Tyrol. Tyrol is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, from its formation in the 12th century until 1919. In 1919, following World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, it was divided into two modern administrative parts through the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye: State of Tyrol: Formed through the merger of North and East Tyrol, as part of Austria. Region of Trentino-Alto Adige: At that time still with Souramont and the municipalities Valvestino, Magasa, and Pedemonte, seized in 1918 by the Kingdom of Italy, and thus since 1946 part of the Italian Republic. With the founding of the European region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino the area has its own legal entity since 2011 in the form of a European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation. According to Egon Kühebacher, the name Tyrol derives from a root word meaning terrain; first from the village of Tirol, and its castle; from which the County of Tyrol grew. Some sources suggest it derives from the Slavic language ta rola meaning this land, farming terrain/farming ground. According to Karl Finsterwalder, the name Tyrol derives from Teriolis, a late-Roman fort and travellers' hostel in Zirl, Tyrol. There seems to be no scholarly consensus. Inn Valley with a view of Kufstein and the prominent Pendling mountain Tyrol has an area of 26,673 km 2. The region consists of the State of Tyrol, the Province of South Tyrol and the Province of Trento. In addition to the region belong the municipalities Cortina d'Ampezzo, Livinallongo del Col di Lana, Colle Santa Lucia and Pedemonte from the Region of Veneto and Valvestino and Magasa from the Region of Lombardy. The largest cities in Tyrol are Innsbruck, Trento and Bolzano. The whole region of Tyrol is located in the Alps. Tyrol is bordered to the north by the state of Bavaria and to the east by the states of Carinthia and Salzburg. West of Tyrol lies the state of Vorarlberg and the canton of Grisons. On the southern side of Tyrol, the land is bordered by the regions of Veneto and Lombardy. Important rivers in Tyrol are the Adige, Inn and Drau. The region is characterized by many valleys. Some of these valleys are still difficult to reach today. The most important valleys are the Inn Valley and Adige Valley. A large part of the population lives in these two valleys and also the five largest cities of Tyrol lie in these valleys. For centuries, the region has been known for transit trade. The most important trade route across the Alps, namely the Brenner Route, traverses the whole of Tyrol and is regarded as a connecting link between the Italian and German-speaking areas. left summit: the Königspitze, right summit: the Ortler; seen from Lake Reschen As the Tyrolean region is located in the Alps, the landscape is heavily influenced by the mountains. The main chain of the Alps geographically divides the Alps into a southern and northern half. Tyrol can be subdivided into 5 different language groups. In addition to the majority languages such as German and Italian, languages such as Ladin, Cimbrian and Mócheno are also spoken. The last three languages are recognized as minority languages. These language groups are mostly located in the Trentino-Alto Adige region and are thus promoted and protected by the region.The Ladin language is also spoken outside the region in Souramont.