This is Navarre

I- Geography and Population

• The territory and its people
• The Mountains
• The Middle Area
• The Ribera

A) The territory and its people

Physical and human environment
Navarre enjoys a privileged setting on the
Atlantic Seaboard.
Navarre, the Comunidad Foral de Navarra, is
situated in the North of Spain, at the western
end of the Pyrenees, where it shares a 163-
kilometre stretch of frontier with France. It has
a land area of 10,421 km2 and is bordered, to
the east, by Aragon – its provinces of Huesca
and Zaragoza – to the south by Aragon and La
Rioja, and to the northwest by the Basque
Autonomous Community – Alava and
Guipuzcoa -.
The vast range of terrains, climates and peoples in Navarre is traditionally grouped
into three regions arranged from North to South: the Mountains (Montaña), the
Middle Area (Zona Media) and the Ribera, on the banks of the Ebro River. Yet as
this division is insufficient to cater for all the existing variations, these three
divisions are, in turn, divided into districts (comarcas).
Accordingly, the Mountains consist of the humid Navarre Húmeda, the valleys of
the Valles Pirenaicos and the river basins of the Cuencas Prepirenaicas; the Middle
Area around Estella is called Tierra Estella and the eastern part is Navarre Media
Oriental; finally, the lands of the South, close to the Ebro, are divided into the
Ribera Estellesa and Ribera Tudelana.
Population
The number of inhabitants has risen from 307,669 in 1900 to 601.874 in 2006 and
the density has grown from 29 inhabitants per square kilometre to 56.65. The
population growth in Navarre has been below the Spanish average and density
continues to be low.
The growth of district administrative centres, and especially of Pamplona and its
metropolitan areas, has evolved at the expense of draining population from areas in
which small rural hamlets prevail.
The Valles Pirenaicos, Tierra Estella and Navarre Media Oriental have been losing
inhabitants since the beginning of the 20th century; this also applies, albeit to a
more moderate extent, to the Navarre Húmeda, and growth has only been recorded
in both Riberas and in the Pamplona basin, which concentrates the majority of the
population of Navarre.
In terms of municipalities, 42.3% of the population of Navarre live in cities of more
than 20,000 inhabitants, namely Pamplona, Tudela and Barañain, 39.2% in towns
of between 2,000 and 20,000 inhabitants and 18.5% live in villages of fewer than
2,000 people.
In recent years, as has occurred in Spain as a whole, Navarre has become a
receiving region for a migrant population. In total, it is estimated that nearly 20,000
people have arrived from developing countries. The greater part of this migrant
influx has settled in the district of Pamplona and the remainder is distributed
throughout Navarre, although to a greater extent in the southern third of the
community.

B) The Mountains
Three sub-zones
This area occupies the north of Navarre and its southern boundaries are formed by
the Urbasa, Andia, Sarvil, Perdon, Alaiz, Izco and Leire ranges. There are three
separate sub-zones: Navarre Húmeda, in the northwest, the The Pyrenean Valleys
and The Pre-Pyrenean basins.
The rainy Navarre in the Northwest
Featuring a temperate, humid coastal-type climate and an average annual
temperature that ranges between 11 and 14.5ºC and a rainfall between 1,400 and
2,500 mm, with evenly flowing rivers, it is however very varied in terms of both
geology and terrain.
Roncesvalles.
It is formed by the valleys that belong to the
Cantabrian slopes – Cinco Villas, Urumea,
Leizarán, Araitz, Basaburúa Menor,
Doneztebe/Santesteban, Bertizarana and Baztán–
and to the Mediterranean or Ebro watershed –
Burunda, Aranaz, Arakil, Larraun, Basaburúa
Mayor, Imotz, Atez, Odieta, Ultzama and Anué–.
The main rivers are the Bidasoa, which rises in
the Baztán, the Urumea, the Leizarán and the Araxes, which empty into the Bay of

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Biscay, and the Arakil, the Larráun and the Ultzama, which flow into the
Mediterranean. As for the vegetation, there is a prevalence of Atlantic deciduous
species – oak, beech, chestnut -, meadows and scrubland with common gorse or
furze, heather and ferns.
The Pyrenean Valleys
This district occupies the northeast of Navarre, from the Pyrenees to the north, to
the Leyre hills and the basins of Lumbier-Aoiz and Pamplona, to the south, and
from the valley of the Arga through to the Ansó valley in Aragon, running from
south to east. Its terrain is more even and is shaped by the backbone of the
Pyrenees, from which valleys spread out at right angles, such as Arga or Esteríbar,
Erro, Arce, Aezkoa, Almiradío de Navascués, Salazar and Roncal.
Altitude increases from west to east –1,459 m on Adi to 2,438 m on the Mesa de
los Tres Reyes–. For this reason, there is a north – south climate transition from a
wet and cold continental climate with much more extreme temperature conditions,
including heavy snowfalls, to another with cool Mediterranean conditions. The
average annual temperature ranges from 7 to 12ºC and rainfall between 900 and
2,200 mm. The main rivers, with a fast-flowing and regular rainfall discharge
regime are the Arga, Erro, Urrobi, Irati, Salazar and Esca. The vegetation consists
of the common pine – intermingling with beech and fir to the north –, boxwood,
hawthorn and natural high-altitude meadows.
The Cuencas Prepirenaicas
Lying to the south of the Navarre Húmeda and to the valleys of the Valles
Pirenaicos is the region of the Montaña, the Mountains. It is a pre-Pyrenean
depression that is a continuation of the Berdún channel in Aragon, consisting of
two basins: one is Lumbier-Aoiz, drained by the Irati River and its tributaries, and
the other is Pamplona, drained by the Arga River. Its southern limits are the
mountain ranges of Andía, Perdón, Aláiz and Izco; and to the east, the Leire range.

Foz de Arbayún.
Regarding the prevailing weather, the Cuencas
Prepirenaicas are areas of transition between a
cold Mediterranean climate and a temperate
Mediterranean system: rainfall ranges between
700 and 1,400 mm. and the average annual
temperature fluctuates between 10 and 13ºC. As
its very name suggests – cuencas means basins in
Spanish –, the main rivers in the Mountains join
up with their drainage courses, the Arga and
Irati, already fast-flowing and with a regime
somewhere between rainfall discharge and
Ocean discharge.

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The climate transition is reflected in the vegetation, dominated by Mediterranean
deciduous – holm and gall oaks, the common pine and scrubland of boxwood and
scorpion’s thorn.

B) The Middle Area

Transition landscape
This is an intermediate landscape, which shares traits with both the Mountains and
the Ribera, which is not to say that it lacks a personality of its own – it most
certainly does not – but rather its transition landscape softens and tempers the huge
geographical contrasts between the Mountains and the Ribera. There are two
distinct areas, Eastern Middle Navarre and Tierra Estella.
Eastern Middle Navarre
An area lying to the south of the mountain ranges of Perdón, Aláiz, Izco and Leire,
it extends from the Arga, to the south, to the boundary with Aragon. It consists of
Valdizarbe, Valdorba, Val de Aibar, Tierra de Sangüesa and the Somontano of
Tafalla-Olite. Its terrain is made up of somontanos (foothills) or generally small
plains, abutting mountains that run in a south-east direction, through which from
north to south flow the Aragón, Cidacos and Arga.
The land is flatter, with a temperate Mediterranean climate, with an average rainfall
of 450 to 750 mm and average temperatures of between 12.5 and 14ºC, which
suggests a tendency towards a continental climate. Although there are instances of
beech. oak and common pine, the tree covering is thinner than in the Mountains,
with a prevalence of a mixed forest of
holm and oak, and scrubland featuring
rosemary, lavender, scorpion’s thorn,
juniper and Kermes oak.
View of Olóriz (Valdorba)
Tierra Estella
Also referred to as Western Middle
Navarre - Navarre Media Occidental, this
area runs from the boundary with Alava, to
the south, to the mountain ranges of
Urbasa and Andía, to the north, and to the Arga River, to the east. The southern
limit is less precise and it extends into what has become known as the Ribera
Estellesa. Tierra Estella is also a series of basins, plains and mountain ranges that
include the valleys of the Améscoas, Val de Lana, Valdeallín, Yerri, Guesálaz,
Goñi, Villatuerta, Mañeru, Monjardín, Ega, Berrueza, Aguilar, Solana and
numerous municipalities from Dicastillo and Allo to Viana. All these lands have
historically centred on the city of Estella, the district’s administrative centre.

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 Typical landscape of the Middle Area.

The Ega is the main river. The Urederra, which

springs forth from deep in the Urbasa range, is its
principal tributary. There are huge climate
changes between the mountainous northern area,
under the influence of the Atlantic - with 1,100 to
1.500 mm. of rainfall and an average temperature
of between 9 and 11ºC in the area of Urbasa-Andía, and the southern plains, with a
continental Mediterranean influence - 500 to 800 mm. and 11.5 to 13.5ºC on
average. The vegetation reflects this climate transition and, accordingly, evolves
from oak, beech, holy, boxwood and meadows in the north to holm oaks and
clumps of rosemary, thyme and lavender in the foothills of the south.

C) The Ribera
The influence of the Ebro
Although a distinction is made between the Ribera Estellesa and Ribera Tudelana,
due to the influence of their two main urban centres – Estella and Tudela, both
Riberas have so much in common that they can be described jointly. If indeed there
is something that differentiates them, it is that
the former – the area of Estella – has a gentle
terrain of crests, rolling hills, anticlinal valleys
of a diapiric nature and hanging synclines, and
the other, around Tudela, is defined by plains or
structural platforms, isolated hills and terraced
alluvial plains.

One of the typical wetlands in the Ribera of

Navarre.

The climate in the Ribera is of a Mediterranean continental nature, typical of the

Ebro depression, with dry summers, temperatures with large annual variations, little
and irregular rainfall – less than 500 mm per year – and the frequent presence of the
cierzo (North wind).
Due to human activity, its original vegetation has been reduced to no more than the
scattered remnants of its original holm oak and pine forests, as well as
Mediterranean scrubland with rosemary, thyme, scorpion’s thorn and esparto grass.
Were it not for the Ebro, its tributaries and the irrigation system, the Ribera would
be an arid and inhospitable land, instead of being Navarre’s agricultural heartland
par excellence.

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II- History and Culture
• Origins of the Kingdom
• Expansion and decline
• Modern history
• Cultural life
• Customs and traditions

A) Origins of the Kingdom

Prehistory
Confirmation of the first settlements in Navarre is provided by the Lower
Palaeolithic remains (600,000 BC to 40.000 BC) found in Coscobillo, Urbasa,
Estella, Lezáun, Lumbier and Viana. Later on, Neolithic culture converts the
hunters into farmers and shepherds, and the Bronze Age means dolmens and flint
workings spring up all over the pasturelands; at this time, megalithic constructions
appear throughout the land, from Viana, Cirauqui and Artajona, to the mountain
ranges of Urbasa and Aralar, reaching as far as the towering Pyrenean peaks.
The Iron Age teaches the primitive Basque inhabitants new techniques and ways of
life brought by the Celts and Celtiberians from Central Europe.
Romanisation
Rome’s presence is weak in the saltus vasconum or northern and forested area – the
Mountains –, where the autochthonous Basque language prevails, and cultural
exchange is minimal; on the other hand, as of the 2nd century AD, Roman
influence becomes more consolidated in the ager vasconum, the middle area, which
is more accessible and has greater natural resources. Within the saltus, in 75 AD,
Pompey occupies Iruña, the main Basque city, where he founds the Roman city
named after him, Pamplona.
With the decline of the Roman Empire, the Basque tribes recover their influence
over the Roman ager, extending it furthermore to include neighbouring areas. At
the same time, they defend themselves against military incursions by the Visigoth
monarchs, who seek to consolidate their political influence in the north of the
peninsula. These same Basques also oppose the presence of the Franks, who
threaten their independence from the northern slopes of the Pyrenees. The Battle of
Roncevaux against Charlemagne in 778 stalls the plans of the powerful Frankish
monarch in this part of the Pyrenees.
The first Navarre dynasty
A new threat emerges with the arrival of the Moors, who manage to occupy the
Ebro basin in 714. Nevertheless, the Moorish presence is weak, as it will fail to take
hold either politically or socially. There soon arises a Christian core in opposition

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to the Moors, which by the 9th century will end up politically transforming the
autochthonous dynasty of the Íñigos into the first Navarre dynasty.
It will be succeeded by the Jimenos, politically more consolidated. Sancho Garcés
(905-925), the dynasty’s first monarch, embraces a committed policy of territorial
expansion against the Moors, whereby he forms alliances with the other Christian
kingdoms. Despite the advances made by Sancho Garcés, who occupies the district
of Estella, fords the Ebro and reaches Nájera and Calahorra (914), the Moorish
presence will remain in the Ribera for a further century, as Tudela will remain
under Moorish control until the year 1119.

B) Expansion and decline

Navarrese domination

Detail of the hispanic-arabic coffer placed in

the Museum of Navarre. It dates back to 1004.

Sancho Garcés III el Mayor – the Elder (1004-

1035) rules over the greater part of the
Peninsula’s Christian domains: Pamplona,
Nájera, Aragon, Sobrarbe, Ribagorza, Castile and
Leon, at the same time as he lays claim to Gascony and the County of Barcelona.
His reign leads to the social, political and economic expansion of the kingdom of
Pamplona, with major territorial gains. This monarch organises the Way of
Santiago, introduces the Romanesque and spreads the Cluniac culture throughout
his kingdoms.
At the end of the 9th century, the kingdom of Pamplona is forced to bring its
territorial expansion to a halt, held in check by the advance of its powerful
neighbours, Castile and Aragon. Thus its southward expansion is halted at the same
time as it lives under the constant threat of political annexation.
Hovering between independence and incorporation within the political sphere of
the French, Castilian and Aragonese monarchs is the awkward status that prevails
in Navarre during the Early Middle Ages.
Under the Aragonese Crown
From 1076 to 1134 it will remain part of the Aragonese crown, from which it will
secede during the reign of Garcia Ramirez (1134-1150), thus restoring its political
independence; in the ensuing reign of Sancho el Sabio – the Wise (1150 – 1194),
the kingdom of Pamplona will become known as the Kingdom of Navarre, which is
interpreted as a gesture of political affirmation and territorial sovereignty in the
face of annexationist threats from other Peninsular kingdoms, and especially from
Castile.

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Nevertheless, the process involving the loss of territory continues, and in 1200,
under the reign of Sancho el Fuerte – the Strong (1194 – 1234) the kingdom is
deprived of the territories of Alava, Guipuzcoa and the Duranguesado, in Vizcaya,
which are conquered by the Castilian monarch. Thereafter, Navarre, blocked to the
west by the frontier with Castile, will be forced to focus its policy of territorial
expansion largely towards the north, the French lands of Ultrapuertos, and to the
east, the border tract with Aragon.
Under French influence
The death of Sancho VII el Fuerte in 1234 brings the Navarrese dynasty to an end
and the kingdom falls under French influence, in search of an ally that will ensure
its survival in the face of constant pressure from Castilians and Aragonese alike.
The first to be installed on the throne is the House of Champagne (1234 – 1274),
which is succeeded by the Capetian dynasty, which between 1274 and 1326
simultaneously occupies the thrones of France and Navarre.
The House of Evreux (1328-1425) initiates a time of intense relations in the
political life of the Peninsula and Europe overall, especially during the reign of
Charles II, obsessed by occupying the French throne; the reign of Charles III the
Noble (1387 – 1425) strikes a balance between cultural and material prosperity;
testifying to this is the splendour of the Navarrese Gothic, evident in artistic works
such as the Royal Palace in Olite and this same monarch’s sepulchre in Pamplona
Cathedral.
Conflict of succession and invasion
The death of Charles III gives rise to a serious conflict regarding his succession.
This is no more than the first signs of a far-reaching institutional and social crisis
that will lead to civil war. John II, who heads the camp of the Agramonteses, is
married to Blanca, the heir to the Navarrese throne, and has been King of Navarre
and of Aragon since 1458; opposed to him is his step-son, the legendary Charles,
Prince of Viana, who heads the camp of the Beaumontes in their quest, which was
never to be fulfilled, to occupy the throne of Navarre.
This state of internal weakness will last for half a century and will finally be
exploited by Ferdinand the Catholic who, in support of the Beaumonteses, invades
Navarre in 1512, thus making it part of the Crown of Castile. Soundly defeated,
Don Juan and Doña Catalina de Albret, the last monarchs of Navarre, seek refuge
on the other side of the Pyrenees, which they will never cross again, and will
uphold the dynasty that, as of 1555, will give rise to the House of Bourbon, which
will reign in France until the 1789 revolution, and in Spain from 1700 onwards.
Following its conquest by Castile, Navarre is governed by a Viceroy, who exercises
the powers of a monarch in Pamplona. This situation will last for four centuries.
Meanwhile, the kingdom’s institutions are maintained, especially the Cortes, which
is convened throughout the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries to legislate and approve
the kingdom’s financial contributions to the ventures of the Spanish monarch. The
Kingdom’s Council (Diputación) is founded in 1576 as a standing governing body

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in representation of the Cortés when the latter is not sitting: for five centuries this
institution has been the exponent of Navarre’s own administration and since the
19th century it has persisted under the name of Diputación Provincial (Provincial
Council), Diputación Foral de Navarre (Regional Council of Navarre), and since
1982, Gobierno de Navarre (Government of Navarre).

C) Modern history
The 19th and 20th centuries
Meeting of the Cortes de Navarra, according to
a 19th century engraving
The end of the 15th century’s internal rivalries,
which concluded with the victory of the
Beaumontes’ camp and the Castilian conquest,
lead to an economic resurgence that brought with
it the recovery of demographic equilibrium,
affected by the protracted civil war. It also
brought stability to economic life and reinforced
the foundations of the institutional structure of
the Kingdom of avarre, as it continued to be
called until the middle of the 19th century.
From the Carlist Wars to the present day
The situation of political and institutional stability begins to deteriorate in the
second half of the 18th century, with the centralist policies of the Bourbons. This
will generate ever-increasing tension that will explode in 1833 in the form of the
First Carlist War.
The military conflict will conclude in 1839, with an armistice on the part of the
Carlists, and from an institutional and political perspective it will be embodied in
the so-called Ley Paccionada of 1841.
By virtue of this law, the historical Kingdom of Navarre becomes part, under the
status of Province, of the liberal state, whilst it still maintains institutions and
legislation from its age-old system of Fueros (regional rights), especially those
involving taxation and the administration.
This particular situation persisted throughout the Restoration, the 2nd Republic and
Franco’s regime. With the advent of democracy and following the Spanish
Constitution of 1978, the regional system for Navarre becomes integrated within
the new institutional regime, by virtue of the Organic Law of 1982 for the
Reintegration and Improvement of the Régimen Foral (Regional System) of
Navarre.

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D) Cultural life
Wealth and variety
The soprano María Bayo.
Despite being a small community in terms of
surface area and population, Navarre currently
enjoys a rich and varied cultural life. The
cultural offer consists of the activities organised
by universities, local authorities, a host of
public and semi-public bodies, and by private
entities, which have a bearing on the development of music, art, the Basque
language, literature, publishing, theatre and audiovisual media.
One institution, the Institución Principe de Viana, which is responsible for the
cultural activities of the Government of Navarre, is involved mainly in the field of
preserving and restoring the monumental and documentary heritage, in
publications, in the network of museums and
public libraries and in cultural dissemination.
Interior of the Church in the Monastery of
Leyre.
Half a century of systematic progress in the
restoration and preservation of the artistic
heritage now allows for the contemplation of
such exceptional sites as Olite Castle, the
cathedrals in Pamplona and Olite, the ramparts
encircling Artajona and the monasteries of
Leyre, La Oliva, Iranzu, Irache and Tulebras, or
the collegiate church of Roncesvalles.
In addition, the length and breadth of Navarre is
dotted with myriad palaces, convents, churches,
civil buildings, organs, altarpieces, paintings and silver and gold ornamentation.
Infrastructures
Major investment has been made in recent years in order to improve and enrich the
cultural infrastructures. Accordingly, since 2003 Navarre boasts “El Baluarte”, an
Auditorium and Congress Hall that stands in the heart of the city of Pamplona.
Furthermore, since 2003, the work of Jorge Oteiza, one of the 20th centuries
leading exponents of the plastic arts, is on display in the eponymous Museum
Foundation, built according to a project by the architect Francisco Sáenz de Oiza in
the town of Alzuza, near Pamplona, where the artist had his workshop-cum-home.
In addition, from this year onwards, the Palace of the Kings of Navarre, located on
Pamplona’s northern ramparts, will house the Royal and General Archive of
Navarre, according to a project by the architect Rafael Moneo.

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This Comunidad Foral also features an extensive network of libraries and
museums, with the highlights being the Museum of Navarre in Pamplona,
Ethnology in Irache, the Diocesan in Pamplona and Sacred Art in Corella, as well
as the Gustavo de Maeztu in Estella.
Festivals, symposia and competitions
Regarding those activities of cultural dissemination sponsored by the Government
of Navarre, special mention should be made of the Olite Festival of Classic
Theater, the weeks of Ancient Music and Medieval Studies in Estella, as well as the
Judaic Symposia in Tudela.
Also noteworthy, furthermore, are the competitions organised by the Institución
Principe de Viana: the “Julian Gayarre” in bel canto, “Pablo Sarasate” in violin, in
sculpture and painting, as well as prizes for literary creation and those awarded
annually to mark the festival of Audiovisual Creation. Continuing with the subject
of prizes, mention should also be made of the “City of Tudela” for short stories and
those awarded by the “Bilaketa” society in Aoiz in the fields of painting, poetry,
narrative and sculpture. Cultural life is further expanded through the courses and
exhibitions held in the forty cultural venues operating in the main towns and cities.
Others
The Symphony Orchestra of Navarre, the Philharmonic Society of Pamplona, the
Pamplona Orfeón (Choral Society), “La Pamplonesa” brass band, the Chamber
Choir and the Music Chapel in the Cathedral are all flagship institutions in the field
of music, not forgetting either the council or private music schools that supply the
students for the classrooms of the Pablo Sarasate Music Conservatory.

E) Customs and traditions

From one generation to the next
Dancers in Ochagavia
The minutiae of history, which is normally
glossed over by textbooks, consist of all that
which a people preserves and passes down from
one generation to the next, being fuelled by
traditions and customs. The people of Navarre
proudly safeguard their history, protecting a
series of traditions that are as rich and as varied
as the landscape itself. Accordingly, it may be
indicative to point out that in the regional laws of
Navarre custom prevails over the written law.
Christmas: the Olentzero and the water ritual
In addition to traditional Christmas nativity scenes, feasts and carols, Navarre has
other traditional rituals. The Olentzero, a fat-bellied, hard-drinking charcoal maker,

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comes down from the mountain to announce the arrival of Christmas Eve and bring
the children their presents; this tradition, which originates from Lesaka, has spread
to other rural and urban areas.
On New Year’s Eve, young people, especially in Urdiáin, celebrate the water ritual:
they collect fresh water from the fountain in jars and offer it to the authorities and
local people in exchange for their Christmas treat.
The King of the Faba (Bean)
January 5th is celebrated throughout Navarre with the colourful Cabalgata de
Reyes – the procession of the Three Kings. On the morning of the 6th, the streets of
Sangüesa are the setting for the religious play "El Misterio de Reyes" (The Mystery
of Epiphany), whilst the cloister of Pamplona Cathedral displays the relics of saints
and noble countrymen for their veneration.
The excitement felt by children on the eve of the visit by the Three Kings, when
they discover that their serving of cake, the rosco, contains the “haba” (bean) or a
small gift hidden in the dough stems from the traditional children’s celebration in
which one of the children was crowned king or queen following the ancient ritual.
This tradition is kept alive, and in January each year a palace, church or castle hosts
the crowing of the Rey de la Faba (The King of
the Bean), in which a local child, the lucky
recipient of the “haba” in the rosco, is
proclaimed King of Navarre with the same
ceremony as in the Middle Ages.
Scene of a pilgrim, a romero, carrying a cross
in the romería of Ujué.
The Javierada
Two weekends in the windy month of March
see thousands of pilgrims make their way from
all over Navarre to the castle of Javier. It is the
mass concentration of the “Javierada”, a silent
popular display that blends tradition with religious fervour, at the birthplace of the
patron saint of Navarre, Francisco de Javier.
On Good Friday, at dusk, the streets of towns and cities are filled with processions,
such as those in Pamplona, Corella and Estella, where one can even “see” the air, as
it is written on a banner.
On the morning of Easter Saturday, in Tudela, the Volatín endlessly swirls around
in Los Fueros Square until its apparel fall in rags amongst the crowd of children
and adults who eagerly await the balloons and sweets that fall from the Casa del
Reloj, the Clock Tower.
In the evening, the cloister of Pamplona Cathedral is the setting for the procession
of the Encounter between the Christ Risen and his Mother.

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The Descent of the Angel
The following day, Easter Sunday is celebrated in Tudela with the Bajada del
Ángel – the Descent of the Angel, a ceremony in which a child descends through
the air to remove the mourning veil that covers the Virgin Mary’s face; very close-
by, in Cabanillas, following the procession of the Encounter between the Blessed
Lord and Our Lady of Sorrows, Judas is pursued in order to be put to the sword; at
the other end of Navarre, in Luzaide-Valcarlos, the bolantes dance to the florid
Easter and take a collection around the various neighbourhoods and outlying
farmhouses.
Romerías
Spring arrives and, before the flurry of romerías (religious processions) to chapels
and shrines, the Ángel of Aralar visits the countryside, towns, villages and the city
of Pamplona, frequently accompanied by life-bringing rain. Ujué, Osquia,
Roncesvalles, Sorlada, Codés, Cataláin, el Yugo in Arguedas, Lumbier, Labiano
and Alsasua are landmarks on the dense map of romerías that are held throughout
the length and breadth of Navarre. In village squares, the “Mayos” – barkless
trunks of great height that still have their crown – herald the splendour of
springtime.
Scene from the bull-run in San Fermin.
Sanfermines and summer festivals
The summer festivals begin with the bonfires of San
Juan. On this, the shortest and lightest night, bonfires
burn all those useless items that get in the way of the
enjoyment of the best part of the year, the time when
the towns and villages of Navarre come alive with the
festivals in honour of their patron saints, the most
famous of which are the universally acclaimed
“Sanfermines”.
San Saturnino and San Francisco
With the arrival of autumn, hunters go out after wild boar and pigeons, which are
caught with decoys and nets in Etxalar.
Pamplona celebrates Saturnino, its patron saint, on November 29th, and the
regional holiday, Navarre Day, is held on December 3rd, the festivity of San
Francisco Javier, the best known of all Navarrese saints.
Carnivals
The carnivals have a particular character, above all in the north of Navarre. People
don fancy dress in Ituren and Zubieta to accompany the ioaldunak or zanpantzar
who parade from one village to another. The carnival of Lantz is the most widely
known: here the bandit Miel Otxin is executed and burnt in the form of a huge
straw “guy”.

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III- Nature
• Biodiversity
• Protected areas
• Fauna
• Flora
• Conservation policies

A) Biodiversity
Biological diversity is the main characteristic of Navarra’s rich natural heritage.
Biodiversity in Navarra is the result of the region’s special geographical location,
where three biogeographic areas –the Alpine, the Atlantic, and the Mediterranean–
come together. It also has to do with the fact that the region is not as densely
populated as the rest of Spain (50 people per km2 vis-à-vis 77 people per km2 as the
country’s average). Other factors favouring biodiversity are the harmonious
development, conjugating economic and social growth and a respect for nature, the
local population’s environmental awareness, and suitable habitat management
policies.
Ecosystems
Navarra is a rich mosaic of landscapes, where countless animal and plant species
live. Nine main ecosystems can be distinguished: the alpine system, the fluvial
areas and humid zones, the forests, the Mediterranean shrublands, the pasturelands
and heathlands, the rocky places, the steppes, the limestone areas, and the salt
marshals and closed (endorheic) basins. In all these ecosystems, very different
species live together: brown bears, European minks, grouses, white-backed
woodpeckers, otters, vultures, bearded vultures, Egyptian vultures, eagles, and
bitterns, to name but a few.

A view of the
Irati forest.

Castildetierra
Peak
(Bardenas
Reales
Natural Park)

- 14 -
Species
Navarra’s variety of climates and landscapes, from the Cantabrian valleys and the
peaks in the Pyrenees to the desert plains of the Bardenas Reales Biosphere
Reserve and Natural Park, makes this region a real book of nature. 2,652 species of
ferns and flower plants (20% of all the species in Europe), 27 species of fish (18%),
43 species of amphibians and reptiles (24%), 236 species of birds (47%), and 75
species of mammals (50%) live in Navarra.
Forests and rivers
Two of the main characteristics of Navarra’s natural heritage are forest
conservation (64% of the region’s surface area is forests), and the abundance of
water resources. There are 7,450 kilometres of rivers, with two distinct biotopes:
the mountainous areas, inhabited mainly by the Salmonidae, where the predominant
species are fish like trout, brown trout, dace, loach, cyprinid fish, goby, salmon;
and the lower and coastal areas, where the Cyprinidae family prevails, with rough
water cyprinid fish –French nase, barbel, mountain barbel–, and calm water
cyprinid fish –tench, carps, goldfish– replacing brown trout and dace.

B) Protected areas
Protected nature areas
Navarre has a Network of Protected Nature Areas consisting of 3 Integral Reserves
(487 ha.), 38 Nature Reserves (9,171 ha.), 28 Nature Enclaves (931 ha.), 2 Nature
Recreation Areas (459 ha.), 13 Special Protection Zones for Bird-life – ZEPAS
(71,805 ha.), 14 Areas for the Protection of Wild Fauna (2,815 ha.) and 3 Nature
Parks (63,000).
Mention should also be made of the presence of two Wetlands of International
Importance: the Laguna de Pitillas and the Laguna de las Cañas (Viana).
In addition, the Government has proposed 42 LIC’s (Places of Community Interest)
for their inclusion within the Natura 2000 Network created by the European Union
for the preservation of biological diversity.
Bardenas Reales Nature Park
Given their size and importance, it is worth
describing the three Nature Parks that have
been declared in Navarre: the Señorío de Bértiz,
Urbasa-Andía and Las Bardenas Reales.
The Señorío de Bértiz
The Señorío de Bértiz Nature Park covers an
area of 2,040 ha. and is situated within the
municipal boundaries of Bertizarana, in the
north of Navarre, on the banks of the Bidasoa
River. The park is of particular interest for its
- 15 -
landscape, being one of the few valleys in the area that has a complete and
uninterrupted forest covering. It is very steep, as in a distance of only six kilometres
it rises 700 metres from the banks of the Bidasoa to the summit of Aizkolegi. Its
vegetation and fauna are typical of the pre-Pyrenean valleys under an Atlantic
influence, although there are no endemic species.
Urbasa and Andía
The mountain ranges of Urbasa and Andía (21,408 ha. of Nature Park) constitute a
nature area featuring a wide range of geological, biological, ecological, aesthetic,
scenic, archaeological and socio-cultural attractions. They lie in the west of
Navarre, at an interim position between the so-called Humid Navarre (Navarre
Húmeda) in the northwest and the Middle Area (Navarre Media Occidental or
Tierra Estella). It is a high plateau that is affected by the influences of both the
Atlantic, penetrating through the northern reaches, and the Mediterranean, doing so
from the south. This intermingling creates an attractive landscape of oak, beech,
gall and holm oaks and pasturelands that is home to a fauna of great value given its
diversity.
Urbasa – Andía Nature Park
The park is an example of a karstic terrain and
this area holds a large part of Navarre’s water
resources, as it constitutes a vast underground
reservoir, whose natural drainage flows out
through such spectacular springs as the one in
Urederra.

The Bardenas Reales

The Bardenas Reales (40,000 ha. of nature park)
constitutes a vast territory in the southeast of Navarre, which in terms of climate is
defined by occasional and torrential rainfall, hot summers and fairly cold winters,
The vegetation is of the steppe and Mediterranean variety. The botanical interest of
the flora and fauna here is linked to the specific weather conditions of the Ebro
depression and it has merited inclusion in the National Inventory of Habitats, drawn
up under the auspices of Directive 92/43 EEC of 21 May on Habitats. In 2000, this
park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve.
The fauna consists of numerous species of fish, amphibians and reptiles, with the
presence of birds being what defines the character of the area, given their
importance not only locally but also in Europe, as is the case of the Egyptian
vulture.

- 16 -
C) Fauna
The importance of bird-life
Close-up of a specimen of Egyptian vulture.
(Photo: David Campión)
Navarre has an extensive range of animal
species, although the bird population is
especially significant. Up in the Pyrenees, it is
possible to see such mammals as chamois, roe
deer, deer, grey dormouse and marmot and also,
very occasionally, a brown bear may de sighted.
Insofar as birds are concerned, one of the area’s most valuable species is the
quebrantahuesos – the bearded vulture. Also important are the grouse and black
woodpecker. In the Atlantic area and pre-Pyrenean ranges, the most significant
mammals are the wildcat, fox and wild boar, whereas predatory species prevail in
terms of bird-life.
The gorges are the domain of these species, amongst which there are vultures,
Egyptian vultures, golden eagles and red kites. In central and southern Navarre,
wooded groves are the winter home for such birds as the grey heron, the common
heron, the little grebe and the mallard, whereas the Bardenas is home to birds that
are typical of steppelands, such as the Dupont’s lark and the sand grouse.
Endangered species
Navarre’s catalogue of vertebrates identifies 16 endangered species. Amongst
these, the list is headed by bears, otters, bats, great bustards, bearded vultures, rock
ptarmigan and grey partridge, great bittern, griffon vultures and Montague’s
harrier. Some of these species already have specific recovery schemes, such as the
bearded vulture, grouse and brown bear.
At the time of writing, the register details the existence of 27 species of fish, 6 of
which are autochthonous (pike, rainbow trout, goldfish, carp, catfish and black
bass), 17 amphibians, 26 reptiles and 236 different birds, including the Eurasian
collared-dove and ring-necked pheasant as allochthonous varieties. The register is
completed by 78 species of mammals, of which the wolf, the mountain goat, or
bucardo, and the Iberian lynx are now considered extinct and the fallow deer,
American mink and nutria rat or coypu are featured as allochthonous.
Amongst the existing autochthonous livestock, noteworthy for their peculiarity are
the Betizu breeds (bovine), and Jaca Navarra pony and Burguete breed (horse),
which are now endangered species. Studies are now underway on these breeds to
ensure their recovery.
Navarre is, therefore, currently home to a total of 381 species, which means our
community accounts for 60% of the total species of Spanish vertebrates and for
39% of the species in the European Union.

- 17 -
D) Flora
33% of Spanish flora
Navarre has been identified as home to 2,650 species of ferns and flowering plants,
and around 1,700 species of wild mushrooms and fungi have been recorded. If it is
calculated that the number of taxons of vascular plants (ferns and flowering plants)
present in Spain ranges between 8,000 and 9,000 (around 80-90% of the total
present in the European Union), the approximate number of species and sub-species
of vascular flora in Navarre accounts for 33% with regard to Spain and 20% in
terms of the European Union, and all within an area that covers only 2% of Spain’s
land mass.
There are, however, virtually no plants that are exclusive to Navarre, as only two
endemic sub-species have been recorded: cochlearia aragonensis subspecies
Navarrena and iberis carnosa subspecies nafarroana, both of the family cruciferae.

The forests
Forests are one of nature’s defining characteristics in Navarre. Virtually the whole
area of Navarre is wooded in one or another. In contrast to what has happened in
other Spanish regions, traditional modes of woodland husbandry have managed to
ensure the survival down to the present day of extensive forest tracts combined
with a mosaic of landscapes with other forms of tree covering and natural
grasslands, crop farming and reafforestation. Sixty-four percent of the surface area
of the Comunidad Foral is forested (between tree-covered and wooded scrubland),
which is why the countryside plays such a vital role in the preservation of
biodiversity.
According to types of forest, special mention should be made of the vast tracts of
deciduous trees, which cover 224,894 hectares, 64% of the woodland area. The
main leafy species are beech (37% of the forest area), followed by Mediterranean
oak (11%), holm oak (9%), Atlantic oak (6%) and riverbank tree-lines (2%).
Insofar as conifers are concerned, there is a
prevailing presence of wild pine (15%), and to a
lesser extent of Austrian pine, Aleppo pine and
Monterrey pine.
It is worth noting that the woodland surface of
Navarre has increased over the last century by
between 100,000 and 140,000 hectares. This
growth has been recorded in almost all kinds of
forest, with the reafforestation of conifers
responsible for less than half the increase.
Purple Foxglove. (Photo: Etxeberria/Astrain)

- 18 -
 Close-up of oak leaves.
Forest Inventory
The 3rd National Forest Inventory presented in
March 2001 indicates that the area of forestland
in Navarre has grown by 24% over the past
twenty years, currently exceeding 460,000
hectares (46% of the total surface area of the
Comunidad Foral).
This Inventory recognises Navarre to be the
Spanish region with the greatest proportion of
mature forests. This conclusion has been reached
on the basis of standing biomass (timber-yielding
volume with bark), which has increased over the past ten years by 21%, exceeding
54 million cubic metres of timber. There has also been a significant growth in
larger trees (with a diameter greater than 7.5 centimetres) and smaller trees
(diameter between 2.5 and 7.5 cm) with increases of 16% and 22%, respectively.
Navarre currently has 7,070 million trees, of which 266 million correspond to large
trunks (over 7.5 centimetres in diameter) and 441 million to small trunks (between
2.5 and 7.5 cm. in diameter).

E) Conservation policies
Shared responsibility
A forest ranger attends to an injured red kite
The Comunidad Foral de Navarra has
traditionally pursued hands-on policies regarding
nature conservation, in keeping with the high
degree of environmental awareness amongst
local people.
From the outset, these policies give full backing
to the premise that conservation is a shared
responsibility.
In accordance with this criterion, the Administration is to allocate the necessary
resources as required, but society as a whole is also to conduct itself responsibly, as
all human activity has an impact on the environment.
Sustainable development plans
Accordingly, in order to ensure the preservation and sustainable use of biological
diversity, the Government of Navarre has drawn up several sustainable
development plans, which are tools designed to protect and safeguard the
biodiversity of the Comunidad Foral.
- 19 -
Amongst these tools and given their significance, special mention should be made
of the Plan Forestal (Forestry Plan), the Plan de Conservación de Ecosistemas y
Hábitats (Plan for the Preservation of Ecosystems and Habitats), the Plan de
Conservación y Gestión de Ecosistemas Fluviales (Plan for the Preservation and
Management of River Ecosystems), the Natura 2000 network of natural spaces and
the schemes for the recovery of listed species, game, agricultural development,
renewable energies, rural tourism and transport.
In addition, since 1999 the Comunidad Foral has deployed the so-called Strategy
for the Preservation and Sustainable Use of the Biological Diversity, which has
been endorsed by the UNESCO and is accompanied by an action plan running
through to 2004 with investments amounting to 96.16 million euros (16 billion
pesetas).
This strategy, the first of its kind in Spain, links issues related to conservation and
nature’s heritage to all those economic and social sectors that may have a bearing
on it. In turn, it aims to raise awareness amongst the people of Navarre,
encouraging them to embrace the defence of environmental values. The strategy’s
precepts are ecological coherence, sustainable economic development and social
cohesion.

- 20 -
IV- Economy and services
• Economy
• Productive sectors
• Communications and health
• Tourism
• Education and research

A) Economy
Economic situation
Over the past 40 years, Navarre has undergone profound socio-economic change.
The industrial boom that began in the 1960’s, due largely to the Programme of
Industrial Development sponsored by the
Regional Administration as of 1964, involved
shifting away from a farming-based economy,
which at the time employed half the active
population, to a balanced and dynamic economy
as befitting a modern region.
This outlook laid the foundations for the current
state of the economy of Navarre, whose main
assets are its balanced productive structure, its
excellent geographical situation, its high degree
of openness to the outside world and its tax
autonomy. Industry has been the driving force
behind this transformation.
Navarre began its industrial expansion in the decade of the seventies.
Thus, in the structure of Gross Valued Added (GVA) for Navarre corresponding to
2003, the industrial sector accounts for a share of 31% of the regional total, as
opposed to the 20.9% said sector registers in the country as a whole.
The major development of services over the past two decades, in keeping with the
process of fostering the tertiary sector pursued by the more advanced economies,
has not meant that Navarre has in any way watered down the largely industrial
component of its economy.
Labour market
As for the regional labour market, the positive economic evolution recorded in the
second half of the 1990’s enabled Navarre to significantly improve on the levels of
employment existing at the beginning of that decade and, likewise, considerably
reduce its levels of unemployment.
Throughout the period specified, our region has recorded a net increase in jobs of
38,440, at an average annual rate of 2.2%, at the same time as the rate of
- 21 -
unemployment has fallen by half, from 11.7% in 1990 to 5.7% in 2002, now
standing below the European average.
Navarre is one of Spain’s autonomous
communities registering the lowest rate of
unemployment.
The significant economic progress made over
these years has meant that the Comunidad Foral
de Navarra recorded a GDP per inhabitant in
1999, measured in terms of parity of purchasing
power, five percentage points above that
corresponding to the European Union as a whole; whereas in Spain, which has also
made progress in terms of real convergence with the EU, it still remains,
nonetheless, 18 points below.
As a result, Navarre is part of the group of Spanish autonomous communities
registering the highest indicators of social wellbeing: health care, household
furnishings, cultural promotion and leisure.

B) Productive sectors
Structure
Although it only has a relatively small bearing on employment (5.9%), the primary
sector in Navarre has a significant sociological value and provides an exquisite raw
material for the agro-industrial sector.
From a physical and geographic point of view, a trip from north to south in Navarre
means a gradual change from mountainous terrain, rich in forest expanses, with an
abundance of meadows, corn and beet crops, and therefore, eminently suitable for
livestock, to the Middle Area, where now cereal
and forage crops, fruit orchards and ultimately
industrial crops, such as sunflower and
rapeseed, prevail.
Crops and fallow land. (Photo:
Etxebarria/Astrain)
The Ribera has a greater extension of vines and
there are abundant vegetable crops, of well-
earned fame, which supply the district’s
traditional and extensive canning industry.
As proof of the prestige of the agricultural and livestock production, mention
should be made of the labels of origin for Idiazabal cheese in the Urbasa area,
Roncal cheese, asparagus of Navarre, piquillo peppers from Lodosa and Navarre
wine in the red, rosé and white classes. In addition to these, there is the “Veal of
Navarre” label of quality.

- 22 -
Industrial sector
A network of small and medium-sized companies, bordering the Alsasua-
Pamplona-Tudela corridor and along the Ribera del Ebro axis, constitutes the
region’s industrial fabric, but there is also a significant presence of production
plants belonging to multinational corporations, given their importance in terms of
employment and value added, as well as their decisive contribution to the
modernisation of the regional productive machine and, therefore, to the economic
development of the Comunidad Foral.
A large part of these industrial plants, characterised by their cutting-edge
technology, their significant export capacity and their knock-on effect on the rest of
the economy, belong to the two most important sub-sectors in Navarre’s industry:
Car manufacturing and Machinery and equipment. These two sub-sectors along
with the third in order of importance, the agro-food industry, provide over half
Navarre’s industrial GAV.
In contrast to this concentration, the diversification of activities within the sector
has only made significant progress towards the end of the 90’s, thanks to the
implementation and development of a wind-power industry that is considered to
have a high potential for growth.
Tertiary sector
The transformation of the economic sector in the Comunidad Foral is also apparent
when analysing the major development of services over the past twenty years.
The process of developing the tertiary sector in Navarre’s economy, and as yet
incomplete, has meant that the sector currently accounts for over half the region’s
employment and GAV.
With regard to Spain as a whole, its added value
accounts for 1.4% of the national figure, a
proportion that is one-tenth higher than befalls it
in terms of population.
The service sector has undergone major
development over the past two decades.
Concerning the branches of activity, the capacity
for creating employment has been especially
noteworthy in certain sub-sectors, such as
services to companies, retailing and property services, although all the activities in
the service sector have registered major rates of growth, especially those in Health,
Education, Public Administration and Social Services.

- 23 -
C) Communications and health
Infrastructures
Although the urban areas of Pamplona and Tudela concentrate over half the
population, Navarre has over 900 centres of population, of which 67 percent have
fewer than 100 inhabitants. Ensuring the integration of the numerous towns and
villages requires a major effort to adapt the network of infrastructures to the
standard of living and development attained by their citizens.
Regarding the arrangement of local networks for the supply of water and for
sewage, power supply and addressing the problem of solid urban waste, over the
past ten years numerous schemes have been undertaken with an estimated
investment of 450.75 million euros (75 billion pesetas). Pamplona and its district,
especially, have an exemplary system for the selective collection of rubbish for
recycling, in which 75 of the local people take part on a voluntary basis.
Roads
Navarre has 3,636 km of roads, 209 pertaining to the category of motorways and
dual carriageways, 540 km to the general interest network, 457 km to the regional
interest network and 2,427 to local or district interest.
The main network features a radial structure that fans out from Pamplona in the
direction of neighbouring autonomous communities and France. The links with San
Sebastian-France, Vitoria-Bilbao and Zaragoza-Barcelona involve motorways and
dual carriageways, and work is already underway on converting the Pamplona-
Estella-Logroño road into a dual carriageway, as well as on improving the
Pamplona-France route via Irun. Furthermore, plans are afoot for the dual
carriageway Pamplona-Jaca-Huesca and another large capacity road for the
Pamplona-Tudela-Medinacelli-Madrid route.
Conscious of the strategic importance of road communications, the Comunidad
Foral is developing Road Master Plans (the Master Plan 2002-2009 in currently in
force) in order to deploy a safe and modern road network that will consolidate
Navarre as a major axis of communications between the Iberian Peninsula and the
rest of Europe, and the Ebro Valley corridor will
ensure access for its inhabitants in an equitable manner
throughout the area, thus favouring relations with
neighbouring communities and territories.
Navarre has 3,636
km of roads, of
which 209 are
motorways and dual
carriageways.

Navarre has rail links with Madrid, Barcelona

and other major cities.

- 24 -
Railway and airport
Insofar as the railway is concerned, Navarre has connections with Madrid and
Barcelona, amongst other cities, via the Zaragoza-Alsasua line, which runs to a
length of 175 kilometres. Projects have been drawn up for the construction of a
High Speed Railway corridor in Navarre that will connect up with the Madrid-
Barcelona line, to the south, and with the European network, to the north.
In terms of air travel, Navarre has an airport in Noáin, near Pamplona, with several
daily flights to Madrid and Barcelona, in addition to other routes. The airport has a
master plan for investments that will cater for the increase in traffic, which
currently exceeds 200,000 passengers per year.
Health
The health system is one of the more advanced in Spain. Thanks to the proper
organisation of its services as well as the spirit of associationism that exists in our
land, the people of Navarre enjoy a healthy lifestyle and longevity. The quality of
life is the result of their responsible attitude to fostering healthy living. This
complements a modern medical system that customises its services and on average
dedicates over 90,000 pesetas / year to each one of the local inhabitants.
The 2001-2005 Health Plan is the palpable expression of health development that
has focused its objectives on five essential areas: mental complaints,
neurodegenerative illnesses, neuro-cardiovascular diseases, oncological treatment
and accident prevention.
Navarre’s public health system operates using a decentralised management model
that permits each health centre to adopt a flexible approach to such issues as the
free choice of specialist. In addition, online applications have been introduced in
the health sphere, thus permitting the immediate transfer of medical records
between GP’s and specialist consultants or the arrangements of appointments with
specialists from the GP’s own computer. All this has meant that the citizens of the
Comunidad Foral have a high opinion of the current state of public health in
Navarre.

D) Tourism
A physical and human mosaic
The forest of Orgi, in the Ulzama hills, 23
kilometres outside Pamplona.
In view of its strategic position at the extreme
western end of the Pyrenees, on the border with
France and straddling an important part of the
Way of Santiago, of its cultural and higher
education infrastructure, of its vast potential in
terms of landscapes, monuments, ethnography,
festivals and cuisine, Navarre provides visitors with a complex unit consisting of a
- 25 -
physical and human mosaic, with a sum of contrasts that enrich the human, cultural
and natural disposition of this land.
In just over 100 kilometres, one can travel from the alpine scenery of the Pyrenean
summits to the barren almost lunar landscape of the Bardenas Reales, a World
Biosphere Reserve and spectacular natural setting for numerous film productions.
From a tourist perspective, this entire wealth of heritage is geared towards a
balanced and environmentally friendly exploitation, in which the criterion of
quality prevails.
Navarre’s tourist products are structured around different approaches: congress
tourism, rural tourism, active and nature tourism, cultural tourism, language
tourism, thematic tourism and gastronomic tourism.
Accordingly, efforts are being made to increase and improve hotel accommodation
and restaurants, to implement a network of camping sites and rural stays, as well as
to open tourist offices in the more visited areas. In keeping with this, efforts have
also been made in recent years in the creation of infrastructures such as the Baluarte
(Congress Hall and Auditorium), in Pamplona, the Museum of Jorge Oteiza, the
General Archive of Navarre, the Ethnographic Museum in Irache, the Nature Park
in Arguedas, or the development of municipal golf courses.
Special interest is provided by the Way of Santiago, an itinerary steeped in history
and art, which crosses Navarre from north to south via the two routes that come
down from the Pyrenees through Roncesvalles and Somport, joining up at Puente la
Reina.
In addition to all this, there is the tranquillity of life in the valleys and mountains,
which still uphold age-old customs and traditions, and the characteristic cuisine that
offers visitors its excellent fresh produce, vegetables and meats, and the
consummate expertise of its famous restaurants.

E) Education and research

A comprehensive system
Navarre’s education system is comprehensive and has been adapted to the needs of
schooling demands. It ranges from infant schools to post-graduate courses in higher
education, including all stages of compulsory and secondary education, without
forgetting special needs, language schools, the teaching of music, arts and social
training schemes.
The results for education in Navarre exceed the Spanish average and are steadily
gaining ground on the parameters for the more advanced countries in the European
Union.
In non-university education, a sphere of competence that is the sole concern of the
Government of Navarre, the population under the age of eighteen receives
schooling at both public and private centres, depending on the parents’ choice.
Private education is subsidised by the Regional Administration at each and every
- 26 -
level, through formal agreements. The educational system also includes teaching in
and of Basque, the original language of Navarre.
The creation of the Public University of Navarre has completed the offer in higher
education, which up until now focused on the University of Navarre. The latter’s
prestige has extended beyond the regional boundaries, and even outside the country
itself; noteworthy in this sense is the work of the Faculty of Medicine and the
Hospital of the University of Navarre.
The Public University of Navarre, under the administration of the public
institutions, has in a few years acquired a highly significant student and staff base,
and has opted for a groundbreaking structure, being divided into departments. This
section should not fail to mention the now consolidated existence of the centres in
Pamplona and Tudela of Spain’s Open University, the Universidad Nacional de
Educación a Distancia. There are over 28,000 registered students at Navarre’s
three universities.
Research
In addition to that undertaken by Navarre’s universities, research is also pursued by
public and private bodies, such as the Centro Láser de Navarra, Centro de
Electrónica y Automática, Centro de Ensayos y Metrología (Testing & Metrology),
managed by the Public Company, Cetenasa; the Instituto Científico y Tecnológico
(Science & Technology), attached to the University of Navarre; Technical Institutes
for Agricultural and Livestock Management, the Estación de Viticultura y Enología
(Vine-groving and Enology), the Laboratorio Agrícola, the Asociación de la
Industria Navarra and the Laboratorio del Ebro.
Furthermore, under the auspices of the technological schemes fostered by the
Government of Navarre, there are projects either underway or at the project stage,
such as the Centro Navarro de Automoción (Automotion), the Centro Nacional de
Energías Renovables (Renewable Energies), the Ciudad de la Innovación (City of
Innovation), the Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Recursos Naturales
(Agrobiotechnology and Natural Resources) or the Centro de Investigación Médica
Aplicada (Applied Medical Research), amongst others.

- 27 -
V- Self-government
• The Fueros
• The Kingdom
• The Treaty Law
• The Improvement
• Economic Treaty
• The Symbols

A) The Fueros
The term fueros is used in Navarre to refer to civil, political, administrative and
economic customs and laws; in other words, to its own legal system and to the
exercise of self-government upheld over the course of the centuries.
The motto of the Infanzones de Obanos “Pro libertate patria gens libera state”
(Arise free men, for the freedom of the nation!), which may be read on the façade
of the Palacio de Navarra, connects individual and public freedom.
This is the basic precept of the Fuero of Navarre.
The Fuero grants the people of Navarre the right to decide upon all those matters
that affect then directly, with the ceiling being the respect for the Spanish
Constitution. This is the way in which Navarre goes about its self-government
on the basis of the principle of solidarity with the rest of the peoples that make up
Spain. The Fuero means loyalty and, therefore, it always has to prevail as an
essential means of coexistence.
The Fueros are the result of an agreement upheld with fortitude and dignity
between Navarre and the authority that, any given time, holds sovereign power in
the nation as a whole. The charter of principles of the monarchy of Navarre was
originally passed down by word of mouth, and as of the 13th century it was set
down in writing in “Fueros y Compilaciones”. For over a thousand years, Navarre
has upheld its system of Fueros, the regimen foral, and has adapted it to the
circumstances prevailing at each moment by means of successive treaties or
agreements. The Fueros of Navarre, which have always been better loved than
known by the local people, are fully valid today as a key element on the road to a
future of progress, wellbeing and freedom.
Accordingly, the Fueros of Navarre continue to be applicable in the 21st century
as a democratic assurance of a common future and for the people of Navarre they
will continue to be a guarantee of their collective freedom and new heights of
development.

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B) The Kingdom
Origins and evolution
The Kingdom of Navarre, whose origins date back to the 9th century, under the
name of Kingdom of Pamplona, has historically been governed by the Fueros, laws
based on age-old local customs and enriched by the possible influences of Roman
and Visigoth law, and forged during the Middle Ages.
In Navarre, the distribution of power between the seats of government (Monarch,
Courts, Cortes - Parliament) and the existence of institutions of control (Cortes -
Parliament, Diputación del Reino – Council of the Realm) constituted the
theoretical bases for structuring the Kingdom’s policy. The existence of a social
organisation based on a class system and characteristic of the ancien régime means
that the system prevailing at the time in Navarre cannot in retrospect be deemed
“democratic” in current terms. But even if it was not democratic, it was at least
constitutional: the subordination of political power to the basic rules of the
Kingdom and the creation by the latter of institutions of control was a steadfast
commitment for those governing and those governed.
An historical analysis of the self-government of Navarre may be broken down into
the following periods: 1) From the 9th century to 1515. Navarre was an
independent Kingdom; 2) From 1515 to 1839. Navarre was a Kingdom annexed to
the Spanish crown, maintaining its own institutions, except for the Monarchy; 3)
1841-1982. Navarre was a Spanish province, with administrative and fiscal
autonomy; and 4) 1982to the present day. In observance of the Constitution of 1978
and the Ley de Reintegración y Amejoramineto del Fuero (the official name given
to Navarre’s own statute of autonomy), Navarre is Comunidad Foral, within the
framework of Spain’s status as a nation of autonomous communities, with its own
democratic institutions and a high degree of self-government.
In each case, the representative institutions were as follows:
1. Independent Kingdom: King, Cortes – Parliament, Royal Council,
Supreme Court or Cort General and the Chamber of Comptos.
2. Annexed Kingdom: the same institutions persist, except that the monarch
is now the Spanish one, being represented by the Viceroy. Furthermore, the
Cortes gain in importance and the Diputación del Reino – Council of the
Realm is set up.
3. Spanish province: the provincial council, Diputación Provincial and,
subsequently, also the Consejo Foral Administrativo (Administrative Foral
Council).
4. Comunidad Foral: the President, the Government and the Parliament.

The incorporation of Navarre within Castile, following the 1512 defeat, was
undertaken on the grounds that Navarre would retain its status as a Kingdom and its
own institutions. A viceroy represented the Spanish monarch in Pamplona and the
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other political institutions were the Consejo Real, the supreme body for the
administration of justice, the Corte Mayor, a tribunal of a technical nature, and the
Chamber, the Cámara de Comptos, for matters involving the Treasury and Estates.
The transition from a medieval monarchy to one in the Modern Era, along with the
physical and psychological remoteness of the monarch with regard to his kingdom,
meant that the institution of the Cortes del Reino became especially important in
representing the interests of the people of Navarre before the decisions of the King.
In proportion, the Cortes of Navarre had a major influence in comparison to the
Cortes of other Spanish kingdoms. This largely concerned the financial
contributions, or “donativo” delivered to the Crown. The Cortes were responsible
for examining each and every one of the crown’s rulings to see whether they
contained a grievance or “contrafuero”.
In order to protect themselves against royal injustice, they had two options: the
“sobrecarta” and the “publicación” of the laws. The former meant that royal seals
had to bear the “sobrecarta” of the Consejo del Reino, upon the hearing of the
Diputación del Reino. Nonetheless, given the fact that when passing the laws, the
King could introduce amendments to the petition of the Cortes in detriment to the
interests of the Kingdom, the Cortes reserved the right of “publicación”, a
formality without which the law had no validity.
The most important consequences of Navarre’s incorporation into Castile were: the
introduction of a new dynasty, the loss of identity abroad and forgoing the right to
declare war and peace. Yet Navarre remained a Kingdom, maintaining all the
institutions that pertain to a State: legislative power (Cortes), executive power
(shared between the Consejo Real and the Diputación del Reino) and legal power,
with supreme authority residing in Navarre.

C) The Treaty Law

From kingdom to province
The First Carlist War (1833 – 1840) led to Navarre losing its status as a Kingdom.
In the Treaty of Vergara (1839), General Espartero declared his commitment to
recommending that the Government should submit to parliament a draft law for the
ratification or amendment of the Fueros of Navarre. Accordingly, the Government
passed a law that ratified the Fueros whilst upholding constitutional unity.
The result of all this was the Ley Paccionada de 1841 (Treaty Law) of 1841,
which instituted what has come to be known as the “regimen foral”. Navarre
renounced its condition as Kingdom in exchange for far-reaching autonomy.
In its 26 articles, the Ley Paccionada addresses political and military government,
the administration of justice, local councils, the countryside and Treasury matters.
As of the enactment of the Ley Paccionada, the Diputación de Navarra performs
the duties of a Government, It approves its own budgets, levies taxes, takes charge

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of highways and byways, of the organisation and care of the countryside and,
gradually, provides the services of a modern Administration.

D) The Improvement
Reintegration of the Fueros
Following the approval of the Spanish Constitution of 1978, the first to expressly
protect and respect Navarre’s historical rights, a system was introduced to
democratise Navarre’s institutions.
Elections were held by universal suffrage in 1979 for the Parlamento Foral – the
first autonomous parliament in Spain – and the Diputación Foral. The following
year saw the beginning of the process for negotiating a treaty that would renew
Navarre’s legal and institutional framework, which concluded with the enactment
in 1982 of the Ley Orgánica de Reintegración y Amejoramiento del Fuero de
Navarre (LORAFNA). This may now be seen as the essential framework for
Public Law in Navarre.
The Amejoramiento (Improvement) means that the regimen foral has been brought
up to date and it further extends the centuries old right to self-government. There
follows a list of some of its more significant provisions:
Article 1.
Navarre constitutes a Comunidad Foral with its own system of governance,
autonomy and institutions, forming an integral part of the Spanish nation and on an
equal standing with all its peoples.
Article 2.
1. The original and historical rights of the Comunidad Foral de Navarra shall be
respected and safeguarded by the authorities in accordance with the Law of
25 October 1839, with the Ley Paccionada of 16 August 1841 and
supplementary provisions, with the present Organic Law and with the
Constitution.
2. Exception is made of the powers of the State inherent to constitutional unity.
Article 3.
The aim of the Amejoramiento is:
1. To improve the Régimen Foral of Navarre in all those faculties and
competencies compatible with constitutional unity.
2. To organise the foral institutions of Navarra on a democratic basis.
3. To uphold all those faculties and competencies pertaining to the Régimen
Foral of Navarre.

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Article 4.
The territory of the Comunidad Foral de Navarra consists of the municipalities
constituted in its historical Merindades, or districts, of Pamplona, Estella, Tudela,
Sangüesa and Olite.
Article 7.
1. The coat of arms of Navarre consists of gold chains on a red background,
with an emerald in the centre of the nexus between its eight arms of links
and, above them, the Royal Crown, the symbol of the ancient Kingdom of
Navarre.
2. The flag of Navarre is red, with the coat of arms in the centre.
Article 8.
The capital of Navarre is the city of Pamplona.
Article 9.
1. Spanish is the official language of Navarre.
2. The Basque language also holds the status of official language in the Basque-
speaking areas of Navarre.
Article 10.
The foral institutions of Navarre are: the Parliament, or Cortes, of Navarre, the
Government of Navarre or Diputación Foral, and the President of the Government
of Navarre or Diputación Foral.
Article 11.
The Parliament represents the people of Navarre, wielding legislative power,
approving the Budgets and the Accounts of Navarre, furthering and controlling the
actions of the Diputación Foral and undertaking all other duties assigned to it in
accordance with current legislation.
Article 23.
The Government of Navarre constitutes the ruling body, consisting of the President
and Ministers, and determines general policy and manages the administration of the
Comunidad Foral. It is imbued with executive powers.
Article 45
By virtue of its regimen foral, taxation and financial business in Navarre is
regulated by the traditional arrangement of the Convenio Económico, subscribed by
the Government of the Nation and the Diputación Foral, and submitted to the
respective Parliaments for their approval by means of ordinary law.
Article 46.
In matters of Local Authorities, Navarre is imbued with the powers and
competencies that it currently holds, and which have their origin in the Ley
Paccionada of 16 August 1841. The Government of Navarre exercises the control
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of the legality and general interest of the conduct of the Municipalities, Councils
and Local Entities in Navarre.
Article 48.
1. Navarre has sole rights in matters of Foral Civil Law.
2. The observance, amendment and development of the current Code of Foral
Civil Law or Fuero Nuevo of Navarre shall be performed, as appropriate, by
a Foral Law.

E) Economic Treaty
The financial autonomy of Navarre
The financial activity of the Comunidad Foral de Navarra is governed by a
particular and specific system within the State’s organisation into autonomous
communities, which has its roots in historical reasons. It is the so-called Convenio
Económico, or Economic Treaty, between Navarre and the State.
The Convenio Económico governs the financial autonomy of Navarre within Spain
and stems from the Ley Paccionada of 1841, whereby the Old Kingdom became
part of the structure of the State, withholding its right to levy its own taxes.
Consistent with the Spanish Constitution, which protects and respects the historical
rights of Navarre, theLey Orgánica de Reintegración y Amejoramiento del Régimen
Foral de Navarra specifically mentions the power befalling Navarre to uphold,
determine and regulate its own system of taxation, provided that it does not conflict
with international treaties and the State’s own system of taxation.
The Convenio Económico is, therefore, a consequence of Navarre’s financial
autonomy. It lays down the criteria for fiscal harmonisation (the tax burden in
Navarre may not be lower than that of the rest of Spain), and Navarre’s so-called
“contribution to the State”, whereby the Comunidad Foral pays the State on an
annual basis for the services and functions not transferred that the Central
Administration provides in the Old Kingdom. The proportion of this common
expenditure (Defence, Foreign Affairs, etc) that Navarre has to pay is calculated by
means of the application of the so-called “Índice de imputación” (Allocation
index), set at 1.6%, a figure that reflects the relative income or share of the
Comunidad Foral in the nation’s wealth. Since 1841, six treaties have been
subscribed: 1877, 1927, 1941, 1969, 1990, 1997
and the present one that dates from October
2003.(see related links on this page).

F) The Symbols
Coat of arms, flag and anthem
The coat of arms of Navarre on the flag.

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The coat of arms, flag and the anthem of Navarre make up the official symbols of
the Comunidad Foral. The first two are defined in the LORAFNA. Foral Law
24/2003 of 4 May, passed by the Parliament of Navarre, establishes the official
anthem and regulates the use of all the symbols of Navarre.
Coat of arms
Article 7.1 of the Ley Orgánica de Reintegración y Amejoramiento del Régimen
Foral de Navarra (LORAFNA), of 10 August 1982, lays down that:
“The coat of arms of Navarre consists of gold chains on a red background, with an
emerald in the centre of the nexus between its eight arms of links and, above them,
the Royal Crown, the symbol of the Ancient Kingdom of Navarre”.
This description applies to the historical coat of arms of Navarre – a gold chain on a
red background – which has its origin in the coat of arms that the Navarrese King
Sancho VII the Strong made his own in 1212, following the victory of the Christian
monarchs of Navarre, Castile and Aragon against the Moorish forces, which took
place in Navas de Tolosa (in today’s province of Jaen), during the re-conquest of
the Iberian Peninsula. The chains are representative of those that surrounded the
tent of the Moorish King Miramamolin the Green and which Sancho the Strong
rent asunder with his own sword. The emerald in the centre represents the one the
defeated Moorish king wore on his turban.
This personal heraldic symbol belonging to Sancho the Strong replaced the one the
same king had been using up until that time, namely a black eagle – arrano beltza
in Basque. The King’s coat of arms later became seen as the coat of arms of the
whole kingdom and over thecenturies it is depicted in a variety of ways – chains,
bars, little circles. In 1910, the Diputación Foral approved the official design of the
coat of arms.
In 1931, with the advent of Spain’s Second Republic, the royal crown on the coat
of arms was replaced by a walled crown, somewhat akin to a castle or stronghold.
The royal crown was restored in 1937. In that same year, the official coat of arms
was added to with the inclusion in the background of the Cruz Laureado de San
Fernando, a military decoration awarded to Navarre by General Franco in
recognition of its involvement in the 1936 uprising. In 1981, by means of a ruling
of the Parliament of Navarre, the coat of arms returned to its traditional format,
which months later would be defined by the highest legal authority of the
LORAFNA.
Flag
Article 7.2. of the LORAFNA stipulates: “The flag of Navarre is red, with the coat
of arms in the centre.”
The flag of Navarre has been used as a symbol of the Comunidad Foral since 1910.
In that year, the Diputación Foral decided upon its characteristics, adopting the
colour red as this was the same as the background on the official coat of arms,
agreeing to raise it on the balcony of the Palacio de Navarra on religious holidays

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(San Fermín, San Francisco Javier, San Miguel and the Inmaculada Concepción, as
well as on the 16th July, the anniversary of the battle of Navas de Tolosa, and on
other significant dates).
Since the LORAFNA was passed in 1982, the official flags are permanently hoisted
on the facades of the Palacio de Navarre, as well as on other official buildings.
The Ley Foral de Simbolos de Navarre (Law governing the Symbols of Navarre)
specifies that the flag is to be raised on the outside, and to take pride of place
inside, all civil public buildings within the sphere of the Comunidad Foral, without
prejudice to the pre-eminence of the Spanish flag.
Hymn
The Ley Foral de Simbolos de Navarre also specifies that the Anthem of Navarre is
the “Himno de las Cortes”, which owes its origin to the “Marcha para la entrada del
Reino” (March for entering the Realm), a Baroque pasaclaustro that was played in
the cloisters of Pamplona Cathedral when the members of the Cortes of Navarre
passed by as they made their way into their sessions.
From the 19th century onwards, this march was played at major official ceremonies
and was considered the de facto anthem of Navarre, although it was not specifically
granted such status until 1985, when this Foral Law was passed.
In 1993, when the Government of Navarre lent its approval to the official
harmonisation of the anthem, it also approved the words, based on those composed
in 1971 by Manuel Iribarren, translated into Basque by Jose Mª Azpiroz, and which
are follows:
HIMNO DE NAVARRA ANTHEM OF NAVARRE
Por Navarra For Navarre,
tierra brava y noble, brave and noble land,
siempre fiel, forever loyal,
que tiene por blasón whose standard is
la vieja ley tradicional the ancient traditional law
Por Navarra For Navarre,
pueblo de alma libre a people of unfettered soul
proclamemos juntos let us proclaim in unison
nuestro afán universal our universal longing
En cordial unión, in heartfelt union
con leal tesón, with loyal determination
trabajemos y hermanados let us strive and as one
todos lograremos we shall all attain
honra, amor y paz. honur, love and peace.

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VI- Navarre in figures
• Demography
• Employment
• Economy
• Society
• Situation
• Municipalities

A) Demography
Population statistics for Navarre have historically been collated by the IEN
(Navarre Institute of Statistics) and are contained in the section Statistical
Information: Demography on its web page. There follows a breakdown of the latest
core data in this field.
• Population
• Gender indicators
• Demographic indicators
Population
The population of Navarra totalled 601,874 inhabitants, according to data obtained
from the Census Survey (Reviewed on 1st January 2006), which means that
compared with the population in January 2005, the Community has increased by
8,402 people, or in other words 1.4%. These figures are from the Municipal
Register Review, declared official by the Government of Spain through Royal
Decree 1627/2006, dated 29th December (BOE nº 312, of 30/12/2006).
Further information on DEMOGRAPHY in Navarre
up
Gender indicators
They follow reasons of femininity and illustrate the situation of women in relation
to that of men, where equality between the sexes is expressed by a value of 1. The
following areas are addressed: demography (Single population, widows…),
Education (Population with basic education, secondary education…), Employment
(Employment rate, unemployment…) and Health (Life expectancy at birth,
Perception of the state of one’s health…). In addition, contemplation is also made
of the index of femininity of the population studying higher education according to
the course and that of the population enrolled on training courses according to the
branches chosen. Information prepared by the Navarre Institute of Statistics.

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Demographic indicators
A snapshot is provided of the characteristics of the population in each municipality
by means of 26 indicators that address, in general terms and amongst others, the
annual rate of growth, the index of masculinity, of youth, ageing, youth and old age
dependency and indices of replacement of the active population.

B) Employment
The data regarding the Employment market in Navarre stem from various sources:
Registered Unemployment, Active Population Survey, Social Security registrations
and other sectorial surveys: all of them may be consulted in Statistical Information:
Employment Market on the IEN website. In order to provide an up-to-date
overview, the following aspects of the Active Population Survey have been
included.
In the third quarter of 2006, the number of active individuals amounts to 303.900,
which represents 61,48% of the total population over the age of 16. Those
employed add up to 289.300, of which 168.800 are men and 120.500 women, with
an activity rate of 71,18% and 51,92% respectively. The rate of unemployment
stands at 4,79% as opposed to 8,15% in Spain as a whole.

C) Economy
The state of the Economy in Navarre may be consulted under the heading for
Statistical Information on the IEN Website. The following data are provided as an
overview of the measure of the economy:
• GDP
• Foreign Trade
• Quarterly Accounts (GDP)
GDP
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at present-day prices per inhabitant in Navarre
in 2005 (with 24.761 euros) exceeds the national average, recording a figure of
119.6% of the same.
According to the Annual Financial Accounts for
2000, the latest issued, and taking into account
that the GDP is the result of aggregating the
Gross Value Added (GVA) and Taxes on
Products, constituted in turn by Value Added
Tax (VAT), Taxes on Imports and other Special
Taxes, the structure of the economy of Navarre
and of Spain as a whole is as illustrated in the
following graphs.

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Foreign Trade
Navarre’s exports in February 2007 came to 483,2 million euros and the
accumulate value in the two first months of the year added up to 929,4 million
euros, which means and innteranual increase of 4,9% and 6,8% respectively.
In addition to this, the imports´ value reached 480,2 million euros, with an
innteranual increase of 13,4% and an accumulate value of 944,5 million euro,
which has favoured an increase of 13,0% in comparison with the amount of the past
year.
Accordingly, the commercial balance for the month of February had a negative
result of 3 million euros and the coverage rate (coefficient of imports divided by
exports) for that month ended up to 100,6%, figure that means 8,2 percentage
points less that what it comes to the same period in 2006.

Exports and imports 2005 in millions of euros. Latest processed data.

Interannual evolution of Foreign Trade in

millions of euros
Source: Department of Customs and
special Taxes.
Quarterly Accounts (GDP)
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at
market prices generated by the economy of

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Navarre in the first quarter of 2004 has undergone a real growth of 3.4% (2.8% in
Spain) compared to the same quarter in the previous year, as illustrated by the data
for the Quarterly Accounts of Navarre prepared by the Navarre Institute of
Statistics.
GDP. Market prices
GDP at market prices. Overall economy

D) Society
The Social situation in Navarre is a broad term that requires different approaches,
all of which are dealt with in the Statistical Information on the IEN website. The
following are provided as a summary of the data that best define the performance of
Navarrese Society:
• Information Society
• Living conditions
• Education
• Health
Information Society
An analysis of the profile of households with regard to the possession of computers
and internet connection reveals the rapid growth observed in the way families in
Navarre have adapted to technology, mainly in internet connection, which has more
than doubled in its implementation over the past year since the first survey, held in
2001. The data have been taken from the Survey on the Information Society in
Navarre carried out by the Navarre Institute of
Statistics, whose most recent wave concluded in
November 2003.
Households
possessing
computers

Households connected to the internet

Living conditions
The main aspects that determine the living conditions of the people of Navarre are
the socio-demographic characteristics of the individual and their families, the job
market, health, specification of their dwelling, physical and social environment,
spatial mobility, relationships with the family and social environment, knowledge
of computers and languages, leisure and free time. The data have been taken from
the Survey on Living Conditions in Navarre carried out by the Navarre Institute of
Statistics.

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 Population Growth

Interannual growth rate

Education
The main data are provided
regarding students enrolled in Navarre, Spain and the European Union referenced
to the last period available, the 2001-2002 academic year. Navarre Institute of
Statistics.
Datos avance España Navarra
RÉGIMEN GENERAL 6.830.989 81.767
Infantil 1.211.826 15.379
Primaria 2.475.027 29.768
Educación Especial 27.241 104
ESO 1.901.238 21.487
Bachillerato 698.013 8.113
BUP y COU 19.301 0
FP II 29.380 0
C. Formativos de FP Grado Medio 213.541 3.266
C. Formativos de FP Grado Superior 213.395 2.943
Programas de Garantía Social 42.027 707
RÉGIMEN ESPECIAL 467.161 210
EDUCACIÓN ADULTOS 367.066 140
ENSEÑANZA UNIVERSITARIA 1.508.116 19.278

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Students enrolled. 2001-2002 Academic year
The gross schooling rate is defined as the ratio,
expressed as a percentage, between the students
of any age enrolled in each level of education and
the population whose ages fall within the window
specified for each one of these levels.
The gross schooling rate may exceed 100, as
occurs in primary and secondary (ESO)
education. This occurs because there are students
enrolled whose ages differ from those allocated
to these levels.

Situation
This heading covers the latest references for a series of indicators that reflect
Navarre’s socio-economic situation.
• RPI
• Consumer confidence
• Business confidence
• Retail services
RPI
The Consumer Price Index in Navarra increased by 1.3% in march 2007 as
compared to previous month, and by 2.2% y-o-y, which means that the rate was
0.3% lower than that of the Spanish CPI (2.5%).
In comparison with the previous month, and considering the impact on the
overall month index, Recreation and Culture (+5.4%) and Apparel and Shoes
(+4.1%) had the most significant increases, with impact factors of 0,441 and 0,437,
respectively.
On the other hand, the items that recorded highest changes year-on-year were
Alcoholic Drinks and Tobacco (6.3%)
and Medicine (-0.1%).

Comparative year-on-year evolution for

Navarra and Spain.

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 Comparison of annual CPI variations in
Navarra and Spain.

Consumer confidence
Consumer confidence amongst the people of
Navarre measured by means of the Consumer
Confidence Index (CCI) shows deceleration in
first quarter (2007) in comparison with the
previous quarter. These data are taken from the Survey on the Situation of
Consumers in Navarre that the Institute of Statistics carries out quarterly on a
random sample of 641 households. This indicator, similar to those produced in
Europe and the United States, is often used to monitor the family consumer cycle
and, accordingly, the increase in consumer confidence suggests there has been a
recovery in consumer spending on the part of Navarrese households.
Business confidence
This index on the prevailing industrial climate gathers the impressions of industrial
business executives on trends in output, the portfolio of orders and stocks, with data
collated from answers given to the Survey on the Industrial Situation carried out by
the Navarre Institute of Statistics.

Evolution of the Industrial Climate

Retail services
The Survey on Retail Services in Navarre gathers the opinions of business
executives regarding employment (number of employees and variations recorded),
level of activity (variation in the turnover of work and sales revenue), evolution of
prices (in terms of both suppliers and retail prices) and the outlook for investment

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and the number of employees foreseen. It is a qualitative survey carried out by the
Navarre Institute of Statistics.

Municipalities
This section provides a synthesis of the wide variety of information related to the
municipalities, such as their physical boundaries, population and natural evolution,
public infrastructures, housing, agriculture, transport, tourist services, electoral
results and budget. Once the choice has been made of the municipality we wish to
receive further information on, a summarised table is displayed with a grouping of
data on the same. This involves a summary of the Municipal Information provided
by the IEN.
Once the choice has been made of the municipality we wish to receive further
information on, a summarised table is displayed with a grouping of data on the
same.

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