Euskal Herria: The Country of the Basque Language = Euskal Herria: El Pais de la Lengua Vasca.

English and Basque versions of this booklet present information on Euskal Herria, the Basque Country that straddles the Franco-Spanish border. "Euskal Herria" designates both land and people: "the Basque speech community." The area, which constitutes the ancient Kingdom of Navarre, represents the unbroken presence of Basque people on the European continent over thousands of years, longer than the Indo-European peoples. This richly illustrated booklet covers the following: current geographic and demographic information; historical, religious, and cultural contributions of Basque people in the area and as emigrants; the Basque language; territorial changes, geolinguistic history, and institutional uncertainties; the first literary works in the 16th and 17th centuries; literature and the consolidation of the written language; social acts for and against the Basque language in the 17th and 18th centuries; cultural resistance during Franco's dictatorship; the new political era since 1976, in which the Basque language has "the character of official language in the Basque-speaking areas of Navarre" and laws regarding language use have been adopted; and the development of instruments such as dictionaries and grammars to enable the modernization of the language. (LB)