TheBasque Countryis anautonomous communityof northernSpain. It was granted the status ofnationalitywithin Spain, attributed by theSpanish Constitution of 1978. With strong cultural traditions, a celebrated cuisine and a distinct language that pre-dates the Romance languages,the countryis defined formally as an autonomous community of three provinces within Spain, and culturally including a fourth province and a part ofPyrénées-Atlantiquesin France.