Bidasoa-Txingudi facts for kids
Bidasoa-Txingudi is a special name for an area that connects two countries: France and Spain. It's located in the Basque Country, a region with its own unique culture and language. The name combines the Bidasoa river, which forms a natural border, with the Bay of Txingudi, a bay on the French side of the river's mouth.
This area includes three towns: Irun and Hondarribia in Spain, and Hendaye (also called Hendaia) in France. These towns are very close to each other, right on the border.
Working Together Across Borders
For many years, people in Irun, Hondarribia, and Hendaye wanted to work more closely. In 1999, their efforts paid off! They created a special group called a 'consortium'. This group helps them work together on projects that benefit all three towns. About 85,000 people live in this area.
The consortium has different names depending on the language:
- In Basque: Bidasoa-Txingudi Mugaz Gaindiko Partzuergoa
- In French: Consorcio transfrontalier Bidasoa-Txingudi
- In Spanish: Consorcio Transfronterizo Bidasoa-Txingudi
It's interesting that the French name uses the Spanish word consorcio. This is because the group was set up using a Spanish legal method for local governments to cooperate.
How the Name Bidasoa-Txingudi Was Created
One of the first things the people working on this cross-border cooperation did was create a new name for the area. Before this, only the Spanish towns of Irun and Hondarribia were grouped together. They were called the 'comarca del Bajo Bidasoa', which is like a local district.
But there wasn't a common name for the wider area that included Hendaye. The name Txingudi originally referred to a small marshy bay near Hendaye. Later, it also came to mean a marshy area between Irun and Hondarribia. This marshy area became a protected nature reserve in 1998.
By combining the river name Bidasoa with Txingudi, the project leaders created a new, easy-to-remember name. This new name, Bidasoa-Txingudi, helped people on both sides of the border feel like they belonged to the same community. It also helped them accept the idea of working together across the border.
The decision to spell the new name using Basque spelling (Txingudi instead of Chingoudy or Chingudi) was important. It showed that the Basque culture is shared on both sides of the border. It also highlighted the importance of Basque identity in the project.
See also
In Spanish: Bidasoa-Txingudi para niños
