The historic countship of Tirol (see History) lies south of the Brenner Pass, has as its main cities Innsbruck and Trent, and today comprises portions of southwestern Austria and northern Italy.
To the north is the state of Bavaria, Germany, to the west, Switzerland and the Italian state of Lombardy, to the south the Italian states of Lombardy and Veneto, and to the east the provinces of Carinthia and Salzburg, Austria.
In the 12th century, the counts of Tirol or Tyrol raised the region to membership in the German Empire during the Middle Ages. It was a long a member of the Empire, and after 1806 of the Austrian Empire.
After the defeat of Austria and the Central Powers in the First World War, the southern part of Tirol was transferred to Italy to become first part of Venetia-Tridentina and in 1926 to be divided into the districts of Trent and Bolzano.
In 1943, during World War II, this latter region was annexed by Germany to become the Alpenvorland (Pre-Alpine Region) and was administered by the Gau of Tyrol Vorarlberg. The region returned to Italy following the end of the war. In 1948 it was incorporated into the Trentino-Alto Adige autonomous region, which was revised in 1972.