Goierri ("Highland(s)" in

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 ...

; es, Goyerri) or "Basque Highlands" is one of the eight ''

comarcas A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

'' (''Eskualdea'' in the Basque language) in the Spanish province of

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...

. It is composed of 18 municipalities, Beasain,

Ordizia Ordizia, formerly known as Villafranca de Ordizia, 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. The professional cycle road race Prueba V ...

and Lazkao being the main towns. The main administrative center is Beasain.

Municipalities

The Basque language

The region is traditionally Basque-speaking, having a higher proportion of Basque speakers than other ''comarcas'' in Gipuzkoa. According to data from 1996, around half the population of Goierri speak Basque as a mother tongue. The predominant dialect is the central dialect that proliferates much of Gipuzkoa's Basque speaking communities. Villages are more likely to be predominantly Basque-speaking with particularly strong Basque-speaking populations in the towns of Ordizia, Ataun, Lazkao and Beasain. Basque is the dominant language in education in the area, for example, Lazkao's San Benito Ikastola and Ataun San Martin's Joxemigel Barandiaran Eskola teaching exclusively through the Basque language with the exception of Spanish lessons.

External links

Official Website
.

References

Comarcas of Gipuzkoa {{basque-geo-stub