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:''This article is about the present-day Italian province. For other uses of Tyrol, see Tyrol (disambiguation).''
The Autonomous 'Province of Bolzano-Bozen'^[1][2]
(; ; Ladin: ''Provinzia autonòma de Balsan''), also referred to in English as 'Alto Adige' (from the Italian name) or 'South Tyrol' (from the German name ''Südtirol'') is an autonomous province of Italy.^[3] In the Ladin language, both ''Adesc Aut''^[4][5] and ''Südtirol'' are used, respectively.
The province of Bolzano-Bozen is one of the two provinces which make up Italy's region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, which itself is an autonomous region. The province is divided into 116 ''comuni'' (municipalities)^[6]. Its capital is the city of Bolzano (''Bozen'' in German). The province has an area of 7,400 km² and a total population of 487,673 (2006). The region is renowned for its mountains, such as the Dolomites, which compose a significant section of the Alps.

Contents

Government

Statistics

Geography

Mountains

History

References

See also

External links

Government

The province is divided into eight districts (, ), with one of them being the capital city of Bolzano. The other seven districts encompass a portion of the various communes and the people who are located in those communes. Each district is headed by a president and two bodies called the district committee and the district council. The districts are responsible for intercommunal disputes, roads, schools and social services such as retirement homes.
The districts are:

#Bolzano
#Burggrafenamt
#Eisacktal
#Puster Valley
#Salten-Schlern
#Überetsch-Unterland
#Vinschgau Valley
#Wipp Valley

Statistics

Language distribution according to Declarations of which language group belong to/affiliated to - Population Census 2001:

Language	Number	Percentage
German	290,774	69.38
Italian	110,206	26.30
Ladin	18,124	4.32
Total	419,104	100

Out of the 487,673 residents of the province, 223,300 are employed (2005). Most of them are working in the fields of agriculture, small businesses, industry, commerce, tourism, and the service industry, or are self-employed. The unemployment level in 2005 was roughly 2.8%, which is lower than the national Italian average of 7% (2006), or the Austrian average of 4.9% (2006). Small businesses are primarily involved cabinet making, construction, painting and decorating, plumbing, meat preparation, and baking. The province also acts as a bridge between the northern European and Italian markets, and hotel stays account for 8 percent of the money Italy earns from hotels and other lodging.

Geography

The Province of Bolzano-Bozen is located at the northernmost point in Italy. The province is bordered by Austria to the east and north and by Switzerland to the west. The Italian provinces of Belluno, Trento, and Sondrio border to the southeast, south, and southwest, respectively. The landscape itself is mostly cultivated with different types of shrubs and forests.

Mountains

Mountains dot many parts of the landscape. Many of these mountains belong to the Alps, which extend through many Central European nations. In this mountain chain, there is a smaller group called the Ortler Alps. In this group, which is considered the centre of the Italian Alps, there is a mountain called the Ortler, which rises 3 905 m above sea level, and is the highest peak in the Ortler Alps. Another group of mountains located partly in the province are the Dolomites. The Dolomites are a section of the main alpine chain, of which equal parts are located in the Bolzano-Bozen and in neighbouring Italian provinces. The mountain Sciliar (2 563 m) is part of the Dolomite chain.
Other mountains located in the province are:

★ Catinaccio

★ Latemar

★ Tre Cime di Lavaredo

★ Zainggerberg

History

Main articles: History of Alto Adige/South Tyrol

The History of Alto Adige/South Tyrol begins in modern times with the creation of the Italian Province of Bolzano-Bozen in 1919.

References

1. Italian Republic
2. Trentino-Alto Adige
3. Autonomy Statute
4. http://www.noeles.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1418
5. http://www.padaniacity.org/articoli.asp?ID=1269
6. Province Statistics

See also

★ Valleys of South Tyrol

★ Communes of the province of Bolzano-Bozen

★ Castles in South Tyrol

External links

★ Official provincial website

★ Official tourist site