Álava

Álava (Spanish: [ˈalaβa]) or Araba (Basque pronunciation: [aˈɾaba]), officially Araba/Álava, is a <a href="/facts/Provinces_of_Spain/nw4PG6nM">province of Spain</a> and a historical territory of the <a href="/facts/Basque_Country_(autonomous_community)/TMhgnsH3">Basque Country</a>, heir of the ancient <a href="/facts/Basque_se%25C3%25B1or%25C3%25ADos/bKNGhJo0">Lordship of Álava</a>, former medieval Catholic bishopric and now Latin <a href="/facts/Titular_see/bSEAqrKe">titular see</a>.
Its capital city, <a href="/facts/Vitoria-Gasteiz/7AnUpsEr">Vitoria-Gasteiz</a>, is also the seat of the political main institutions of the <a href="/facts/Basque_Country_(autonomous_community)/TMhgnsH3">Basque Autonomous Community</a>. It borders the Basque provinces of <a href="/facts/Biscay/mLoosw3K">Biscay</a> and <a href="/facts/Gipuzkoa/GxfqWtp6">Gipuzkoa</a> to the north, the community of <a href="/facts/La_Rioja_(Spain)/9rTTRHGo">La Rioja</a> to the south, the <a href="/facts/Province_of_Burgos/2aJqIQG4">province of Burgos</a> (in the community of <a href="/facts/Castile_and_Le%25C3%25B3n/obAbeAC6">Castile and León</a>) to the west and the community of <a href="/facts/Navarre/49tTsw4A">Navarre</a> to the east. The <a href="/facts/Trevi%25C3%25B1o_enclave/yKd2lEBK">Enclave of Treviño</a>, surrounded by Alavese territory, is however part of the province of Burgos, thus belonging to the autonomous community of Castile and León, not Álava.
It is the largest of the three provinces in the Basque Autonomous Community in geographical terms, with 3,037 <a href="/facts/Square_kilometre/GgoBy690">km2</a>, but also the least populated with 331,700 inhabitants (2019).

Álava open-in-new

Álava