The Basques are native people of France and which other neighbouring country?
History of the Basques History of the Basques The Basques () are an indigenous ethno-linguistic group mainly inhabiting Basque Country (adjacent areas of Spain and France). Their history is therefore interconnected with Spanish and French history and also with the history of many other past and present countries, particularly in Europe and the Americas, where a large number of their descendants keep attached to their roots, clustering around Basque clubs. In the 1st century, Strabo wrote that the northern parts of what are now Navarre ("Nafarroa" in Basque) and Aragon were inhabited by the Vascones. Despite the evident etymological connection between "Vascones" and the
History of the Basques region. The French legal arrangement deprived many families of their customary common lands and had their family property divided. The new political design triggered also cross-border smuggling, and French Basques emigrated to the USA and other American destinations in large numbers. They account for about half of the total emigration from France during the 19th century, estimated at 50.000 to 100.000 inhabitants. The same fate—North and South America altogether—was followed by many other Basques, who during the following decades set out from Basque and other neighbouring ports (Santander, Bordeaux) in search for a better life, e.g. the bard Jose Maria