Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) is a

province of Spain A province in Spain * , ; sing. ''provincia'') * Basque (, sing. ''probintzia''. * Catalan (), sing. ''província''. * Galician (), sing. ''provincia''. is a territorial division defined as a collection of municipalities. The current ...

and a historical territory of the

autonomous community of the Basque Country The Basque Country or Basque Autonomous Community (), also officially called Euskadi (), is an autonomous community in northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Araba, Bizkaia, and Gipuzkoa. It surrounds two enclaves called Treviño ...

. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French department of

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...

at the northeast, with the province and autonomous community of

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

at east,

Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...

at west,

Álava Álava () or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a Provinces of Spain, province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, heir of the ancient Basque señoríos#Lords of Álava, Lordship ...

at southwest and the

Bay of Biscay The 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 Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...

to its north. It is located at the easternmost extreme of the

Cantabric Sea The Cantabrian Sea is the term used mostly in Spain to describe the coastal sea of the Atlantic Ocean that borders the northern coast of Spain and the southwest side of the Atlantic coast of France, included in the Bay of Biscay. It extends from ...

, in the Bay of Biscay. It has of coastline. With a total area of , Gipuzkoa is the smallest province of Spain. The province has 89

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

and a population of 720,592 inhabitants (2018), from which more than half live in the Donostia-San Sebastián metropolitan area. Apart from the capital, other important cities are

Irun Irun (, ) is a town of the Bidasoaldea region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. History It lies on the foundations of the ancient Oiasso, cited as a Roman- Vasconic town. During the Spanish Civil War, ...

Errenteria Errenteria (, ) is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, in the north of Spain, near the French border. The river Oiartzun (river), Oiartzun cuts its way through the ...

Zarautz Zarautz (, ) is a coastal town located in central Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, in Spain. It is bordered by Aia to the east and the south and Getaria, Gipuzkoa, Getaria to the west, located about west of San Sebastián, Donostia/San Sebastián. It ha ...

Mondragón Mondragón (in Basque: Arrasate) officially known as Arrasate/Mondragón, is a town and municipality in Gipuzkoa Province, Basque Country, Spain. Its population in 2015 was 21,933. Toponymy The current official name of the municipality is Arrasa ...

Eibar Eibar (, ) is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of Euskadi. It is the capital of the '' eskualde / comarca'' of Debabarrena. Eibar has 27,138 inhabitants ( Eustat, 2018). Its chief industry is ...

Hondarribia Hondarribia (; ; ) is a Spanish town situated on the west shore of the Bidasoa river's estuary, in Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community. The border town is situated on a little promontory facing Hend ...

Oñati Oñati (, ) is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the north of Spain. It has a population of approximately 10,500 and lies in a valley in the center of the Basque country. It lies abo ...

, Tolosa,

Beasain Beasain is a town and municipality located in the Goierri region of the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, northern Spain. It has an important industry of railway vehicles and related equipment ( CAF) that ...

and

Pasaia Pasaia () is a town and municipality located in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community of northern Spain. It is a fishing community, commercial port and the birthplace of the famous admiral Blas de Lezo and of the fashion de ...

. Gipuzkoa is the province of the Basque Country in which the

Basque language Basque ( ; ) is a language spoken by Basques and other residents of the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country, a region that straddles the westernmost Pyrenees in adjacent parts of northern Spain and southwestern France. Basque ...

is the most extensively used since 49.1% of its population spoke Basque in 2006.

Etymology

The first recorded name of the province was ''Ipuscoa'' in a document from the year 1025. 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 , containing the root which is related to the word (north), (back) and (tale). According to this, ''ipuzko'' (one of the several first known denominations) might refer to something "to the north" or "in the north".

Denominations

''Gipuzkoa''

Gipuzkoa is the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

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

Spanish constitution The Spanish Constitution () is the supreme law of the Kingdom of Spain. It was enacted after its approval in 1978 in a constitutional referendum; it represents the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. The current version was a ...

and in the Basque version of the

Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country The Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country of 1979 (; ), widely known as the Statute of Gernika (; {{langx, es, Estatuto de Guernica), is the legal document organizing the political system of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country' ( ...

. Gipuzkoa is also the only official spelling approved for the historical territory by the

Juntas Generales The General AssembliesThe official name of the legislature/parliament is "General Assemblies" (plural). The name is plural, although it is a single legislature/parliament (in Spanish it is "JuntaS", not "Junta"). ( Spanish: ''Juntas Generales''; ...

of the province.

''Guipúzcoa''

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

Association of Spanish Language Academies The Association of Academies of the Spanish Language (; ASALE) is an entity whose end is to work for the unity, integrity, and growth of the Spanish language. It was created in Mexico in 1951 and represents the union of all the separate academies ...

as being the only correct use outside official Spanish documents in which the Basque spelling is mandatory.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 fo
Lérida
an
Gerona
indicate that will be the criterion followed for the Guipúzcoa article in the edition that is currently under elaboration. 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

At Gipuzkoa is the smallest province in Spain. The province has 88

and 709,607 inhabitants (2011), a quarter of whom live in the capital,

San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...

. Other important towns are

, Arrasate,

with an old university,

, Tolosa which was the provincial capital for a short time,

, the main port and

, 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

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

, nature and mountains on the part of Gipuzkoans. Some mountains have an emblematic or iconic significance in the local tradition, their summits being topped with crosses, memorials and mountaineer postboxes. In addition,

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

s which have gradually lost their former religious zeal and taken on a more secular slant are sometimes held to their summits. Some renowned mountains are Aiako Harria,

Hernio Hernio (; also spelled ''Ernio'') is an iconic summit in the Basque Country (historical territory), Basque Country very popular with the Gipuzkoans and located right at the heart of the province. The peak is the highest point of a massif extendin ...

, Txindoki,

Aizkorri Aizkorri or Aitzgorri (, meaning in Basque 'bare stone', literally 'red stone') is a massif, the highest one of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community (Spain) with 1,551 m Above mean sea level, AMSL at its hig ...

and Izarraitz, amongst others. Algorri Flysch

The Aralar Natural Park is a conservation area on the border of Gipuzkoa and Navarre in the

Aralar Range The Aralar Range () is a mountain range in the Basque Mountains of the Southern Basque Country. The part of the range lying in Gipuzkoa was established as a conservation area called Aralar Natural Park in 1994. In addition to its natural features ...

. The rivers of Gipuzkoa are distinctly different from other

rivers. They arise in the hilly

inland landscape (''Basque Mountains''), flow in a south- north direction, forming close, narrow valleys before joining the ocean. The rivers extend for a short length with only a small fluctuation in the volume of water thanks to the stable rainfall all year round, and they show an abrupt drop between origin and mouth as far as the length of the river is concerned. From west to east the rivers are the

Deba Deba may refer to: Geography * Deba (crater), a crater on Mars * Deba (river), a river in the Basque Country * Deba, Gipuzkoa, a town in the Basque Country * Deba, Gombe, a town in the Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State, Nigeria ...

Urola The Urola is a river and valley in Gipuzkoa, Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. The river is only 55 kilometres in length, and runs from headwaters in the Aizkorri Mountains, near the town of Legazpi to its outflow into the Cantabrian Sea ...

, Oria,

Urumea The Urumea ( or , stemming from Basque "ur" 'water' + "me(he)a" 'thin') is a river in the Basque Country at the north of the Iberian Peninsula. It's one of a series of Basque rivers flowing into the Bay of Biscay (Atlantic basin) and is best know ...

Oiartzun Oiartzun (, ) is a town and municipality located in the Basque Country, in the province of Gipuzkoa lying at the foot of the massif Aiako Harria (Peñas de Aya in Spanish). Etymology The name traces back to ''Oiasso'' or ''Oiarso'', a Roman to ...

and

Bidasoa __NOTOC__ The Bidasoa (; ; , ) is a river in the Basque Country of northern Spain and southern France that runs largely south to north. Named as such downstream of the village of Oronoz-Mugairi (municipality of Baztan) in the province of Navar ...

. Except for a narrow strip extending east from the hamlet ''Otzaurte'' (

Zegama Zegama, popularly known as "the shadow of Aizkorri", is a town and municipality in the Goierri region of the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, northern Spain. Nature an ...

) and the tunnel of San Adrian, the province drains its waters to the Atlantic basin.

Population development

The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) ImageSize = width:700 height:auto barincrement:28 PlotArea = left:40 bottom:40 top:20 right:20 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:770 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal AlignBars = late ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:100 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:50 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo PlotData= color:skyblue width:20 shift:(-50,-5) fontsize:M anchor:till bar:1877 from:0 till:170 text:170,209 bar:1887 from:0 till:181 text:181,149 bar:1900 from:0 till:197 text:196,531 bar:1910 from:0 till:221 text:221,427 bar:1920 from:0 till:261 text:260,504 bar:1930 from:0 till:296 text:296,269 bar:1940 from:0 till:325 text:325,003 bar:1950 from:0 till:371 text:371,024 bar:1960 from:0 till:474 text:473,901 bar:1970 from:0 till:626 text:626,049 bar:1980 from:0 till:695 text:694,681 bar:1990 from:0 till:676 text:676,488 bar:2000 from:0 till:674 text:673,563 bar:2010 from:0 till:708 text:708,425 bar:2020 from:0 till:727 text:727,121 TextData= pos:(35,20) fontsize:M text:"Number bar: Thousand inhabitants; Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE "

Climate

Gipuzkoa has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

, characterized by its low variation in temperature, with cool summers, moderate winters and abundant rain throughout the year. The climate promotes the growth of lush vegetation. The area is windy for most of the year with those from the north-northwest bringing significant moisture from the ocean. Rainfall is abundant due to the wind direction and hilly region of the province, with rainfall ranging between 1200 and 1700 mm 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

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 Way of St. James, i.e. the Tunnel Route penetrated the province via

and turned south-west along the Oria River towards the provincial limits at the tunnel of San Adrian. This stretch was in operation up to 1765 when the Royal Road moved to the western

Valley. A minor St. James route crossed Gipuzkoa east to west along the coast. Currently, the main road cutting through Gipuzkoa largely follows that layout, i.e. the N-1 E-5 from Irun to Donostia and on to Altsasu all along the Oria River for the most part (gateway to Navarre through the pass of Etxegarate). Also, the major Irun-Madrid railway runs close to the river up to its very origin on the slopes of

at train stop Otzaurte in

. By 1973 engineering works for the Bilbao-Behobia A-8 E-70 motorway had been completed, with the new road cutting across the valleys east to west and turning into the main axis between Donostia and Bilbao, besides enabling heavy load traffic to access the west and south of Spain as a toll road. The regional railway network

Euskotren Trena Euskotren Trena, formerly known just as ''Euskotren'' is a commuter rail, commuter, Inter-city rail, inter-city and Urban rail transit, urban transit train-operating company that operates local and inter-city passenger services in the provinces ...

also follows along the coast from east to west, while it proves impractical for long distance on the grounds of its tortuous layout and as it serves small towns. The railway network reaches the border town

Hendaia Hendaye (; Basque: ''Hendaia'',HENDAIA

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...

. Within the

Donostialdea Donostialdea is one of the eight regions of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Autonomous Community, corresponding to the basin of the lower Urumea River, along with a strip of basin corresponding to the Oria River. The region's name is derived from Donos ...

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, Basque leftist nationalists and eventually ETA. Conflict resolved after a deal about the definitive layout was struck. In January 2010, following a scheme drawn up by the regional government of Gipuzkoa to improve provisions for the ever-increasing road traffic, the Maltzaga-Urbina AP-1 motorway stretch leading to

Gasteiz Vitoria-Gasteiz (; ; also historically spelled Vittoria in English) is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country and of the provinces of Spain, province of Álava in northern Spain. I ...

was completed, providing likewise access to the industrial areas of Arrasate and

Bergara Bergara (; ) is a town and municipality located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the north of Spain. An Enlightened center of education operated by the '' Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del P ...

, the gateway to

by village Landa. AP-1 and N-1 E-5 are connected by a highway east to west from

and

. European traffic to south of Spain avoids Donostia's metropolitan area by means of the southern outer road ring. The AVE

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...

is currently under construction, with an Y-type layout and links to the SNCF network in Hendaia (NE), Vitoria (SE), Bilbao (W) and

Pamplona Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...

(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 San Sebastian Airport located in

, while the air transportation needs are usually served by the nearby

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

and

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. It is a luxu ...

airports.

Cultural traits

Gipuzkera, a

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

of the

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. The Basque cultural element is apparent, including traditional dances and singing,

bertsolaritza Bertsolaritza or bertsolarism is the art of singing improvised songs in Basque according to various melodies and rhyming patterns. Bertsos can be composed at a variety of occasions but are performed generally by one or various ''bertsolaris'' ...

trikiti The trikiti (standard Basque, pronounced ) trikitixa ( dialectal Basque, pronounced ), or eskusoinu txiki ("little hand-sound", pronounced )) is a two-row Basque diatonic button accordion with right-hand rows keyed a fifth apart and twelve uni ...

and

txistu The txistu () is a kind of fipple flute that became a symbol for the Basque folk revival. The name may stem from the general Basque word ''ziztu'' "to whistle" with palatalisation of the ''z'' (cf ''zalaparta'' > ''txalaparta''). This three-hol ...

music,

baserri A baserri (; Spanish: ''caserío vasco''; French: ''maison basque'') is a traditional half-timbered or stone-built type of housebarn farmhouse found in the Basque Country in northern Spain and Southwestern France. The baserris, with their gentl ...

s 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

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

s are the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola ( ; ; ; ; born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Basque Spaniard Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the S ...

, a native of this province born in the neighborhood of Loyola (

Azpeitia Azpeitia (meaning 'down the rock' in Basque language, Basque) is a town and Municipalities of Spain, municipality within the Provinces of Spain, province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, Spain, located on ...

), and

Our Lady of Arantzazu Our Lady of Aránzazu (; ) is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The replica in the Philippines is known as a wonderworking image due to claims of healing and delivery from flood. It retains its standing posture despite controversy o ...

. The region has produced many famous Basque athletes for example: Jose Maria Olazabal (golfer),

José Ángel Iribar José Ángel Iribar Kortajarena (born 1 March 1943), nicknamed ''El Chopo'' ("the Populus, Poplar"), is a Spanish former professional association football, football goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper and Manager (association football ...

Mikel Arteta Mikel Arteta Amatriain (born 26 March 1982) is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of club Arsenal F.C., Arsenal. Arteta began his senior club career ...

and

Xabi Alonso Xabier Alonso Olano (, ; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of La Liga club Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid. He is regarded as o ...

(footballers),

Abraham Olano Abraham Olano Manzano (born 22 January 1970) is a Spanish retired professional road racing cyclist, who raced as a professional from 1992 to 2002. He won the UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race, World Road Championship in 1995 UCI ...

and

Domingo Perurena Domingo Perurena Telletxea or Txomin Perurena (15 December 1943 – 8 June 2023) was a Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He was most famous for winning the overall mountains classification of 1974 Tour de France. He also finished second a ...

(cyclists),

Edurne Pasaban Edurne Pasaban Lizarribar (born August 1, 1973) is a Basque Spanish mountaineer. On May 17, 2010, she became the first woman to climb all 14 of the eight-thousanders – and the 21st person to do so.

and

Alberto Iñurrategi Alberto Iñurrategi Iriarte (November 3, 1968) is a Basques, Basque Spanish mountaineer born in Aretxabaleta, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country. In the year 2002, he became the second Basque and Spaniard (after Juanito Oia ...

(mountaineers),

Iñaki Urdangarin Iñaki Urdangarin Liebaert (born 15 January 1968) is a retired Spanish handball player turned entrepreneur and the former husband of Infanta Cristina, younger daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía. He was the brother-in-law of King Fel ...

(handball player),

Maite Zúñiga María Teresa "Maite" Zúñiga Domínguez (born 28 December 1964 in Eibar) is a retired Basque Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, s ...

(runner) and

Paulino Uzcudun Paulino Uzcudun Eizmendi (3 May 1899 – 5 July 1985) was a Basque Spanish heavyweight boxer, who is considered to be the greatest heavyweight from Spain. Uzkudun is the Basque spelling of his last name. He was the youngest of nine siblings. In ...

(boxer). Professional tennis player

Garbiñe Muguruza Garbiñe Muguruza Blanco (; born 8 October 1993) is a Venezuelan-born Spanish former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Asso ...

's father is also a native of Gipuzkoa.

Notable natives and residents

, road racing cyclist, 1995 world road champion, 1998 world time trial champion *

Ainhoa Arteta Ainhoa Arteta Ibarrolaburu, better known as Ainhoa Arteta (born 24 September 1964), is a Spanish soprano. Personal life and training Ainhoa Arteta was born on 24 September 1964 in Tolosa, Gipuzkoa. Her father, José Ramón Arteta, was foun ...

, soprano *

, mountaineer * Andoni Iraola Sagarna, former footballer and current manager of

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

Andrés de Urdaneta Andres or Andrés may refer to: * Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US * Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) Andres or Andrés is a male given name. It can also be a ...

, explorer and navigator *

Asier Illarramendi Asier Illarramendi "Illarra" Andonegi (; born 8 March 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder. He developed at Real Sociedad, helping them to qualify for the Champions League in 2013. He then transferred ...

, footballer *

Bernardo Atxaga Bernardo Atxaga (born 27 July 1951), pseudonym of Joseba Irazu Garmendia, is a Spanish Basque writer and self-translator. He is a full member of the Royal Academy of the Basque Language since 2006, in November 2010, he was also named a member ...

, writer *

Blas de Lezo Admiral Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta (3 February 1689 – 7 September 1741) was a Spanish Navy officer best known for his victory at the 1741 Battle of Cartagena de Indias, where forces under his command defeated a large British invasion force u ...

, Admiral famed for the

Battle of Cartagena de Indias The Battle of Cartagena de Indias () took place during the 1739 to 1748 War of Jenkins' Ear between Spanish Empire, Spain and Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain. The result of long-standing commercial tensions, the war was primarily fough ...

Cosme Damián de Churruca y Elorza Cosme, Cosmè, or Cosmé may refer to: * Cosme (name), including a list of people with the given name or surname * Cosme District, Churcampa province, Peru * Tropical Storm Cosme (disambiguation), various storms See also * San Cosme (disambig ...

, Admiral of the Royal Spanish Armada *

Cristóbal Balenciaga Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre (; ; 21 January 1895 – 23 March 1972) was a Spanish fashion designer, and the founder of the Balenciaga clothing brand. He had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards and was referred to as "th ...

, fashion designer *

Cristóbal de Oñate Cristóbal de Oñate (1504 — October 6, 1567) was a Spanish Basque explorer, conquistador and colonial official in New Spain. He is considered the founder of the contemporary city of Guadalajara in 1531, as well as other places in Nueva Gali ...

, explorer, conquistador and colonial official in

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

Domingo Martínez de Irala Domingo Martínez de Irala (1509 – 3 October 1556) was a Spanish-Basque conquistador. He headed for America in 1535 enrolled in the expedition of Pedro de Mendoza and participated in the founding of Buenos Aires. He explored the Paraná and ...

, conquistador *

Eduardo Chillida Eduardo Chillida Juantegui (Basque: ''Eduardo Txillida Juantegi''; 10 January 1924 – 19 August 2002) was a Spanish Basque sculptor notable for his abstract works. Early life and career Born in San Sebastián (Donostia) to Pedro Chillida an ...

, sculptor *

, mountaineer * Fernando de Villanueva (died 1679), governor of

Spanish New Mexico Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine ** Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

between 1665 and 1668. *

Fernando Savater Fernando Fernández-Savater Martín (born 21 June 1947 at Basque city of San Sebastián) is a Spanish philosopher, essayist and author. Early years and career Born in San Sebastián, he was an Ethics professor at the University of the Basqu ...

, philosopher *

Francisco de Ibarra Francisco de Ibarra (1539 –June 3, 1575) was a Spanish-Basque explorer, founder of the city of Durango, and governor of the Spanish province of Nueva Vizcaya, in present-day Durango and Chihuahua. Biography Francisco de Ibarra was born a ...

, explorer, conquistador and the founder of the city of

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

* Gabriel de Mendizábal Iraeta, General Officer who fought in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

Ignacio Zuloaga Ignacio Zuloaga y Zabaleta (July 26, 1870October 31, 1945) was a Spanish painter, born in Eibar, Guipuzcoa, near the monastery of Loyola. Family He was the son of metalworker and damascening, damascener Plácido Zuloaga and grandson of the orga ...

, painter *

Irene Paredes Irene Paredes Hernández (; born 4 July 1991) is a Spanish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for Liga F club FC Barcelona Femení, Barcelona and captains the Spain women's national football team, Spain na ...

, footballer * Iker Martínez de Lizarduy Lizarribar, Olympic sailor *

Jorge Oteiza Jorge Oteiza (October 21, 1908 – April 9, 2003), was a Basques, Basque Spain, Spanish sculpture, sculptor, painting, painter, designer and writing, writer from the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country, renowned for being one of th ...

, sculptor *

José de Urrutia José de Urrutia (c. 1678 to 1741) was a Basque people, Basque Spanish explorer and settler of Texas, who became captain of San Antonio de Béjar Presidio and lived for seven years with several Native American tribes, leading campaigns against t ...

, Explorer and settler of Texas in the 1600s *

José María Olazábal José María Olazábal Manterola (, ; born 5 February 1966) is a Spanish Basques, Basque professional golfer from the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country, who has enjoyed success on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and has wo ...

, golfer and winner of Masters tournament *

Jose Miguel Barandiaran (; 31December 188921December 1991), known as and ("Father Barandiaran"), was a Basque anthropologist, ethnographer, and priest. Early life He was born in 1889 as the youngest of nine children to Francisco Antonio Barandiaran and María Anto ...

, anthropologist, paleontologist *

Josune Bereziartu Josune Bereziartu (born January 19, 1972), also known as Josune Bereciartu Urruzola, is a Basque rock climber. For a decade starting in the late 1990s, she was considered the strongest female sport climber in the world and is regarded as one of t ...

, rock climber *

Joxe Azurmendi Joxe Azurmendi Otaegi (born 19 March 1941) is a Basque people, Basque writer, philosopher, essayist, and poet. He has published numerous articles and books on ethics, politics, the philosophy of language, Technology, technique, Basque literatur ...

, philosopher *

Juan de Tolosa Juan de Tolosa (c. 1515 – before 1594) was a Spanish Basque conquistador. He discovered rich silver deposits near the present day city of Zacatecas, Mexico, in 1546. Early life Juan de Tolosa was born in the sixteenth century in or near Tolosa, ...

, explorer, conquistador and one of the founders of

Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...

* Juan de Urbieta, soldier who captured king

Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...

Juan Mari Arzak Juan Mari Arzak Arratibel (born 31 July 1942) is a Spanish chef, the owner and chef of Arzak restaurant. He is considered to be one of the great masters of New Basque cuisine. He describes his cooking as "signature cuisine, Basque cuisine th ...

, chef *

Juan Sebastián Elcano Juan Sebastián Elcano (Elkano in modern Basque language, Basque; also known as ''del Cano''; 1486/1487 – 4 August 1526) was a Spaniards, Spanish navigator, ship-owner and explorer of Basques, Basque origin, ship-owner and explorer from Getaria ...

, first to

circumnavigate Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magellan Exped ...

the world, 1522 *

Julen Lopetegui Julen Lopetegui Argote (; born 28 August 1966) is a Spanish professional football manager and former footballer. He is the current manager of the Qatar national team. A goalkeeper, he played 149 La Liga matches over nine seasons, representing ...

, football manager and former player. *

Karlos Arguiñano Karlos Arguiñano UrkiolaNote the mixed spelling of his name. ''Karlos'' and ''Urkiola'' are spelled in Basque, not the Spanish '' Carlos'' and ''Urquiola'', but ''Arguiñano'' is spelled in Spanish, not the Basque ''Argiñano''. (born September ...

, chef, TV presenter and producer, and

Basque pelota Basque pelota (Basque: '' pilota'', Spanish: '' pelota vasca'', French: '' pelote basque'') is the name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using one's hand, a racket, a wooden bat or a basket, against a wall (''frontis or fronto ...

businessman * Katalina Erauso, nun and soldier in the 17th century *

Koldo Mitxelena Koldo Mitxelena Elissalt () (also known as ''Luis Michelena''; 20 August 1915, Errenteria, Gipuzkoa – 11 October 1987, San Sebastián) was an eminent Spanish Basque linguist. He taught in the Department of Philology at the University of th ...

, linguist *

Lope de Aguirre Lope de Aguirre (; 8 November 1510 – 27 October 1561) was a Basque Spanish conquistador who was active in South America. Nicknamed ''El Loco'' ("the Madman"), he styled himself "Wrath of God." Aguirre is best known for his final expedition down ...

, conquistador, known for his expedition of the mythical

El Dorado El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions � ...

Luis Arconada Luis Miguel Arconada Etxarri (born 26 June 1954) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played only for Real Sociedad for nearly 20 years, and helped the club to four titles including two La Liga championship ...

, footballer *

Luis Mariano Luis Mariano Eusebio González García (13 August 1914 – 14 July 1970), also known as Luis Mariano, was a popular tenor of Spanish origin who achieved celebrity in 1946 with "La belle de Cadix" ("The Beautiful Lady of Cadix") an operetta by ...

, tenor * Mariano Juaristi ''Atano III'', Basque-pelota player *

Martín Berasategui Martín Berasategui Olazábal is a Spanish chef expert in Basque cuisine and owner of an eponymous restaurant in Lasarte-Oria (Gipuzkoa), Spain. Since 2001 it has been awarded three Michelin stars. He holds twelve stars in total, more than an ...

, chef *

Martín de Murúa Martín de Murúa, O. de M., ( in Gipuzkoa, Spain – in Spain) was a Basque Mercedarian friar and chronicler of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. He is primarily known for his work ''Historia general del Piru'' (written ), which is conside ...

, friar and chronicler, made the earliest illustrated history of

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. *

Martín Ignacio de Loyola Martín Ignacio Martínez de Mallea, known as Martín Ignacio de Loyola (c. 1550 in Eibar, Guipuzcoa, Spain – 1606 in Buenos Aires), was a Franciscan friar, best known for his two travels around the world in 1580–1584 and 1585–1589, bein ...

, Franciscan friar and missionary, first person to complete the world circumnavigation twice - first time in both eastwards and westwards. * Miguel de Oquendo y Segura, a Spanish admiral, second in command of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

Miguel López de Legazpi Miguel López de Legazpi (12 June 1502 – 20 August 1572), also known as ''Adelantado, El Adelantado'' and ''El Viejo'' (The Elder), was a Spanish conquistador who financed and led an expedition to conquer the Philippines, Philippine islan ...

, navigator and Governor of

Captaincy General of the Philippines The Captaincy General of the Philippines was an administrative district of the Spanish Empire in Southeast Asia governed by a governor-general as a dependency of the Viceroyalty of New Spain based in Mexico City until Mexican independence when i ...

, former footballer and current manager of

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

Paco Rabanne Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo (18 February 1934 – 3 February 2023), more commonly known under the pseudonym of Paco Rabanne (; ), was a Spanish-born naturalised-French fashion designer. Rabanne rose to prominence as an ''enfant terrible'' of ...

, fashion designer *

Pako Ayestarán Francisco Martín "Pako" Ayestarán Barandiarán (born 5 February 1963) is a Spanish Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and coach who is the assistant head coach at Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston V ...

, Spanish football manager, former Head Coach of

Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol, S. A. D. (; ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF or simply Valencia, is a Spanish professional Association football, football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top tier of the Spani ...

. * Pío Baroja y Nessi, writer * San Ignacio de Loyola, saint and founder of the

* Sta. Cándida María de Jesús, saint and founder of the Congregation of the Hijas de Jesús * Sto. Domingo Ibáñez de Erquicia, Dominican Saint, Martyr * Tirso de Olazábal, Count of Arbelaiz, Politician *

Unai Emery Unai Emery Etxegoien (born 3 November 1971) is a Spanish Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa. He is widely regarded as o ...

, current manager of

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

, former footballer and current manager of

Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen, officially known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH () and commonly known as Bayer Leverkusen or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It competes in the B ...