Tyrol (state)

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"Tirol" redirects here. For the village in Italy, see Tirol, Italy.

**Tirol**

State	AT-7 (ISO)
Capital	Innsbruck
Governor	Herwig van Staa
Area - Total	Ranked 3rd 12,648 km²
Population - Total (2001) - Density	Ranked 5th 673,504 53/km²
The state flag of Tirol
The state of Tirol on the map of Austria

Tyrol (German: Tirol, Czech: Tyrolsko) is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.

The state is split into two parts - called North Tyrol and East Tyrol - by a 20km-wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian autonomous province of South Tyrol.

North Tyrol borders Bavaria, Germany, in the north, the state of Vorarlberg in the west, South Tyrol, Italy, and Switzerland in the south and Salzburg in the east. East Tyrol als borders Carinthia in the east.

The highest mountain in the state is the Großglockner in the Hohe Tauern, with an elevation of 3,798 m (12,461 ft.). This is second only to the highest mountain of South Tyrol, the Ortler, 3,905 m (12,812 ft.), a summit that was in the times of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy the highest top of the empire.

The capital is Innsbruck. The town is known for its university, especially the modern techniques in medicine. Tyrol is popular for its famous skiing resorts, such as Kitzbühel or St. Anton. Other larger towns are Kufstein, Schwaz, Reutte and Landeck.

[edit] Administrative divisions

The state is divided into 9 districts (Bezirke), and a Statutarstadt, Innsbruck. The districts and their administrative centers, in order from west to east, and north to south:

The districts of Tyrol

North Tyrol:

East Tyrol:

Lienz, (Lienz)

[edit] History

Main article: Tyrol

Historically, Tyrol was a County of the Holy Roman Empire, later the Austrian Empire and finally a Kronland of Austria-Hungary, which extended beyond the boundaries of today's state. Historical references to Tyrol (before World War I) include today's Tyrol (North Tyrol and East Tyrol), but also South Tyrol (Alto Adige) and Trentino (Welschtirol, translated as Italian Tyrol).

After World War I, South Tyrol and Trentino returned to Italy, according to the provisions of the Treaty of Saint Germain. Some tension still pervades the region due to the large number of German speakers in South Tyrol that consider themselves more Austrian than Italian.