a region in northern Italy, in the Alps, on the upper Adige River, north of Lake Garda. It includes the provinces of Bolzano and Trento. The capital is the city of Trento. Area, 13,600 sq km; population, 855,900 (1973).
Industry is predominant in the economy of Trentino-Alto Adige. In 1973, 36 percent of the economically active population was employed in industry and 18 percent was employed in agriculture. About one-fifth of the national production of electric power (8.3 billion kilowatt-hours in 1972) comes from hydroelectric power plants, which are mainly located in the Alps. There is electrochemical industry in Bolzano and Merano, and electrometallurgy, including the aluminum industry, in Bolzano and Mori. The region also has transportation and electrotechni-cal machine building, as well as woodworking, textile, and food industries. Agriculture is concentrated in the mountain valleys of Venosta, Monastero, and Merano; 84 percent of the agricultural land is under meadows and pastures, 10 percent consists of orchards and vineyards, and 6 percent is plowland. Rye, wheat, corn, and potatoes are grown. The economy includes viticulture, wine-making, and fruit growing. Cattle are the main type of livestock. Tourism is also an industry.
The territory of modern Trentino-Alto Adige, which was the historical region of Trentino, constitutes the southern part of the historical region of the Tirol. In accordance with the Treaty of St. Germain of 1919, the territory was transferred from Austria to It aly. Until 1948 it was an Italian administrative region, Venezia Tridentina; in 1927 it was divided into the provinces of Trento and Bolzano. In 1948, in accordance with the 1947 constitution of the Italian Republic, the region, which was renamed Trentino-Alto Adige, received its autonomy through a special statute.