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ALAVA
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ALAVA , one of the Basque Provinces of See also:northern See also:Spain; bounded on the N. by See also:Biscay and Guipflzcoa, E. by See also:Navarre, S. by Logrono, and W. by See also:Burgos. Pop. (1900) 96,385; See also:area 1175 sq. m. The countship of Trevino (Igo sq. m.) in the centre of Alava belongs to the See also:province of Burgos. The See also:surface of Alava is very mountainous, especially on the See also:north, where a See also:part of the See also:Pyrenees forms its natural boundary. It is separated from Logrofio by the See also:river See also:Ebro, and its other See also:rivers are the Zadorra and the Ayuda. The See also:climate is mild in summer, fitful in autumn and See also:spring, and very See also:cold in See also:winter, as even the plains are high and shut in on three sides by mountains See also:snow-clad during several months. The See also:soil in the valleys is fertile, yielding See also:wheat, See also:barley, See also:maize, See also:flax, See also:hemp and fruits. Oil and a poor See also:kind of See also:wine called chacoli are also produced. Many of the mountains are clothed with forests of See also:oak, chestnuts, beeches and other trees, and contain See also:iron, See also:copper, See also:lead and See also:marble. See also:Salt is also found in large quantities; but See also:mining and See also:quarrying are not practised on a large See also:scale; only lead, See also:lignite and See also:asphalt being worked. There are See also:mineral See also:waters in many places. Other See also:local See also:industries of some importance include smelting, and manufactures of beds, See also:furniture, railway carriages, matches, See also:paper, sweets and woollen and See also:cotton goods. See also:Bread-stuffs, colonial products and machinery are largely imported. Few provinces in Spain are inhabited by so laborious, active and well-to-do a See also:population. The See also:primary See also:schools are numerously attended, and there are very See also:good normal schools for teachers of both sexes, and a See also:model agricultural See also:farm. The public roads and other See also:works of the province are excellent, and, like those of the See also:rest of the Basque provinces, entirely kept up by local initiative and taxes. See also:Railways from See also:Madrid to the See also:French frontier, and from See also:Saragossa to See also:Bilbao, See also:cross the province. The See also:capital is See also:Vitoria (pop. 1900, 30,701), which is the only See also:town with more than 3500 inhabitants. For a See also:fuller See also:account of the See also:history, See also:people and customs of Alava, see See also:BASQUES and BASQUE PROVINCES, with the works there cited. A very elaborate bibliography is given in the Cdtalogo de See also:las obras referentes d las provincias de Alava y Navarra, by A. A. Salazar (Madrid, 1887.) The following books by J.1. Landazuri y Romarate contain much material for a provincial history:—Historia ecclesiastica, &c. (See also:Pamplona, 1797); Historia See also:civil, &c. (Vitoria, 1798); Compendios historicos de ?a See also:Ciudad y villas de Alava, &c. (Pamplona, 1798) ; Suplemento d los cuatro libros de la historia de Alava (Vitoria, 1799); and Los varones See also:illustres Alavenses (Vitoria, 1798). See also M. Risco in vol. 33 of Hispania Sagrada, by H. See also:Florez, &c. (Madrid, 1754-1879). Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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