Nation

Wales

Cymru

State: United Kingdom
Area: 20.770 km2
Population: 3.063.000 inhabitants (2011)
Languages: Welsh, English
Official languages
Native language speakers: 21% (2009)
Main cities: Cardiff, Swansea, Newport
Per capita income: 25.600 € (2017)
Native political institutions: Government of Wales
Main religious culture: Protestant Christian
National bank holiday: Dewi Sant (1 March)
Main nationalist parties: PLAID CYMRU
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 22% (2021)

WELSH LANGUAGE EDUCATION

ALAN SANDRY. Swansea University (Wales/Cymru). The Welsh language – Cymraeg – is generally believed to be the second oldest existing language in Europe, after Basque, with its origins going back…

CYMDEITHAS YR IAITH GYMRAEG, 60 YEARS FIGHTING FOR THE WELSH LANGUAGE

ELIN HAF GRUFFYDD JONES. Prifysgol Cymru-University of Wales. ELEN President (https://elen.ngo/). The NAZIOGINTZA group wants to make known the linguistic struggle of other stateless nations like ours. To this end,…

WALES, INDEPENDENTISM ON THE MARCH

There is no doubt that Brexit has shaken the political unity of the United Kingdom, since the four nations that constitute it voted unequally in the Brexit referendum: England was…

PRESENT-DAY SITUATION OF WELSH

COLIN NOSWORTHY and MAIA JONES “CYMDEITHAS YR IAITH GYMRAEG”. Within Europe, Welsh is the language that most closely resembles Basque in its sociolinguistic situation. At least that has been the…

Kurdistan

State: Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria
Area: 450.000 km2
Population: 30.000.000 - 35.000.000 inhabitants
Languages: Kurdish, Arabic, Persian, Aramaic, Armenian, Turkmen
Official languages
Native language speakers: 60%-80%
Main cities: Mosul (Müsil), Kirkuk (Kerkûk), Diyarbakir (Amed), Arbil (Hewlêr), Kermanshah (Kirmansan)
Native political institutions: Kurdish Government (in Iraq); there is not any Kurdish Government in other states
Main religious culture: Sunni Islamists
National bank holiday: Newroz (21 March)
Main nationalist parties: PATRIOTIC UNION OF KURDISTAN (Iraq), KURDISTAN WORKER'S PARTY (PKK, Turkey), KURDISTAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF IRAN (Iran)

THE KURDS IN TURKEY, A PERSECUTION WITHOUT CONTEMPORARY EQUIVALENT IN EUROPE

DERWICH M. FERHO. President of the Kurdish Institute of Brussels. Derwich M. Ferho is president of the Kurdish Institute, movement for human and people rights in Brussels. Derwich was born…

KURDISTAN OF IRAQ, INDEPENDENCE IS COMING UP

Despite Iraq’s governmental opposition, the stance held by Western powers to the contrary, and the Kurdish heavy, ongoing involvement in the fight against Islamic State ISIS, the Government of Kurdistan…

Quebec

Québec

State: Canada
Area: 1.542.056 km2
Population: 8.164.361 inhabitants (2016)
Languages: French, English, indigenous languages
Official languages
Native language speakers: 94% (French), 3% (Native American languages)
Main cities: Québec, Montréal, Gatineau
Per capita income: 38.620 € (2018)
Native political institutions: Government of Quebec
Main religious culture: Catholic Christian
National bank holiday: National Holiday of Quebec (24 June)
Main nationalist parties: PARTIT QUÉBÉCOIS, QUÉBEC SOLIDAIRE, COALITION AVENIR QUÉBEC
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 83% (2022)

QUEBEC’S LINGUISTIC MODEL – AN ANALYSIS

In the process of recovering and normalizing our own language, we Basques should look at certain models: that of Flanders, for example, where Flemish nationalists managed to reverse the hegemony…

Flanders

Vlaanderen

State: Belgium
Area: 13.600 km2
Population: 7.693.439 inhabitants (2017)
Languages: Dutch, French
Official languages
Native language speakers: 91%
Main cities: Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges
Per capita income: 47.530 € (2018)
Native political institutions: Government of Flanders
Main religious culture: Catholic Christian
National bank holiday: Guldensporenslag (11 July)
Main nationalist parties: N-VA, VLAAMS BELANG
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 50% (2024)

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LANGUAGE STRUGGLE IN FLEMISH EDUCATION

BERNARD DAELEMANS Editor-in-chief of MEERVOUD. In NAZIOGINTZA we have said several times that when looking for models of linguistic struggle we should take into account that of Flanders. It is…

NAZIOGINTZA IN THE NATIONAL FESTIVAL DAY OF FLANDERS

Since it was created in 2017, the Group Naziogintza has kept forging a network of relationships with other nations. These friendly nations get information on Basque nationalism by means of…

ATTRIBUTIONS OF FLANDERS IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS

STEVEN VERGAUWEN Ambassador and former Director of Vlaamse Volksbeweging. How many times have we heard from Spanish sources that western Basques “enjoy the highest and widest level of autonomy across…

FLEMISH INDEPENDENTISM RISES

The elections to the Flanders Parliament were held on May 26th, together with the elections to the EU. The results showed an increase for the Flemish independence parties: for the…

BERNARD DAELEMANS, FLEMISH NATIONALIST AND FRIEND OF THE BASQUES: “Language is the driving force behind flemish nationalism”

Bernard Daelemans (Mechelen, 1966) is a language teacher in Brussels. He is also a member of the Executive Board of the VLAAMSE VOLKSBEWEGING popular movement, as well as being the…

South Tyrol

Südtirol

State: Italy
Area: 7.400 km2
Population: 520.500 inhabitants (2015)
Languages: German, Ladin, Italian
Official languages
Native language speakers: 64% (German), 4% (Ladian)
Main cities: Bozen, Meran, Bruneck
Per capita income: 47.100 € (2018)
Native political institutions: Autonomous Government of South Tyrol
Main religious culture: Catholic Christian
Main nationalist parties: SÜDTIROLER VOLKSPARTEI (SVP), DIE FREIHEITLICHEN, SÜD-TIROLER FREIHEIT
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 63% (2023)

SOUTH TYROL AND AOSTA VALLEY: DIFFERENT EVOLUTION OF THEIR OWN LANGUAGES

There are two small and mountainous nations under Italian rule in the north of that state: South Tyrol and Aosta Valley. These two territories have a special political status, a …

MELONI’S THREAT TO THE NATIONS UNDER ITALIAN RULE

The victories of the extreme right are always worrying, even more so if they happen in our political context (Europe). For many reasons, one of which is because of the…

ELECTION IN SOUTH TYROL: NATIONALISTS DROP

The October 2018 vote in South Tyrol confirms the nationalists’ dominance, while Italian political parties, always a minority in that German speaking country of north Italy, have risen. South Tyrol…

AUSTRIAN NATIONALITY FOR SOUTH TYROL INHABITANTS

Ties between Austria and Italy strain every so often when the South Tyrol issue heats up again. It has been an on-off dispute, remaining quiet in late times, until now,…

SOUTH TYROL: PROTEST TO THE MAYOR OF BOZEN

Organized by the Süd-Tiroler Freiheit (South Tyrol Freedom), the Tyrolese Nationalist Party, a member of the Tyrolese party handed over a statue portraying the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini to Renzo…

Sardinia

Sardigna

State: Italy
Area: 24.090 km2
Population: 1.651.793 inhabitants (2017)
Languages: Sardinian, Italian
Official languages
Native language speakers: 65% (2010)
Main cities: Cagliari, Sassari, Quartu Sant'Elena
Per capita income: 21.200 € (2018)
Native political institutions: Regional Government
Main religious culture: Catholic Christian
National bank holiday: Sa Die de sa Sardigna (28 April)
Main nationalist parties: PARTITO SARDO D'AZIONE, PARTITO DEI SARDI, ROSSOMORI
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 8% (2024)

MELONI’S THREAT TO THE NATIONS UNDER ITALIAN RULE

The victories of the extreme right are always worrying, even more so if they happen in our political context (Europe). For many reasons, one of which is because of the…

THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THE SARDINIAN LANGUAGE

GIOVANNI STRINNA Philologist. The Sardinian language is the closest to vulgar Latin. It preserves a rich pre-Latin substratum, which bears some resemblance to Basque (as Juan Martin Elexpuru has highlighted)….

Occitania

Occitània

State: France, Italy, Spain
Area: 190.000 km2
Population: 16.300.000 inhabitants (2016)
Languages: Occitan, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan
Official languages
Native language speakers: 4%-7% (2010)
Main cities: Marseille, Montpellier, Pau, Toulouse, Nice, Limoges, Bordeaux
Native political institutions: Conselh Generau d'Aran (Aran Valley); in the other regions there are no institutions of their own
Main religious culture: Catholic Christian
Main nationalist parties: PARTIT OCCITAN, LIBERTAT!, PARTIT DE LA NACIO OCCITANA
Nationalist share in the native parliament: < 3% (in local and regional elections, there is no own Parliament)

THE OCCITAN LANGUAGE TODAY

ERIC ROULET Occitan Teacher. Occitania is the biggest nation without a state in Europe is. It is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in most of what…

North of Ireland

Tuaisceart Éireann

State: United Kingdom
Area: 14.130 km2
Population: 1.810.860 inhabitants (2011)
Languages: Irish, English
Official languages
Native language speakers: 3% (2014)
Main cities: Belfast, Derry
Per capita income: 27.200 € (2017)
Native political institutions: Government of Northern Ireland
Main religious culture: Protestant Christian (53%), Catholic Christian (%44)
National bank holiday: Saint Patrick's day (17 March)
Main nationalist parties: SINN FÉIN, SDLP (SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC AND LABOUR PARTY)
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 39% (2022)

IRISH, FOR THE FIRST TIME AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE IN NORTHERN IRELAND

On December 6, 2022, one of the historic demands of the republican movement in Northern Ireland was fulfilled: from that date Ireland’s own language has become official, for the first…

NO DEAL ON THE IRISH LANGUAGE LAW IN THE NORTH OF IRELAND

JAKE MAC SIACAIS Director of Forbairt Feirste. Last Friday, 16/2/18, there was renewed hope and huge speculation in the media that a deal around Irish Language legislation was imminent. By…

CURRENT STATUS OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURE DISPUTES IN NORTH EAST OF IRELAND

JAKE MAC SIACAIS Director of Forbairt Feirste. ‘Cultural Supremacy’is a term that has been bandied about with increasing frequency by the major Pro-Union party in the British Controlled North Eastern…

NORTH OF IRELAND: GOVERNMENT IN DEADLOCK

Six months have elapsed since the Northern Ireland election, resulting in a rise of the Irish nationalists (Sinn Fein). During that period, the parties gathering most votes (unionist DUP and…

Sami People

Sápmi

State: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia
Area: 388.000 km2
Population: 2.000.000 inhabitants (approximately 100.000 belonging to the Sami ethnic group)
Languages: Sami language, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Russian
Official languages
Native language speakers: 1,5% in all Lapland
Main cities: Tromso, Murmansk, Kiruna, Alta
Native political institutions: Autonomous Government of Lapland in Norway, Sweden and Finland (only across the northern regions)
Main religious culture: Lutheran and Orthodox Christians
National bank holiday: National Day of the Samis (6 february)
Parliaments: Norway (in Karasjok), Sweden (in Kiruna), Finland (in Inari). The native governments hold attributions in the cultural domain only.

Galicia

Galiza

State: Spain
Area: 29.575 km2
Population: 2.735.000 inhabitants (2015)
Languages: Galician, Spanish
Official languages
Native language speakers: 85% (2012)
Main cities: A Coruña, Vigo, Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Ourense, Pontevedra
Per capita income: 23.200 € (2018)
Native political institutions: Government of Galicia
Main religious culture: Catholic Christian
National bank holiday: Saint Jame's Day (25 July)
Main nationalist parties: BNG
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 33% (2024)

THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE OF 1923

In our group Naziogintza we have lamented more than once that we Basques know very little about our history, including our recent history. Therefore, some historical episodes of great importance…

DARK OMENS FOR THE GALICIAN LANGUAGE: SOCIOLINGUISTIC SURVEY OF 2019

It was an open secret that the social use of the Galician language has dropped significantly in the last 30 years. The associations in favor of the language warned that…

NEW GALICIAN DAILY IN THE PIPELINE

The history of Galician language press is very long, tracing back to the early 20th century’s renowned newspaper A Nosa Terra. Notwithstanding its prolific past, present-day situation is bleak, with…

VIA GALEGA, NEW POPULAR NATIONAL MOVEMENT IN GALICIA

Promotion of national awareness and demand for the right to self-determination. These are the main goals of VIA GALEGA, the new Galician popular movement presented in public on 3 March…

MARCOS MACEIRA, PRESIDENT OF THE A MESA POLA NORMALIZACION LINGUISTICA: “The development of our sense of national identity will also spur the use of our language”

The historian Marcos Maceira (Santiago de Compostela, 1978) is the president of the A Mesa Pola Normalizacion Linguistica. He combines his president post there with his job as a schoolteacher….

Frisia

Fryslân

State: Netherlands
Area: 3.350 km2
Population: 646.705 inhabitants (2010)
Languages: Frisian, Dutch
Official languages
Native language speakers: 65% (2005)
Main cities: Leeuwarden, Heerenveen, Drachten
Per capita income: 29.700 € (2018)
Native political institutions: Autonomous Government of Frisia
Main religious culture: Protestant Christian
Main nationalist parties: FRISIAN NATIONAL PARTY (FRYSKE NASJONALE PARTIJ)
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 10% (2023)

Faroe Islands

Foroyar

State: Denmark
Area: 1.399 km2
Population: 48.372 inhabitants (2010)
Languages: Faroese, Danish
Official languages
Native language speakers: 98%
Main cities: Tórshavn, Klaksvík
Per capita income: 53.900 € (2017)
Native political institutions: Autonomous Government of Faroe
Main religious culture: Protestant Christian
National bank holiday: San Olaf (Olavsoka) (29 July)
Main nationalist parties: FÓLKAFLOKKURIN, TJÓÔDVELDI
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 45% (2022)

THE SOCCER TEAM OF THE FAROE ISLANDS, A MODEL TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT

“To appreciated the importance of sport in national cohesion, just look at how its soccer team is treated in Spain” Joxe Azurmendi, “Hizkuntza, Nazioa, Estatua” The recent European Football Championship…

FAROE ISLANDS: THE NEW CONSTITUTION IS DELAYED

Recently elections have been held in the Faroe Islands, and the balance between unionists and independentists has been maintained. The independence party FOLKÁ FLOKKURIN was the victor (8 seats in…

THE YEAR OF THE FAROE ISLANDS

2018 will be a decisive year for the Faroe Islands under Danish sovereignty. Next 25 April, the Faroese will vote a new Constitution. If it is approved, the archipelago will…

Corsica

State: France
Area: 8.680 km2
Population: 316.250 inhabitants (2014)
Languages: Corsican, French
Official languages
Native language speakers: 40% (2014)
Main cities: Ajaccio, Bastia, Corti
Per capita income: 28.200 € (2018an)
Native political institutions: Corsican Assembly
Main religious culture: Catholic Christian
National bank holiday: A Festa di a Nazione (8 December)
Main nationalist parties: FEMU A CORSICA, CORSICA LIBERA, PARTITU DI A NAZIONE CORSA, CORE IN FRONTE
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 73% (2021) (In the Corsican Assembly)

THE CORSICAN STATUTE OF AUTONOMY, WAITING

Most of the Corsican nationalist parties have long been seeking an autonomy statute for the island. Except for the most radical independentists, who are not satisfied with a statute, the…

NATIONALIST TRADE UNIONS IN THE STATELESS NATIONS OF EUROPE

Various agencies play an important role in a process of national liberation: political parties, popular movements, cultural agents and, of course, trade unions. It is difficult to imagine a process…

CORSICAN : TEACHING A NEO-LATIN LANGUAGE IN SCHOOLS

PASCAL OTTAVI University of Corsica (Pascal Paoli). In this article written for NAZIOGINTZA and ICEC (https://www.icec.ngo/), University of Corsica professor Pascal Ottavi reports on the situation of the Corsican language…

CORSICA BURNS AGAIN

The political conflict in Corsica is similar to the activity of a volcano: it can be inert for months or years, but at the most unexpected moment it explodes again…

THE NATIONS OF THE FRENCH STATE HAVE VOTED IN THE REGIONAL ELECTIONS

Elections were held in June 2021 for the departments (regional administrations) in the French state along with the elections for the Corsican Assembly. Significant elections, in our opinion, to allow…

ANSWER PENDING FOR CORSICAN NATIONALISM’S MAIN DEMANDS

Since 2010, Corsican nationalism has seen an important rise in elections, taking on a hegemonic position in the island’s present-day political arena. Long gone are François Mitterrand’s words during the…

CORSICA, THE START OF A NEW POLITICAL CYCLE

We are inclined to think that the December 2017 Corsica election is not only a triumph of nationalism, but it will also unleash political shockwaves. The historic results gained by…

NATIONALIST SUCCESS IN CORSICA

The Basque Country and other many places have seen ongoing debate related to participation in elections. Should a National Liberation Movement participate in a statewide election despite knowing that these…

Cornwall

Kernow

State: United Kingdom
Area: 3.563 km2
Population: 536.000 inhabitants (2014)
Languages: Cornish, English
Official languages
Native language speakers: 0,5%
Main cities: Truro, Penzance
Per capita income: 22.600 € (2017)
Main religious culture: Protestant Christian
National bank holiday: San Piran (5 March)
Main nationalist parties: MEBYON KERNOW
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 3% (2017) (In the Regional Council, there is no own Parliament)

Catalan Countries

Països Catalans

State: Spain, Andorra, France
Area: 65.000 km2
Population: 14.435.023 inhabitants (2009)
Languages: Catalan, Spanish, French, Occitan (Aran Valley)
Official languages
Native language speakers: 65% (2014)
Main cities: Barcelona, València, Palma, Perpinyà, Hospitalet, Badalona
Per capita income: 26.590 € (2018)
Native political institutions: Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya), Government of Valencian Country (Generalitat valenciana), Government of Balearic Islands, Government of Andorra
Main religious culture: Catholic Christian
Main nationalist parties: JUNTSxCAT, ERC, CUP, PSM-ENTESA, BLOC NACIONALISTA VALENCIÀ
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 45% (Parliament of Catalonia), 10% (Parliament of Balearic Islands), 7% (Parliament of Valencian Country) (in 2024)

Catalonia

Catalunya

State: Spain
Area: 31.900 Km2
Population: 7.516.254 inhabitants (2016)
Languages: Catalan, Spanish, Occitan (Aran valley)
Official languages: Catalan, Spanish, Occitan
Native language speakers: 78% (2013)
Main cities: Barcelona, Hospitalet, Badalona, Lleida, Tarragona, Girona
Per capita income: 30.400 € (2018)
Native political institutions: Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya)
Main religious culture: Catholic Christian
National bank holiday: Diada (11 September)
Main nationalist parties: JUNTSxCAT, ERC, CUP
Nationalist share in the native Parliament: 45% (2024)

THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE OF 1923

In our group Naziogintza we have lamented more than once that we Basques know very little about our history, including our recent history. Therefore, some historical episodes of great importance…

JORDI MARTI MONLLAU, CATALAN PHILOSOPHER AND LINGUIST: “INDEPENDENCE NEEDS TO BE AN INSTRUMENT FOR THE NATION’S SURVIVAL”

Jordi Martí Monllau (Tortosa, 1967) is no doubt one of the thinkers who has come up with the clearest thought on the Catalan nation and its language. Philosopher and linguist,…

THE NEW MAYOR OF PERPINYÀ, AGAINST CATALAN SYMBOLS

The Catalan nationalists of Northern Catalonia did not expect anything good when the candidate of Marine Le-Pen and the far-right Rassemblement National party, Louis Aliot, won the municipal elections of…

CATALUNYA FACING A NEW OPPORTUNITY

The elections of February have strengthened the independence movement in Catalonia. For the first time, the sum votes of the three pro-independence political parties (ERC, Junts x CAT and CUP)…

JOAN RAMON RESINA: “RUFIAN SPEARHEADS ERC’S SPANISH DRIFT”

Joan Ramon Resina (Barcelona, 1956) is a professor at Stanford University. He holds a PhD in English Philology and Comparative Literature. He is an editor at several European and American…

ANNA ARQUÉ, THE POWER OF CATALONIA’S RESILIENCE: “THE GOVERNMENT OF CATALONIA MISMANAGED THE VICTORY OF 1st OCTOBER 2017”

It is not an easy task to make a brief introduction of Anna Arqué (Lleida, 1972). Graduate in Business and Marketing Sciences, vice rector of the Summer University of Catalonia,…

WHAT IS AND WHAT DOES THE COUNCIL FOR THE CATALAN REPUBLIC DO? TEN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Vilaweb website, 2018-12-09. The political situation in Catalonia is red-hot. The President of the Catalan Government, the Generalitat, and some of its ministers are in exile, other are detained, with…

CATALONIA: CHRONICLE OF A REFERENDUM

On 1 October 2017, the independence referendum was held in Catalonia. The referendum is a paramount democratic practice and unequivocal proof of political intelligence rarely seen in the world to…

CATALONIA AT THE CROSSROADS

1 October 2017 marked an important commitment of the Catalans with the ballot box. A self-determination referendum on that date questioned the Catalans on their decision about the future of…

Brittany

Breizh

State: France
Area: 34.000 km2
Population: 4.582.000 inhabitants (2014)
Languages: Breton, French
Official languages
Native language speakers: 6% (2007)
Main cities: Nantes, Rennes, Brest
Per capita income: 29.700 € (2018)
Main religious culture: Catholic Christian
National bank holiday: Gouel Erwan (19 May)
Main nationalist parties: BREIZHISTANCE, PARTI BRETON/STROLLAD BREIZH, UNION DEMOCRATIQUE BRETONNE/UNVANIEZH DEMOKRATEL BREIZH
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 5%-10% (In local and regional elections, there is no own Parliament)

SITUATION OF THE BRETON LANGUAGE IN SCHOOL AND SOCIETY

DR. GEOFFREY ROGER University of London Institute in Paris. Brittany is home to two different languages in addition to French, i.e. Breton and Gallo. The former is a Celtic language,…

THE NATIONS OF THE FRENCH STATE HAVE VOTED IN THE REGIONAL ELECTIONS

Elections were held in June 2021 for the departments (regional administrations) in the French state along with the elections for the Corsican Assembly. Significant elections, in our opinion, to allow…

Basque Country

Euskal Herria

State: Spain, France
Area: 20.900 km2
Population: 3.142.982 inhabitants (2017)
Languages: Basque, Spanish, French
Official languages
Native language speakers: 28,5% (2012)
Main cities: Bilbo, Gasteiz, Donostia, Iruñea, Baiona, Barakaldo
Per capita income: 32.340 € (2018)
Native political institutions: Basque Government (Eusko Jaurlaritza), Government of Navarre, Agglomeration Community of the Northern Basque Country
Main religious culture: Catholic Christian
National bank holiday: Aberri Eguna (Easter)
Main nationalist parties: Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV), EH BILDU, GEROA BAI, EH BAI
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 72% (Parliament of the Basque autonomous community), 34% (Parliament of Navarre) (in 2024)

THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE OF 1923

In our group Naziogintza we have lamented more than once that we Basques know very little about our history, including our recent history. Therefore, some historical episodes of great importance…

NATIONALIST TRADE UNIONS IN THE STATELESS NATIONS OF EUROPE

Various agencies play an important role in a process of national liberation: political parties, popular movements, cultural agents and, of course, trade unions. It is difficult to imagine a process…

JEAN-LOUIS DAVANT, TIRELESS BASQUE CULTURAL ACTIVIST IN THE NORTHERN BASQUE COUNTRY: “WHAT IS THE POINT OF HAVING A BASQUE REPUBLIC THAT DOES NOT SPEAK BASQUE? THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A LITTLE SPAIN BESIDE THE LARGE SPAIN?”

Jean-Louis Davant Iratzabal (Urrüstoi- -Larrabile, 1935) has borne witness to the most relevant milestones in Basque contemporary history. As a young man, he got captivated by Basque cultural activism, conducting…

DIONISIO AMUNDARAIN, A COLOSSUS OF BASQUE ACTIVISM: “MUNILLA’S DESIGNATION [AS A BISHOP] WAS A MOVE UNDERTAKEN BY ROUCO VARELA TO GIVE BASQUE CHURCH A SPANISH CHARACTER”

Mr. Dionisio Amundarain’s life (Itsasondo, 1930) revolves around two axes, Basque activism and Christian faith, engaging in prolific and substantial work, often combining both, for example as the team director…

THE IKASTOLAS SHAKE THE JACOBIN FRENCH EDUCATION SYSTEM

NOTE TO OUR INTERNATIONAL READERS: The Northern Basque Country (Labourd, Lower Navarre and Soule) is the part of the Basque Country under French domination; It represents 15% of the surface…

EUSKARALDIA: LIVING IN BASQUE FOR 11 DAYS

We have bore witness to a new initiative called Euskaraldia in favour of Basque language held in late 2018 throughout all the Basque Country. All Basque speakers have been invited…

THE NORTHERN BASQUE COMMUNITY UP FOR BASQUE LANGUAGE OFFICIALITY

On 23 June, the Basque Agglomeration Community, the only official institution regrouping the whole Northern Basque Country, took a step of high symbolic value, officially declaring Basque a native language….

ETA CONFIRMS ITS TERMINATION

NAZIOGINTZA’S communiqué: It is our obligation towards our international audience to make it clear first off that our words in this article had to be carefully chosen because of the…

JOXE MANUEL ODRIOZOLA, BASQUE LANGUAGE ACTIVIST AND WRITER: “Unfortunately, there is not strong evidence anywhere attesting to a Basque national language policy”

We agreed to meet Joxe Manuel Odriozola in San Sebastian on a rainy Winter afternoon. A retired Basque teacher with a long experience at his job, he has not onlyt…

NEW INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE THE USE OF BASQUE

28% of the population in the Basque Country can speak Basque. However, that percentage is not homogeneous. While in some areas of the Basque Country that rate rises to upwards…

Scotland

Alba

State: United Kingdom
Area: 78.800 km2
Population: 5.313.000 inhabitants (2011)
Languages: Scottish Gaelic, English
Official languages
Native language speakers: 1%
Main cities: Edinburgh, Glasgow
Per capita income: 33.300 € (2018)
Native political institutions: Government of Scotland
Main religious culture: Protestant Christian
National bank holiday: Saint Andrew's Day (30 November)
Main nationalist parties: SNP (Scottish National Party), Scottish Green Party
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 56% (2021)

DOES SCOTLAND HAVE LANGUAGE PROBLEMS?

SHONA McALPINE. Spokesperson ICEC Scotland. The Gaelic language is quite linguistically distinct from English. It is a Celtic language with a close relationship to Irish Gaelic and Welsh. It was…

THE WISH FOR INDEPENDENCE ON THE RISE IN SCOTLAND

In the referendum in September 2014, the Scots said “no” to independence by a narrow margin (55% opposed, against 45% in favor of independence). The independence discussion was closed and…

SCOTLAND, WAITING FOR A SECOND CHANCE

ROBIN McALPINE Director of “COMMON WEAL” Five years have gone since the self-determination referendum of Scotland, lost by pro-independence advocates only by a narrow margin. However, Brexit has offered a…

Aosta Valley

Vallé d'Aoste. Val d'Aoûta

State: Italy
Area: 3.263 km2
Population: 128.810 inhabitants (2011)
Languages: Franco-Provençal, French, Italian
Official languages
Native language speakers: 40% (Franco-Provençal), 65% (French) (2006)
Main cities: Aosta, Saint-Vincent
Per capita income: 38.900 € (2018)
Native political institutions: Autonomous Government of Aosta
Main religious culture: Catholic Christian
Main nationalist parties: UNION VALDOTÂINE, PAYS D'AOSTE SOUVERAIN (PAS)
Nationalist share in the native parliament: 34% (2020)

SOUTH TYROL AND AOSTA VALLEY: DIFFERENT EVOLUTION OF THEIR OWN LANGUAGES

There are two small and mountainous nations under Italian rule in the north of that state: South Tyrol and Aosta Valley. These two territories have a special political status, a …

MELONI’S THREAT TO THE NATIONS UNDER ITALIAN RULE

The victories of the extreme right are always worrying, even more so if they happen in our political context (Europe). For many reasons, one of which is because of the…

Wales

Cymru

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Kurdistan

Kurdistan

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Quebec

Québec

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Flanders

Vlaanderen

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South Tyrol

Südtirol

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Sardinia

Sardigna

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Occitania

Occitània

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North of Ireland

Tuaisceart Éireann

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Sami People

Sápmi

Galicia

Galiza

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Frisia

Fryslân

Faroe Islands

Foroyar

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Corsica

Corsica

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Cornwall

Kernow

Catalan Countries

Països Catalans

Catalonia

Catalunya

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Brittany

Breizh

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Basque Country

Euskal Herria

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Scotland

Alba

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Aosta Valley

Vallé d'Aoste. Val d'Aoûta

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