The Basque region is located in the southwest of Europe, straddling the border between northern Spain and southern France along the coast of the Bay of Biscay. It lies between the Aturri (Adour) River to the north and the Ebro River to the south. The region includes parts of both countries, with the Northern Basque Country in France and the Southern Basque Country in Spain. The Spanish Basque Country consists mainly of three provinces—Álava, Biscay, and Gipuzkoa—which form the Basque Autonomous Community with the de facto capital in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The French Basque area is part of the Pyrénées- Atlantiques département. The Basque cultural region, often called Euskal Herria, encompasses these areas and also includes Navarre in Spain.