Province of Bolzano-Bozen

Infobox_ProvinceIT
fullname = Provincia autonoma di Bolzano
Autonome Provinz Bozen
Provinzia autonoma de Bulsan
name = Bolzano-Bozen
region = Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
capital = Bolzano
commune = 116
area = 7,399.97
population_as_of = (2006)
population = 487,673
populationdensity = 65
vehicle = BZ
postal_code = 39XXX
telephone_prefix = 0471, 0472, 0473, 0474
ISTAT = 021
president = Luis Durnwalder

The Province of Bolzano-Bozen [cite web
title = Italian Republic
work = Encyclopedia Britannica
url = http://www.britannica.com/wdpdf/Italy.pdf
accessdate = 2007-07-06] [cite web
title = Trentino-Alto Adige
work = Encyclopedia Britannica concise
url = http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9073305/Trentino-Alto-Adige
accessdate = 2007-07-06] [cite web
title = Popolazione residente al 1 Gennaio 2006 per età, sesso e stato civile Provincia: Bolzano-Bozen
work = Istat census data
url = http://demo.istat.it/pop2006/query.php?m1=&m2=&m3=&m4=&m5=y&f1=&f2=&f3=&f4=&f5=y&daanno=0&adanno=100&lingua=ita&Rip=S2&Reg=R04&Pro=P021&Com=000&submit=Tavola
accessdate = 2007-11-30] ( _it. Provincia autonoma di Bolzano; _de. Autonome Provinz Bozen; Ladin: "Provinzia autonoma de Bulsan"), 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. [cite web
title = Autonomy Statute
work = Official website of the Province
url = http://www.provincia.bz.it/lpa/autonomy/autonomy_statute_eng.pdf
accessdate = 2007-07-06 ] In the Ladin language, both "Adesc Aut" [ [http://www.noeles.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1418 Noeles.net - informazion ladina - Referendum a souramont ] ] [ [http://www.padaniacity.org/articoli.asp?ID=1269 Associazione Culturale Nternet Padano ] ] and "Sudtirol" are used.

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) [cite web
title = Province Statistics
work = Italian institute of statistics (Istat)
url = http://www.upinet.it/indicatore.asp?id_statistiche=6
accessdate = 2007-07-06 ] . Its capital is the city of Bolzano (German: "Bozen", Ladin: "Balsan"). 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.

Toponyms

The name "Province of Bolzano-Bozen" used throughout this article is the naming convention adopted by other English-language sources such as Encyclopedia Britannica. [cite web
title = Italian Republic
work = Encyclopedia Britannica
url = http://www.britannica.com/wdpdf/Italy.pdf
accessdate = 2007-07-06] [cite web
title = Trentino-Alto Adige
work = Encyclopedia Britannica concise
url = http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9073305/Trentino-Alto-Adige
accessdate = 2007-07-06]

The name listed in the 1972 Statute of Autonomy (constitutional law of the State) and in the subsequent state laws is "Provincia di Bolzano" or Provincia autonoma di Bolzano, accompanied by the official translation into German ("Provinz Bozen" or Autonome Provinz Bozen).

The provincial authorities often use the dual designation "Provincia autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige" or in German "Autonome Provinz Bozen – Südtirol". The Ladin name is not listed in the Statute of Autonomy or other laws of the State, but is often translated by the provincial government as "Provinzia autonòma de Balsan – Südtirol", with the German name appended. Typically in Ladin however, simply the term Provinzia autonoma de Bulsan is used (Bulsan is interchangeable with Balsan). [cite web
title = Cunsëi dla Provinzia Autonoma de Bulsan | Home
work = Provincial Council Homepage
url = http://www.landtag-bz.org/.la/default.asp
accessdate = 2007-11-27] Ladin occasionally uses the two names independently, respectively "Adesc Aut" [cite web
title = Les unions ladines da souramont: enviede via l referendum!
url = http://www.noeles.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1418
accessdate = 2007-11-15] [cite web
title = Les raijes retiches di Ladins
url = http://www.padaniacity.org/articoli.asp?ID=1269
accessdate = 2007-11-15] and "Sudtirol" (without an umlaut). [cite web
title = Les unions ladines da souramont: enviede via l referendum!
url = http://www.noeles.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1418
accessdate = 2007-11-15] The provincial website also offers the French translation of "Province Autonome du Bozen – Tyrol du Sud", although typically the denominations "Province autonome de Bolzano" and "Haut-Adige" are used in this language (the French "Haut-Adige" was the first use of the term "Alto Adige" to describe a political entity). The provincial website also uses "Province of Bozen – South Tyrol" as an English translation, although within the English main page "Province of Bolzano/Bozen" is used.

In English, both "Alto Adige" and "South Tyrol" are regularly used. The provincial administration uses both terms on its website, [cite web
title = Special Statute for Trentino-Alto Adige
work = Official homepage of the province
url = http://www.provinz.bz.it/lpa/autonomy/autonomy_statute_eng.pdf
accessdate = 2007-11-14] [cite web
title = Welcome to South Tyrol
work = Official homepage of the province
url = http://www.provincia.bz.it/english/default.htm
accessdate = 2007-11-14] while the official tourist website consistently prefers the latter. [cite web
title = The official entry page for South Tyrol
work = Official touristic website
url = http://www.suedtirol.info/SInfo/EntryPage/EN_EntryPage.html
accessdate = 2007-11-15] Both terms may be considered as culturally and politically charged, possibly because the term "Alto Adige" stresses the geographical location of the area within the Mediterranean drainage basin, while the term "South Tyrol" emphasizes the historical and cultural links with Austria's federal state of Tyrol. There are some German speakers who insist the term "Sudtirolo" should replace the term "Alto Adige" entirely (even though proper Italian would be "Tirolo del Sud"). [cite web
title = Union präsentiert Toponomastikgesetzentwurf
url = http://www.unionfs.com/12d2449.html
accessdate = 2007-11-28] It is important to note that prior to 1919 "South" or "Southern" Tyrol would have simply referred to the southern portion of the county of Tyrol (south of the Alpine water divide down to the northern tip of Lake Garda), and today what encompasses most of the region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.

Government

The local government system is based upon the provisions of the Italian constitution and the Autonomy Statute of the Region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. [cite web
title = Special Statute for Trentino-Alto Adige
url = http://www.provinz.bz.it/lpa/autonomy/autonomy_statute_eng.pdf
accessdate = 2007-11-14] The extensive self-government provided by the current institutional framework has been advanced as a model for settling interethnic disputes. [cite web
title = Tbilisi’s S.Ossetia Diplomatic Offensive Gains Momentum
url = http://www.civil.ge/eng/detail.php?id=15335
accessdate = 2007-11-14]

The residual legislative power of the province is vested in a provincial assembly called "Consiglio della Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano" in Italian, [cite web
title = Official homepage in Italian
url = http://www.consiglio-bz.org/it/default.asp
accessdate = 2007-11-14] "Südtiroler Landtag" in German [cite web
title = Official homepage in German
url = http://www.landtag-bz.org/de/default.asp
accessdate = 2007-11-14] and "Cunsëi dla Provinzia Autonoma de Bulsan" in Ladin [cite web
title = Official homepage in Ladin
url = http://www.consiglio-bz.org/la/default.asp
accessdate = 2007-11-14] . Official documents in English use the translation "Parliament of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen". [cite web
title = Special Statute for Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (page 2 of 55)
url = http://www.landtag-bz.org/downloads/Statuto_E.pdf
accessdate = 2007-11-15] The legislative powers of the provincial assembly cover all those subject matters that are not expressly reserved to the exclusive legislative power of the Italian State or to concurrent legislation per .

The executive powers are attributed to a provincial government called "Giunta Provinciale" [cite web
title = Official homepage in Italian
url = http://www.provincia.bz.it/aprov/giunta-provinciale/saluto.htm
accessdate = 2007-11-14] in Italian and "Landesregierung" [cite web
title = Official homepage in German
url = http://www.provincia.bz.it/aprov/landesregierung/grusswort_d.htm
accessdate = 2007-11-14] in German.

The province is divided into eight districts ( _it. comprensorio, _de. Bezirksgemeinschaft), one of them being the capital city of Bolzano. Each district is headed by a president and two bodies called the district committee and the district council. The districts are responsible for intermunicipal disputes, roads, schools and social services such as retirement homes.

The districts are:
#Bolzano
#Burggrafenamt
#Eisacktal
#Puster Valley
#Salten-Schlern
#Überetsch-Unterland
#Vinschgau Valley
#Wipptal

Language

Both Italian and German have the status of co-official languages in the province of Bolzano-Bozen. Ladin is the additional official language in some municipalities. According to the census of 2001, 5 communes out of a total of 116 have a majority of people who speak Italian as first language; 103 have a majority of German speakers and 8 of Ladin speakers.

The linguistic breakdown according to the census of 2001: [cite web
title = South Tyrol in figures
work = Table 9 - Declarations of which language group belong to/affiliated to - Population Census 2001
url = http://www.provincia.bz.it/downloads/Siz_2006-eng.pdf
accessdate = 2007-11-15]

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.

Climate

The climate is very similar to the Austrian Tyrol’s climate, but it’s far colder than the Trentino’s climate. It may be divided in five distinct groups:

The Adige’s valley area, with cold winters (24-h averages in January of about 0oC) and hot summers (24-h averages in July of about 23oC), usually classified as Humid subtropical climate - Cfa. It’s the driest and sunniest climate of the province. Main cities in this area: Bolzano, Egna.

The midlands between 300 and 900 meters, with cold winters (24-h averages in January between minus 3oC and plus 1oC) and mild summers (24-h averages in July between 15oC and 21oC); This is a typical Oceanic climate, classified as Cfb. It’s usually wetter than the subtropical climate, and very snowy during the winters. During the spring and the fall, there is a large foggy season, but fog may occur even during the summer’s mornings. Main towns in this area: Merano, Bruneck, Sterzing, Brixen. Near the lakes in higher lands (between 1000 and 1400 meters) the humidity may make the climate in these regions milder during the winters, but also cooler during the summers, then, may occur a Subpolar oceanic climate, Cfc.

The alpine valleys between 900 and 1400 meters, with a typically Humid continental climate – Dfb, covering the largest part of the province. The winters are usually very cold (24-h averages in January between minus 8oC and minus 3oC), and the summers, mild with averages between 14 and 19oC. It’s a very snowy climate, snow may occur since early October until April or even May. Main municipalities in this area: Ortisei, Badia, Sexten, Toblach, Stilfs, Vöran, Mühlwald.

The alpine valleys between 1400 and 1700 meters, with a Subarctic climate – Dfc, with harsh winters (24-h averages in January between minus 9oC and minus 5oC) and cool, short, rainy and foggy summers (24-h averages in July of about 12oC). These areas usually have five months below the freezing point, and snow sometimes occur even during the summer, in September. This climate is the wettest of the province, with large rainfalls during the summer, heavy snowfalls during spring and fall. The winter is usually a little drier, marked by freezing and dry weeks, although not sufficiently dry to be classified as a Dwc climate. Main municipalities in this area: Corvara, Sëlva, Santa Crestina Gherdëina.

The highlands above 1700 meters, with an alpine Tundra climate, ET, which becomes an Eternal-Frost climate, EF above 3000 meters. The winters are cold, but sometimes not as cold as the higher valleys winters. In January, most of the areas at 2000 meters have an average temperature of about minus 5oC, while in the valleys at about 1600 meters, the mean temperature may be as low as minus 8 or minus 9oC. The higher lands, above 3000 meters are usually extremely cold, with averages of about minus 14oC during the coldest month, January.

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

The Province of Bolzano-Bozen is an administrative entity the origins of which go back to World War I. Formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian county of Tyrol, it was annexed by Italy at the end of the war and incorporated into the region Venezia Tridentina. The province as it exists today was created in 1926 after an administrative reorganization of the Kingdom of Italy. An autonomous status was granted after World War II, resulting in a considerable level of self-government. [cite web
title = The South Tyrol Autonomy. A Short Introduction
author = Anthony Alcock
url = http://www.provinz.bz.it/lpa/autonomy/South-Tyrol%20Autonomy.pdf
accessdate = 2007-11-14]

Economy

Out of the 487,673 residents of the province, 223,300 are employed (2005). The majority of those are employed in a variety of sectors, which include: 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 accounts for 8 percent of the money Italy earns from hotels and other lodging.Fact|date=July 2007

ports

A German- and Ladin-speaking football team from the Province of Bolzano-Bozen played in the tournament for European minorities in Switzerland in 2008. The inaugural Europeada 2008 was won by this team (using the name "South Tyrol") after beating the Croats in Serbia and the Roma team in the finals and semi-finals, respectively.

Friendship Agreements

* (2007) [cite web
title = Cina: Inaugurato Centro Sci Dolomiti Made In Alto Adige
url = http://ansa.it/opencms/export/site/notizie/notiziari/qualitaaltoadige/visualizza_new.html_43948211.html
accessdate = 2007-11-27]

References

ee also

*Valleys of the province of Bolzano-Bozen
*Communes of the province of Bolzano-Bozen
*List of castles in the province of Bolzano-Bozen

External links

* [http://www.provincia.bz.it/english/ Official homepage of the provincial administration]
* [http://www.provincia.bz.it/downloads/autonomy_statute_eng.pdf "Special Statute for Trentino-Alto Adige"]
* [http://www.suedtirol.info/SInfo/EntryPage/EN_EntryPage.html Official touristic website]