The Basque Country, also known as Euskadi, is located at the Atlantic gateway to the Iberian Peninsula, on the western fringe of the Pyrenees and on the shores of the Bay of Biscay.

The Basques, a people whose origins date back thousands of years and who are linked by an ancient Indo-European tongue (Euskera), are a dynamic and enterprising people. Today, they inhabit an area spanning several political and administrative divisions both in France and in Spain.

The Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, set up after democracy was established in 1979, has a surface area of 7,233 square kilometres and a population of 2,127,100. It comprises three provinces: Alava, Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia. Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital of Alava and also of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.

Alava is the largest of the three provinces (3,037 square kilometres), but has the smallest population (284,000).

Alava is crossed by three rivers, the Zadorra, Nervión and Ebro. Bordering onto the neighbouring provinces of Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Navarra, La Rioja and Burgos, Alava enjoys a privileged geographical location and is made up of a number of mountain ranges and plains.