Tirol

TIROL, formerly an Austrian province, now a gau of greater Germany, comprises an area of 4,882 square miles. It is almost wholly mountainous, elongated in an east-west direction. Three distinct litho] ogical belts exist in this area. The northern third of the country is a limestone zone, including the Lechtal and N. Tirol Alps, which forms a series of parallel ranges that sink from heights exceeding 9,00o ft. (Parseier Spitz-9,963 ft.) north wards and eastwards. The porosity of this rock and the resultant steep slopes hinder tree growth and cultivation, so that more than half is either poor pasture or barren land. Only on old glacial deposits in the valleys do conditions improve and the deep groove of the Inn valley is therefore a striking contrast. Although the unifying thread of the human life of the province, it is throughout its longitudinal course a geological boundary and is floored with mixed debris derived from the flanking limestone to the north and the crystalline or schistose belts to the south. As a result there is on its alluvial fans and drained lower terraces an intensive culti vation, helped by the fan winds, and a number of settlements; nevertheless, the chief interests of its inhabitants are pastoral. In the cultivated districts maize, rye and fruit predominate in the west, rye and wheat in the lower valley.

South of the Inn valley, the twofold crystalline zone of the Central Alps appears, part granite and gneiss, part schist and slates, forming the main chain and including from west to east the glaciated Otztal, Stubai and Zillertal Alps, and continues east of the transverse course of the river in the lower, unglaciated, slaty Kitzbilhl Alps. Ir_ this zone Almen or summer mountain pastures, often above the tree line, dominate human life, 5o% of the productive surface being so utilized, and numbers of cattle are exported to South Germany both for breeding and killing.

Horse breeding, too, is common, the favourite breed being the Noric type for farm and other hard work. Forestry is not so im portant here as in the limestone zone where some 6o% of the pro ductive surface is forested, while, generally, methods are less scien tific than elsewhere in Austria.

Industries.

Once an important mining centre for copper and rare metals, Tirol now raises only 11% of the Austrian output. Salt takes first place and is worked at Hall being conducted in the form of brine by a Teat from the Salzberg, 5 m. distant. The raising of lignite, zinc ores (Imst), and oil shale (Kufstein), and the preparation of cement (Lower Inn valley) complete the list of important mineral interests.

In the development of manufactures Tirol is aided by its rich supplies of water power. Large electrical power stations exist at Landeck, Matrei, Wiesberg, etc., in some cases associated with the extraction of aluminium and the preparation of calcium car bide. Cotton manufacturing has spread across from Vorarlberg (q.v.) to the Western Tirol, woollen goods are important in Inns bruck and the Ziller valley, paper, wood pulp and cellulose works are found near and along the Inn, while small iron goods and metal wares are widely manufactured, the former in the Stubai valley, the latter principally at Innsbruck and Schwaz; in addi tion saw mills and breweries are widespread.

Population.

The population of Tirol —351,888 (1934)—is almost entirely Ger man in speech, Roman Catholic in religion and advanced in education, having at Inns bruck (q.v.) one of the three universities of Austria. The greatest density of settle ment is found along the great longitudinal trade route of the Inn, with a concentra tion at Innsbruck, where it is crossed by the transverse route from Germany to Italy by the Brenner Pass. The limestone zone is very scantily peopled in contrast to the well-watered crystalline belt on which isolated farms and small towns in the valleys are more common. The old isolation of these mountain valleys is fast disappearing under the swelling annual tide of tourists and, with its passage go many of the old customs and picturesque peculiarities of costume. The province, like all others in the Federal Republic of Austria, had a large measure of local autonomy, centred at Innsbruck, but matters such as national de fence, legal administration, foreign affairs, etc., were handled by the National parliament to which it sent representatives.