The boundaries of the association correspond to the former Princely County of Tyrol, a crown land of the Habsburg monarchy (including the former Prince-bishoprics of Trent and Brixen) which for centuries shaped life in the Alpine region. Excluded from the association due to a change of the province by the fascists, are Cortina, Livinallongo, Colle Santa Lucia, Pedemonte, Valvestino and Magasa, but they have voted in 2007/2008 to revert to the provinces of South Tyrol/Trentino, which has not yet been approved by the Italian legislature in Rome. Divided after World War I, the region retained much of its cultural integrity by its traditionally strong attachment to the land and a profound desire for self-government on both sides of the border. The long-standing cultural, social and economic ties, as much as the recognition of convergent interests based on its traditional role as transit country and its largely identical environmental conditions in the Eastern Alps, led to the creation of the Euroregion by the three provinces in 1998.
