Gipuzkoa

Coordinates: 43°10′N 2°10′W / 43.167°N 2.167°W / 43.167; -2.167
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Gipuzkoa
Guipúzcoa
Historical Territory of Gipuzkoa1
General Assembly of Gipuzkoa
51
WebsiteGipuzkoako Foru Aldundia
1.^ Complete official names: Gipuzkoako Lurralde Historikoa (Basque) and Territorio Histórico de Gipuzkoa (Spanish)

Gipuzkoa (

Cantabric Sea
, in the Bay of Biscay. It has 66 kilometres (41 miles) of coast land.

With a total area of 1,980 square kilometres (760 square miles), Gipuzkoa is the

Hondarribia, Oñati, Tolosa, Beasain and Pasaia
.

The oceanic climate gives the province an intense green colour with little thermic oscillation. Gipuzkoa is the province of the Basque Country in which the Basque language is the most extensively used since 49.1% of its population spoke Basque in 2006.[2]

Etymology

The first recorded name of the province was Ipuscoa in a document from the year 1025.[3] During the following years, and in various documents, several similar names appear, such as Ipuzcoa, Ipuçcha, Ipuzka, among others.

The full etymology the word Gipuzkoa has not been fully ascertained, but links have been made with the Basque word Giputz,[3] containing the root ip- which is related to the word ipar (north), ipurdi (back) and ipuin (tale). According to this, ipuzko (one of the several first known denominations) might refer to something "to the north" or "in the north".[3]

Denominations

Gipuzkoa

Gipuzkoa is the Basque spelling recommended by the Royal Academy of the Basque Language, and it is commonly used in official documents in that language. The Basque spelling is also mandatory in official texts from the various Spanish public administrations, even in documents written in Spanish. It is the spelling most frequently used by the Spanish-language media in the Basque Country.

It is also the spelling used in the Basque version of the

Juntas Generales
of the province.

Guipúzcoa

Guipúzcoa is the spelling in Spanish, and it has been determined by the

Association of Spanish Language Academies as being the only correct use outside official Spanish documents in which the Basque spelling is mandatory.[nb 1]
It is also the Spanish spelling used in the Spanish version of the Constitution and in the Spanish version of the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country.

Geography and demographics

The Oiartzun river passing through Errenteria

At 1,980 km2 (764 sq mi) Gipuzkoa is the

Hondarribia
, an old fort town across from the French Atlantic coast.

Gipuzkoa is hilly and green linking mountain and sea, and heavily populated with numerous urban nuclei that dot the whole territory. The conspicuous presence of hills and rugged terrain has added to a special leaning towards

Aiako Harria, Hernio, Txindoki, Aizkorri and Izarraitz
, amongst others.

Algorri beach in Zumaia

The

Aralar Natural Park is a conservation area on the border of Gipuzkoa and Navarre in the Aralar Range.[4]

The rivers of Gipuzkoa are distinctly different from other

Oiartzun and Bidasoa. Except for a narrow strip extending east from the hamlet Otzaurte (Zegama) and the tunnel of San Adrian
, the province drains its waters to the Atlantic basin.

Population development

Climate

Gipuzkoa has an oceanic climate with a Mediterranean hue, characterized by its small annual thermal oscillation, with cool summers and moderate winters and abundant rain throughout the year.

The winds are always in the area and the atmospheric pressure of the area, predominating those from the north-northwest and south. Rainfall is abundant due to the wind regime and the orography of the province, with rainfall ranging between 1200 and 1700 mm per square meter per year. Cloud cover is also high.

The climate is oceanic, with few thermal fluctuations and abundant rainfall (1400 mm per year). The rainfall and relief have a hydrography defined by rivers of short length, although large and regular; The main ones are the Bidasoa, the Oyarzun, the Urumea, the Oria, the Urola and the Deva. Their agricultural utility, as a consequence of the rainfall, is minimal, although they have been the basis of an industry that has ended up contaminating its waters. The predominant vegetation, also conditioned by the climate, is the boreal forest, with deciduous species that alternate with meadows.

Infrastructure

Inlet to the harbour of Pasaia
San Sebastian and Pasaia flanked at either side by Mounts Jaizkibel and Larrun
View to the SW from Ganbo Txiki in Aralar, with Aratz and the Aizkorri ridge in the background
Meadows near the Arlaban mountain pass

The region's communication layout is in step with its geographical features, with the main lines of infrastructure along a north -south axis up to recent times along the rivers heading to the ocean. Accordingly, the inland

Deba
Valley. A minor St. James route crossed Gipuzkoa east to west along the coast.

Currently,[

Hendaia before it changes to SNCF. Within the Donostialdea region, the San Sebastián Metro
provides service.

The stretch of the A-15 motorway serving Gipuzkoa and Pamplona opened in 1995 embroiled in controversy under protest and an attack campaign led by ecologists,

Donostia
's metropolitan area by means of the southern outer road ring.

The AVE high-speed rail is currently under construction, with an Y-type layout and links to the SNCF network in Hendaia (NE), Vitoria (SE), Bilbao (W) and Pamplona (S) to be completed by 2022. Contractors were appointed, works are in place although past schedule, while strong opposition (ecologists, Basque leftist nationalists,...) and serious financial tensions made its future uncertain.

The only airport in Gipuzkoa serving just domestic flights is the

Biarritz
airports.

Cultural traits

Gipuzkera, a dialect of the Basque language spoken in most of the region, shows a considerable vitality and holds a prominent position among other dialects. A 2021 survey found that 51.8% of the population spoke Basque.[5]

The Basque cultural element is apparent, including traditional dances and singing, bertsolaritza, trikiti and txistu music, baserris dotting the rural landscape, town festivals, and its signature heavy sculptures (stone, steel, iron) from the industrial tradition, all blending with the latest Basque, Spanish and international pop culture events and design trends centred in major urban areas (Donostia, Tolosa, etc.).

Traditionally a Catholic province, its patron

Society of Jesus' Ignatius of Loyola, a native of this province born in the neighborhood of Loyola (Azpeitia), and Our Lady of Arantzazu
.

The region has produced many famous Basque athletes for example:

Jose Maria Olazabal (golfer), José Ángel Iribar, Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso (footballers), Abraham Olano and Domingo Perurena (cyclists), Edurne Pasaban and Alberto Iñurrategi (mountaineers), Iñaki Urdangarin (handball player), Maite Zúñiga (runner) and Paulino Uzcudun (boxer). Professional tennis player Garbiñe Muguruza
's father is also a native of Gipuzkoa.

Notable natives and residents

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The change in the official Spanish policy regarding the naming of Gipuzkoa dates only from 2011, and the last (and first) edition of the Panhispanic dictionary of doubts dates from 2005. The specific case of the spelling of Guipúzcoa is therefore not included. However, the articles for Lérida Archived 2018-05-03 at the Wayback Machine and Gerona[permanent dead link] indicate that will be the criterion followed for the Guipúzcoa article in the edition that is currently under elaboration.

References

  1. ^ "Guipúzcoa". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-05-24. Retrieved 2015-05-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ a b c Juntas Generales de Gipuzkoa. "El Territorio Histórico de Gipuzkoa: Nombre". Gipuzkoa.net. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  4. ^ "Aralar Natural Park" Archived 2013-07-26 at the Wayback Machine Guipúzcoa Department of Sports and Eternal Activities. Website in English. Accessed 12 November 2013
  5. ^ "The Basque Language Gains Speakers, but No Surge in Usage – Basque Tribune".

External links