Eman ta zabal zazu
munduan fruitua
The edition for the first time of an atlas with a historical cartography is a great event for any people, nation, state or distinct community in the world inhabiting a specific territory. Still a people con-sidered to be one of the most ancient in Europe had not yet its own atlas.
2nd century Vasconia as described by Ptolemy, the Heuskal herria of Leizarraga in the 16th century, the País Bascongado or País Vasconavarro, as named in the 18th and 19th centuries and, finally, the three political communities that currently make up the Basque Country, i.e. the Basque Autonomous Community, the Foral Com-munity of Navarre and the Agglomeration Community of the Basque Country, lacked a compilation of maps that represented, jointly, their historical development in the cartography of the world.
A work like this, so necessary to fill the bibliographic gap we had, deserved to be produced according to the idiosyncrasy of our people. We are the country of the auzolan, or community work, of commons, cooperativism, collectivism and social solidarity.
It is in this same spirit that we offer this work, produced with the disinterested work of its authors, the professionalism of its editors, designers and translators, the collaboration of the bank Laboral Kutxa, a pioneer in the dissemination of cartography that features our country, the help of archivists and librarians, as well as the voluntary contributions of so many friends, fellow countrymen and foreigners.
All made, as the grand literary and political figure Arturo Campion would say, Ad maiorem Vasconiae gloriam.