Alava, one of the Basque provinces of Spain, separated from Old Castile on the S. W. by the Ebro, and from Biscay and Guipuzcoa on the N. by mountain ranges; area, 1,203 sq. m.; pop. in 1867 (estimated), 102,000. The mountains ramify over the whole province, and yield a great variety of minerals, stone, and timber. There are numerous mineral springs. The soil is most fertile along the Ebro, in the Rioja Alavesa, where chiefly wine and fruits are produced; and in the other valleys abundance of maize, hemp, and garden fruits are raised. The inhabitants are almost exclusively Basques. (See Basques.) The chief towns are Vitoria, the capital, Ordufla, Treviiio, and Salvatierra.