The Basque region is an area in the Northern part of Spain. It consists of four provinces Vizaya, Guilpuzco, Nafarroa, and Alava with an additional three provinces in France: Labourd, Basse-Navarre, and Soule. The region has its own culture and spoken language called Euskera. It was able to rule itself until the Middle Ages when the majority of the land was in the possession of the Spainards, Gascons, and Catalans. In 1516 the Spanish part of the region went under Castillian rule, but the Basques were still able to keep a limited self-government. The Basque's immuinity would not last much longer. Under the rule of General Francisco Franco the Basque language and culture was banned. This resulted in the formation of the defiance group ETA. The group used acts of terror to promote their beliefs. These acts are still continued by a small amount of people even though the region was freed from the ban on their language. The modern group now pushes for the full independence from Spain.