Geography
South Tyrol is located at the northernmost point in Italy. The province is bordered by Austria to the east and north, specifically by the Austrian federal-states Tyrol and Salzburg, and by the Swiss canton of Graubünden to the west. The Italian provinces of Trento, Belluno, and Sondrio border to the southeast, south, and southwest, respectively.
The landscape itself is mostly cultivated with different types of shrubs and forests and is highly mountainous.
Entirely located in the Alps, the province's landscape is dominated by mountains. The highest peak is the Ortler (3,905 m) in the far west, which is also the highest peak in the Eastern Alps outside the Bernina range. Even more famous are the craggy peaks of the Dolomites in the eastern part of the region.
The following mountain groups are (partially) in South Tyrol. All but the Sarntal Alps are on the border with Austria, Switzerland, or other Italian provinces. The ranges are clockwise from the west and for each the highest peak is given that is within the province or on its border.
| Name | Highest peak (German/Italian) | metres | feet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ortler Alps | Ortler/Ortles | 3,905 | 12,811 |
| Sesvenna Range | Muntpitschen/Monpiccio | 3,162 | 10,374 |
| Ötztal Alps | Weißkugel/Palla Bianca | 3,746 | 12,291 |
| Stubai Alps | Wilder Freiger/Cima Libera | 3,426 | 11,241 |
| Sarntal Alps | Hirzer/Punta Cervina | 2,781 | 9,124 |
| Zillertal Alps | Hochfeiler/Gran Pilastro | 3,510 | 11,515 |
| Hohe Tauern | Dreiherrnspitze/Picco dei Tre Signori | 3,499 | 11,480 |
| Eastern Dolomites | Dreischusterspitze/Punta Tre Scarperi | 3,152 | 10,341 |
| Western Dolomites | Langkofel/Sassolungo | 3,181 | 10,436 |
Located in between the mountains are a large number of valleys, which is where the majority of the population lives.
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