioned for this period: Arenaza, Santimamiñe and Kobeaga (Ea) and the advances adopted seem limited initially to sheep, domestic
goatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s and very scarce
potteryPottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
.
Together with Neolithic technologies,
MegalithA megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic describes structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement.The word 'megalith' comes from the Ancient...
ism also arrives. It will be the most common form of burial (simple
dolmenA dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
) until c. 1500 BCE.
Chalcolithic and Bronze Age
While open air settlement starts to become something common as population grows, caves and natural shelters are still used in Biscay in the Chalcolithic and
Bronze AgeThe Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. Hunting becomes gradually a less important source of meat, replaced by sheep, goats and some bovine cattle. Metallic tools become more common but stone-made ones are also used.
Pottery types shows great continuity (not decorated) until the
bell beakerThe Bell-Beaker culture , ca. 2400 – 1800 BC, is the term for a widely scattered cultural phenomenon of prehistoric western Europe starting in the late Neolithic or Chalcolithic running into the early Bronze Age...
makes its appearance.
The sites of this period now cover all the territory of Biscay, many being open air settlements, but the most important caves of the Paleolithic are still in use as well.
Iron Age
Very few sites have been identified for this period. Caves are abandoned for the most part but they still give some remains. The main caves of prehistory (Arenaza, Santimamiñe, Lumentxa) were still inhabited.
Roman period
Roman geographers have let us know that the territory of what is now Biscay dwelt two tribes:
CaristiiThe Caristii were a tribe reported by Roman historians in Northern Hispania west of the Deba and east of the Nervion rivers, in modern Biscay and Alava...
and
AutrigonesLocation of the tribe of the Autrigones.The Autrigones were a pre-Roman people of ancient Spain, described by the Roman historian Paulus Orosius as neighbours of the Gallaeci, and thus had their homeland in the northwest of Hispania.-Location:Their historical territory now lies split between the...
. The Caristii dwelt in nuclear Biscay, east of the firth of Bilbao, extending also into Northern
ArabaÁlava is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Álava. Its capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz which is also the capital of the autonomous community...
and some areas of Gipuzkoa, up to the river Deba. The Autrigones dwelt in the westernmost part of Biscay and Araba, extending also into the provinces of
CantabriaCantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
,
BurgosThe province of Burgos is a province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Palencia, Cantabria, Vizcaya, Álava, La Rioja, Soria, Segovia, and Valladolid. Its capital is the city of Burgos...
and La Rioja. Based in toponimy, historical and archaeological evidence, it is thought that these tribes spoke
Basque languageBasque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
http://www.gara.net/idatzia/20060616/art169077.php. The borders of the Biscayan dialect of Basque seem to be exactly those of the Caristian territory, exception made of the areas that have lost the old language.
There is no indication to resistance to Roman occupation in all the Basque area (excepting
AquitaineAquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
) until the late feudalizing period. Roman sources mention several towns in the area, Flaviobriga and Portus Amanus, though they have not been located. The site of Forua, near Gernika, has yielded archaeological evidence of Roman presence
http://www.gara.net/idatzia/20060616/art169085.php.
In the late Roman period, together with the rest of the Basque Country, it seems to have revolted against Roman domination and the process of
feudalizationFeudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
.
Middle Ages
In the Early
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, the history of Biscay cannot be separated from that of the Basque Country as a whole. The area was de facto independent although Visigoths and Franks attempted to stabilish their domination from time to time. Encounters between the Visigoths and Basques usually led to defeat for the latter and the Visigoths managed to establish an outlying post at the later city of
VitoriaVitoria-Gasteiz is the capital city of the province of Álava and of the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain with a population of 235,661 people. It is the second largest Basque city...
to counter incursions and the migration of basques from the coastal regions to the north.
In 905, Leonese chronicles mention the Kingdom of Pamplona as including all the western Basque provinces, as well as the Rioja region for the first time. The territories that would later constitute Biscay were then part of that state.
In the conflicts that the newly sovereign
Kingdom of CastileKingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
and Pamplona/Navarre had in the 11th and 12th century, the Castilians were supported by many landowners from La Rioja, who sought to consolidate their holdings under Castilian feudal law. These pro-Castilian lords were led by the house of Haro, who were eventually granted the rule of newly created Biscay, initially made up of the valleys of
UribeThe Merindad de Uribe or Uribealdea is a historical subdivision of Biscay, Basque Country, Spain. Today, the "Uribe" is usually defined by subdivisions caused by the urban development of the Greater Bilbao conurbation...
,
BusturiaBusturia is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain.-External links:*...
, Markina, Zornotza and Arratia, plus several towns and the city of
UrduinaOrduña is a town and municipality of 4,057 inhabitants located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the North of Spain....
. It is unclear when this happened exactly but it is claimed that Iñigo López was the first
Lord of BiscayLord of Biscay is a historical title of the head of state of the autonomous territory of Biscay, Basque Country.- History :The first known Lord of Biscay , Íñigo López "Ezkerra" was a lieutenant of the Kingdom of Pamplona , and this was until the Castilian conquest of Gipuzkoa in 1200...
in 1043.
The region soon reverted to
NavarreNavarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
, remaining so until the Castilian invasion of 1199-1200.
The title to the lordship was inherited by Iñigo López's descendants until, by inheritance, in 1370 it passed to
John I of CastileJohn I was the king of Crown of Castile, was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile, daughter of Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, head of a younger branch of the royal house of Castile...
, becoming one of the titles of the king of Castile. Since then it remained connected to the crown, first to that of Castile and then, from
Carlos ICharles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, to that of Spain, always with the condition that the Lord swore to defend and to maintain the
fueroFuero , Furs , Foro and Foru is a Spanish legal term and concept.The word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market, tribunal and meeting place...
(Biscayan laws, derived from Navarrese and Basque customary rights) that affirmed that the possessors of the sovereignty of the Lordship were the Biscayans themselves and that, at least in theory, they could refute the Lord.
The Lords and later the kings, came to swear the
Statutes to the oak of GernikaGernikako Arbola is an oak tree that symbolizes traditional freedoms for the Biscayan people, and by extension for the Basque people as a whole...
, where the assembly of the Lordship sits.
Modern age
In the
modern ageModern Age is an American conservative academic quarterly journal, founded in 1957 by Russell Kirk in close collaboration with Henry Regnery...
s commerce on took great importance, specially for the
Port of BilbaoThe Port of Bilbao is located on the Bilbao Abra bay, and along the Estuary of Bilbao, in Biscay . The main facilities are in the Santurtzi and Zierbena municipalities, approximately 15 km west of Bilbao...
, to which the kings granted privileges on trade with the ports of the
Spanish EmpireThe Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
in 1511. Bilbao was already then the main Castilian harbour, from where
woolWool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
was shipped to
FlandersFlanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
and other goods were imported.
In 1628, the separate territory of Durango was incorporated to Biscay. In the same century the so-called chartered municipalities west of Biscay were also incorporated in different dates, becoming another subdivision of Biscay: Encartaciones (Enkarterriak).
The coastal towns had a sizeable fleet of their own, mostly dedicated to fishing and trade. Along with other Basque towns of Gipuzkoa and
LabourdLabourd is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques département. It is historically one of the seven provinces of the traditional Basque Country....
, they were largely responsible for the partial extinction of
North Atlantic Right WhaleThe North Atlantic right whale which means "good, or true, whale of the ice") is a baleen whale, one of three right whale species belonging to the genus Eubalaena, formerly classified as a single species. With only 400 in existence, North Atlantic right whales are among the most endangered whales...
s in the
Bay of BiscayThe Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
and of the first unstable settlement by Europeans in
NewfoundlandNewfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. They also were able to sign separate treaties with other powers, particularly England.
After the Napoleonic wars, Biscay, along with the other Basque provinces were threatened to have their self-rule cut by the now
LiberalLiberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
Spanish Cortes. This caused the successive
Carlist WarsThe Carlist Wars in Spain were the last major European civil wars in which contenders fought to establish their claim to a throne. Several times during the period from 1833 to 1876 the Carlists — followers of Infante Carlos and his descendants — rallied to the cry of "God, Country, and King" and...
, where the Biscayan government, along with the other Basque provinces supported the reactionary faction.
Many of the towns though, notably Bilbao, were aligned with the Liberal government of
MadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. In the end the wars resulted in successive cuts of the wide autonomy of Biscay and the other provinces.
In the 1850s extensive prime quality iron resources were discovered in Biscay. This brought a lot of foreign investment mainly from England and France, which made it one of Spain's richest and most industrialized provinces. Together with the
industrialisationThe Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
appeared important bourgeois families such as Ybarra, Chávarri and Lezama-Leguizamón. The great industrial (
IberdrolaIberdrola , headquartered in Bilbao, is a private utility with a global footprint and over 150 years of experience...
,
Altos Hornos de VizcayaAltos Hornos de Vizcaya was a ironworks business that began in 1902 in Bilbao with the merger of three iron and steel businesses: Altos Hornos de Bilbao, La Vizcaya, and La Iberia...
) and financial (
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya ArgentariaBanco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. is a multinational Spanish banking group. It was formed in 1999 from the merger of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya and Argentaria, both of which in turn had previously amalgamated three important banks in Spain, namely Banco de Bilbao, Banco de Vizcaya, Banco Exterior de...
- BBVA) groups were created.
Twentieth century
During the
Second Spanish RepublicThe Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
, the
Basque Nationalist PartyThe Basque National Party is the largest and oldest Basque nationalist party. It is currently the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community also with a minor presence in Navarre and a marginal one in the French Basque Country...
(PNV) governed the province. When the
Spanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
broke out, Biscay supported the Republican side against the army of
Francisco FrancoFrancisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
, of fascist ideology.
Soon after, the Republic acknowledged a statute of autonomy for the Basque Country but, due to fascist control of large parts of it, the first short-lived Basque Autonomous Community had power only over Biscay and a few nearby villages.
As the fascist army advanced westward from Navarre, defenses were planned and erected around Bilbao, called the Iron Belt. But the engineer in charge, José Goicoechea, defected to the fascists, causing the unfinished defenses to be of little value. In 1937, German airplanes under Franco's control destroyed the historic city of Gernika, not before having bombed Durango with some less severity few weeks before. Some months later, Bilbao fell to the fascists. The Basque army (Eusko Gudarostea) retreated to Santoña, beyond the limits of Biscay. There they pacted their surrender with the Italian forces (
Santoña AgreementThe Santoña Agreement or Pact of Santoña was an agreement signed in the town of Guriezo, near Santoña, Cantabria, the August 24, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, between politicians close to the Basque Nationalist Party , fighting with the Republican Side, and Italian forces fighting with the...
), but these gave them away to Franco. This surrender was seen negatively by the rest of Republican forces, who felt that the Basques had betrayed them.
Under the dictatorship of Franco, Biscay and Gipuzkoa (exclusively) were declared "traitor provinces" and stripped from any sort of self-rule.
Only after Franco's death in 1975, democracy was
restored in SpainThe Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on 20 November 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish...
. The 1978 constitution, accepted the particular Basque laws (
fueroFuero , Furs , Foro and Foru is a Spanish legal term and concept.The word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market, tribunal and meeting place...
s) In 1979 the Statute of Guernica was approved and Biscay,
ArabaÁlava is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Álava. Its capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz which is also the capital of the autonomous community...
and Gipuzkoa formed the Autonomous Community of the
Basque CountryThe Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
. The Autonomous Community of the Basque Country has its own parliament.
For all of the recent democratic period the winner of all the elections held in Biscay has been the Basque Nationalist Party. Recently the foral law was amended to extend it to the towns and the city of Urduina, that had always used the general Spanish
Civil lawCivil law is a legal system inspired by Roman law and whose primary feature is that laws are codified into collections, as compared to common law systems that gives great precedential weight to common law on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different...
.
Geography
Biscay is bordered by the community of
CantabriaCantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
and the province of Burgos (in the
Castile and LeónCastile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León and Old Castile...
community) to the west, the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa to the east, and
ÁlavaÁlava is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Álava. Its capital city is Vitoria-Gasteiz which is also the capital of the autonomous community...
to the south, and by the Cantabrian Sea (
Bay of BiscayThe Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
) to the north.
OrduñaOrduña is a town and municipality of 4,057 inhabitants located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the North of Spain....
(Urduña) is a Biscayan exclave located between Alava and Burgos provinces.
Climate
The climate is
oceanicAn oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
, with high precipitation all year round and moderate temperatures, which allow the lush vegetation to grow. Temperatures are more extreme in the higher lands of inner Biscay, where snow is more common during winter.
Features
The main geographical features of the province are:
- The southern high mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
ranges, part of the Basque mountainsThe Basque Mountains are a mountain range situated in the northern Iberian Peninsula. Geographically it is considered as the eastern section of the larger Cantabrian Range...
, that form a continuous barrier with passes not lower than 600 m AMSL, forming the water divideA drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...
of the Atlantic and Mediterranean basins. These ranges are divided from west to east in Ordunte (Zalama, 1390 m), Salbada (1100 m), GorbeaGorbea or Gorbeia is a mountain and massif, the highest in Biscay and Alava , with a height of 1,481 m AMSL. The massif covers a wide area between the two provinces. The main mountain is a round grass-covered summit where a 20-metre-tall metallic cross has been constructed to reach the altitude of...
(1481 m) and UrkiolaUrkiola is a mountain range of the Basque mountains in Biscay near Durango, in the western Basque Country, Spain. The range's highest mountain is Anboto...
(AnbotoAnboto is a limestone mountain of the Western Basque Country, the highest peak of the Urkiola range and not far from the pass of Urkiolamendi between Durango and Vitoria-Gasteiz.- Description :...
, 1331 m).
- The middle section which is occupied by the main river's valleys: Nervion
The river Nervión runs through the city of Bilbao, Spain into the Cantabrian Sea .It is also known as Estuary of Bilbao on its final tract, from the joining with Ibaizabal river to the sea.-Geography:...
, IbaizabalThe river Ibaizabal drains southeastern Biscay to the Estuary of Bilbao. It is 43 km long from its source at Elorrio to the Nervion, and it passes by the towns of Durango and Amorebieta and joins the Nervion river at Basauri. Both rivers run then together for a short length until they merge...
and Kadagua. Kadagua runs west to east from Ordunte, Nervion south to north from Orduña and Ibaizabal east to west from Urkiola. Arratia river runs northwards from Gorbea and joins Ibaizabal. Each valley is separated by medium mountains like GanekogortaGanekogorta is a mountain in the border of the provinces of Biscay and Alava , just between Bilbao and Llodio. It has a height of 998 m AMSL and it's the main peak of a massif that comprises some smaller mountains like Pagasarri, Ganeta, Pasatorenkorta, Arnotegi or Arraiz...
(998m). Other mountains , like OizMount Oiz , is one of the most popular summits of Biscay in the Basque Country . Its summits form part of a long range that feeds several rivers: Ibaizabal, Artibai, Lea, Oka and Deva in Gipuzkoa all of them running to the Bay of Biscay....
, separate the main valleys from the northern valleys. The northern rivers are: Artibai, Lea, Oka and Butron.
- The coast: the main features are the estuary of Bilbao
The Estuary of Bilbao lies at the common mouth of the rivers Nervion, Ibaizabal and Cadagua, that drain most of Biscay and part of Alava in the Basque Country, Spain. It is a large estuary long that extends from Bilbao to the Bilbao Abra bay, a widening that makes the final transition between...
where the main rivers meet the sea and the estuary of Gernika (UrdaibaiThe Urdaibai estuary is a natural region and a Biosphere Reserve of Biscay, Basque Country. It is also referred as Mundaka or Gernika estuary....
). The coast is usually high, with cliffs and small inlets and coves.
Historical
Historically, Biscay was divided into merindades (called eskualdeak in
BasqueBasque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
), which were two, the Constituent ones and the ones incorporated later.
The constituent ones were (the number indicates their position on the map):
- Uribe
The Merindad de Uribe or Uribealdea is a historical subdivision of Biscay, Basque Country, Spain. Today, the "Uribe" is usually defined by subdivisions caused by the urban development of the Greater Bilbao conurbation...
1
- Busturia
Busturia is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain.-External links:*...
2
- Markina3
- Bedia4
- Amorebieta (also Zornotza)5
- Arratia6
Incorporated later:
- Durango
- Enkarterri
- Orozko
Orozko is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country in northern Spain.-External links:*...
- Orduña
Orduña is a town and municipality of 4,057 inhabitants located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the North of Spain....
- Some other independent cities and towns.
Modern
Currently, Biscay is divided into seven comarcas or regions, each one with its own capital city, subdivisions and municipalities.
These are:
- Greater Bilbao, usually divided into subregions:
- Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
- Left Bank
The left bank of the Estuary of Bilbao is a part of the Greater Bilbao region, its main towns are Barakaldo, Sestao, Santurtzi and Portugalete and in addition to the iron mines , was the heart of the intense industrialisation of Biscay...
- Uribe-Kosta
Uribe-Kosta is a modern conventional division of the Basque province of Biscay. It includes part of the coastal strip of the historical division of Uribealdea. The division is used for statistical and electoral purposes. It includes the following...
- Txorierri
Txorierri is a valley of Biscay, Basque Country, separated from Bilbao by low mountains Monte Artxanda and Monte Abril. It includes the municipalities of Erandio, Loiu, Sondika, Derio, Zamudio, Lezama and Larrabetzu. It holds the international airport of Bilbao. It includes industrial and...
- Hego Uribe
Hego Uribe is a modern conventional subdivision of Biscay, Basque Country. It includes the towns of Basauri, Galdakao and Arrigorriaga among others. It is noted for its production of high quality wool....
- Mungialdea
Mungialdea is a comarca of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. Mungialdea is the heir of the historical region of Uribe, which was one of the merindades of Biscay. It comprises the most rural area of the historical region of Uribe, drained by the river Butron and with some small...
- Enkarterri
- Busturialdea
Busturialdea, also named Busturialde - Urdaibai is a comarca of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. It is the heir of "Busturia", one of the original merindades that used to compose the province of Biscay, which should not be confused with Busturia, which is a municipality located...
- Durangaldea
Durangaldea is a comarca of Biscay located in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven comarcas or regions that compose the province of Biscay. The capital city of Durangaldea is Durango.- Geography :...
- Lea-Artibai
Lea-Artibai is a comarca of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. Lea-Artibai is the heir of the historical merindad of Markina, which was one of the merindades of Biscay. Currently, Lea-Artibai is one of the seven comarcas that compose the province. Its capital city is...
- Arratia-Nerbioi
Arratia-Nerbioi is a comarca of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. It is formed by the valleys of the Arratia river and the Nervión river. It is one of the seven comarcas that compose the province of Biscay....
Population
According to the 2010
INEThe National Institute of Statistics is the official organisation in Spain that collects statistics about demography, economy, and Spanish society. Every 10 years, this organisation conducts a national census. The last census took place in 2001....
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Biscay has a population of 1.153.724, and its population density of 519,9 hab/km, only surpassed by the one of Madrid and Barcelona. In 1981 Biscay was the fifth
Spanish provinceSpain and its autonomous communities are divided into fifty provinces .In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. província.*Galician , sing. provincia.*Basque |Galicia]] — are not also the capitals of provinces...
in population, and despite the strong
demographicDemographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
crisis the province has been living since the
TransitionThe Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on 20 November 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish...
it is today the ninth province in population.
Demographic evolution of Biscay and
percentage of the national total |
| | 1857 | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1940 | 1950 |
| Population |
160.579 |
311.361 |
349.923 |
409.550 |
485.205 |
511.135 |
569.188 |
| Percentage |
1,04% |
1,67% |
1,75% |
1,91% |
2,05% |
1,96% |
2,02% |
| | 1960 | 1970 | 1981 | 1991 | 1996 | 2001 | 2006 |
| Population |
754.383 |
1.043.310 |
1.181.401 |
1.156.245 |
1.140.026 |
1.132.616 |
1.139.863 |
| Percentage |
2,47% |
3,07% |
3,13% |
2,93% |
2,87% |
2,75% |
2,55% |
Most populated municipalities
(2010) |
| Position |
Municipality |
Inhabitants |
| 1st |
BilbaoBilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
|
353.187 |
| 2nd |
Barakaldo Barakaldo , is a municipality in the Basque Country in Spain. It is located in the Biscay province, administratively included in the "Basque Autonomous Community", on the left bank of the Estuary of Bilbao.Barakaldo is part of Bilbao's metropolitan area , and its official population...
|
99.321 |
| 3rd |
GetxoGetxo is a town located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the north of Spain.It is part of the metropolitan area of Bilbao , and has about 83,000 inhabitants...
|
80.277 |
| 4th |
PortugaletePortugalete is a town lying to the west of Bilbao in the province of Biscay in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country, northern Spain.The town has 51,066 inhabitants and is part of Bilbao's metropolitan area. It is located at the mouth of the Estuary of Bilbao, on the left bank...
|
47.856 |
| 5th |
Santurtzi Santurtzi is a port town in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, Spain. It is located in the Bilbao Abra bay, near the mouth of the Nervión river, on its left bank, 14km downriver from Bilbao and forms part of the Greater Bilbao agglomeration...
|
47.004 |
| 6th |
Basauri Basauri is a major municipality of Biscay, in the Basque Country, an Autonomous Community in northern Spain.The town is a part of the Greater Bilbao conurbation, being only a few kilometers south of Bilbao. It is an industrial town that also includes monuments such as the tower-house of Ariz. It...
|
42.452 |
| 7th |
Leioa Leioa is a municipality in Biscay, Basque Country, in northern Spain. Today it is part of the Bilbao conurbation, and it is the name of a metro station in the Bilbao metro...
|
29.217 |
| 8th |
Sestao Sestao is a town and municipality of 30,000 inhabitants located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain...
|
29.224 |
| 9th |
Galdakao Galdakao is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain.It is located in the Greater Bilbao, in the valley of the Ibaizabal river, near the Ganguren mountain range...
|
29.254 |
| 10th |
Durango Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
|
28.261 |
| 11ª |
Erandio Erandio is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain.In 1415, during the War of the Bands, the corregidor, the royally-appointed governor of the Biscayan hermandad, acting on royal orders, siphoned off Biscayan wheat to...
|
24.294 |
| 12th |
Amorebieta-Etxano Amorebieta-Etxano or Zornotza are two different names for the same town and municipality located in Biscay in the Basque Country, an Autonomous Community in northern Spain. Athletic Bilbao defender Xabier Etxeita was born in Zornotza, as is Beñat Intxausti, a professional cyclist.-External links:*...
|
17.969 |
| 13th |
Bermeo Bermeo is a town and municipality in the sub-region of Busturialdea and the wider province of Biscay, part of the autonomous region of the Basque Country, in Northern Spain. Bermeo has 17,026 inhabitants and is the most important fishing port of the Basque Country. The town was founded in 1236 and...
|
17.026 |
| 14th |
Mungia Mungia is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country of northern Spain. Thetown has 15,000 inhabitants.-Geography:...
|
16.527 |
| 15th |
Gernika-Lumo |
16.295 |
Government and Foral institutions
The government and foral institutions of Biscay, as a historial territory of the
Basque CountryThe Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
are the
Juntas Generales de VizcayaThe Juntas Generales are representative assemblies in the Southern Basque Country that go back to the 14th century. The three main Juntas Generals in the Basque Country were - and are - the Juntas Generales of Biscay, the Juntas Generales of Gipuzkoa and the Juntas Generales of Álava.They were...
and the Foral Diputation of Biscay.
Juntas Generales
The
Juntas GeneralesThe Juntas Generales are representative assemblies in the Southern Basque Country that go back to the 14th century. The three main Juntas Generals in the Basque Country were - and are - the Juntas Generales of Biscay, the Juntas Generales of Gipuzkoa and the Juntas Generales of Álava.They were...
of Biscay are an unicameral assembly that has normative authority in the province. Its members, called apoderados, are elected by
universal suffrageUniversal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
. The elections are held each four years.
After the 2011 elections, the configuration of the Juntas is the following:
| Elecciones a las Juntas Generales 2011 |
| Party |
Apoderados |
Basque Nationalist PartyThe Basque National Party is the largest and oldest Basque nationalist party. It is currently the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community also with a minor presence in Navarre and a marginal one in the French Basque Country...
|
22 |
| Bildu Bildu is a Basque nationalist, separatist and abertzale leftist political coalition active in the Basque Country and Navarre. It was official launched on 3 April 2011...
|
12 |
| Socialist Party of the Basque Country – Basque Country Left |
9 |
People's PartyThe People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
|
8 |
The Foral Diputation has an executive function and reglamentary authority in Biscay. The Foral Diputation is configured by a General Deputy, who currently is José Luis Bilbao (
, which is the most important hub in northern Spain, and the number of passengers using the new terminal continues to rise. It is located in the municipalities of
Biscay has different commuter rail services, operated by different companies.
, the national rail company. It connects
and its neighborhoods with other municipalities and regions inside Biscay, like
and finished in Donostia (in the province of Gipuzkoa), other line connecting Greater Bilbao with
region.
also offers a commuter rail service connecting the regions of the Greater Bilbao with Enkarterri.
is Biscay's main train station, with regular trains to other Spanish provinces like Burgos, Madrid and Barcelona offered by
.
that will connect the three cities of the Basque Country; Bilbao (in Biscay), Donostia (in Gipuzkoa) and
and its metropolitan area, the Greater Bilbao region. It connects the city with other municipalities like