The Basque people who are frequently in the news for their separatist activity live in

The Basque people inhabit a historical region that straddles parts of northern Spain and southwestern France, but the well-known separatist movement has been centred in northern Spain. Textbooks and summaries identify the Basques specifically as a group in northern Spain with a distinct language and long-standing nationalist demands; separatist activity (notably ETA) grew in response to Spanish rule and repression in the 19th–20th centuries [1]. Authoritative sources note the Basque homeland traditionally spans northwest Spain and southwest France, while modern political struggle and autonomous institutions are concentrated within the Spanish Basque provinces, which experienced suppression under Franco and later moves toward autonomy [3].

Sources

1. [1] Political Theory, Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 7: Nationalism > p. 99
2. [2] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/how-basques-became-autonomous-community-spain
3. [3] Political Theory, Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 7: Nationalism > DEMAND FOR NATIONAL SELF-DETERMINATION IN BASQUE > p. 105