Spain. Basque Country. Balmaseda (Spanish: Valmaseda) is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay. Workers in a factory producing the traditional basque beret. Two women are sewing berets while a man is sorting them. A beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. The plant is an old manufacture dating from the beginning of the 20th century (it was founded around 1900). The Basque Country (Euskadi, País Vasco, Pays Basque), officially the Basque Autonomous Community (Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoa, Comunidad Autónoma Vasca, CAV) is an autonomous community in northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay, and Gipuzkoa. The Basque Country or Basque Autonomous Community was granted the status of nationality within Spain, attributed by the Spanish Constitution of 1978. The autonomous community is based on the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country, a foundational legal document providing the framework for the development of the Basque people on Spanish soil. 20.03.92 © 1992 Didier Ruef