Goierri ("Highland(s)" in Basque; ) or "Basque Highlands" is one of the eight comarcas (Eskualdea in the Basque language) in the Spanish province of Gipuzkoa. It is composed of 18 municipalities, Beasain, Ordizia and Lazkao being the main towns. The main administrative center is Beasain.
Municipalities
Municipality Population2001Census at 1 November 2001: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Madrid. Population2011Census at 1 November 2011: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Madrid. Population2018Estimate at 1 January 2018: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Madrid.Altzaga 106 161 179Arama 163 198 205Ataun 1,557 1,680 1,669Beasain 12,108 13,719 13,881Gabiria 422 483 488Gaintza 133 124 129Idiazabal 2,082 2,264 2,305Itsasondo 576 675 641Lazkao 4,920 5,406 5,646Legorreta 1,351 1,478 1,430Mutiloa 158 255 252Olaberria 904 936 945Ordizia 8,938 9,751 10,150Ormaiztegi 1,170 1,318 1,302Segura 1,225 1,460 1,432Zaldibia 1,490 1,504 1,613Zegama 1,294 1,539 1,519Zerain 254 266 252Totals 38,851 43,217 44,038
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