Goierri


Goierri or "Basque Highlands" is one of the eight [Comarcas of the Basque language|Basque Country|comarcas] in the Spanish province of Gipuzkoa. It is composed of 18 municipalities, Beasain, Ordizia and Lazkao being the main towns. The main administrative center is Beasain.

Municipalities

MunicipalityPopulation
2001		Population
2011		Population
2018
Altzaga106161179
Arama163198205
Ataun1,5571,6801,669
Beasain12,10813,71913,881
Gabiria422483488
Gaintza133124129
Idiazabal2,0822,2642,305
Itsasondo576675641
Lazkao4,9205,4065,646
Legorreta1,3511,4781,430
Mutiloa158255252
Olaberria904936945
Ordizia8,9389,75110,150
Ormaiztegi1,1701,3181,302
Segura1,2251,4601,432
Zaldibia1,4901,5041,613
Zegama1,2941,5391,519
Zerain254266252
Totals38,85143,21744,038

The Basque language

The region is traditionally Basque-speaking, having a higher proportion of Basque speakers than other comarcas in Gipuzkoa. According to data from 1996, around half the population of Goierri speak Basque as a mother tongue. The predominant dialect is the central dialect that proliferates much of Gipuzkoa's Basque speaking communities. Villages are more likely to be predominantly Basque-speaking with particularly strong Basque-speaking populations in the towns of Ordizia, Ataun, Lazkao and Beasain. Basque is the dominant language in education in the area, for example, Lazkao's San Benito Ikastola and Ataun San Martin's Joxemigel Barandiaran Eskola teaching exclusively through the Basque language with the exception of Spanish lessons.