Biriatou
Encyclopedia
Biriatou is a small village in the traditional Basque
province of Labourd
, now a commune
in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
department in south-western France
.
The village lies on the edge of a hill rising east to the minor mount Xoldokogaina (486 m), the first noticeable prominence across the Spanish
-French
border at the lower Bidasoa
. The hiking trail GR 10 crosses the village, heading east through the southern side of Xoldokogaina.
European road carriers and travellers are acquainted with the name, Basque
for 'gate/pass of the way' (bide + ate), on account of the border customs and toll at the AP-8 - A-63 motorway to the west of the actual village, often jammed with vehicles and long queues.
Northern Basque Country
The French Basque Country or Northern Basque Country situated within the western part of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques constitutes the north-eastern part of the Basque Country....
province of Labourd
Labourd
Labourd is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques département. It is historically one of the seven provinces of the traditional Basque Country....
, now a commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques is a department in the southwest of France which takes its name from the Pyrenees mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.- History :...
department in south-western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The village lies on the edge of a hill rising east to the minor mount Xoldokogaina (486 m), the first noticeable prominence across the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
-French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
border at the lower Bidasoa
Bidasoa
The Bidasoa is a river in the Basque Country of northern Spain and southern France that runs largely south to north. Named as such downstream of the small town of Oronoz-Mugairi in the province of Navarre, the river actually results from the merge of several streams near the village Erratzu, with...
. The hiking trail GR 10 crosses the village, heading east through the southern side of Xoldokogaina.
European road carriers and travellers are acquainted with the name, Basque
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
for 'gate/pass of the way' (bide + ate), on account of the border customs and toll at the AP-8 - A-63 motorway to the west of the actual village, often jammed with vehicles and long queues.