Aosta Valley
The Aosta Valley (Italian: Valle d'Aosta [ˈvalle daˈɔsta] (official), sometimes Val d'Aosta; French: Vallée d'Aoste [vale dɔst] (official), sometimes Val d'Aoste; Arpitan: Val d'Outa) is a mountainous autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, to the west, Valais, Switzerland, to the north, and by Piedmont, Italy, to the south and east. The regional capital is Aosta.
Aosta Valley
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Autonomous region and province | |
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Coat of arms | |
| Anthem: Montagnes Valdôtaines | |
| Coordinates: 45°45′N 7°26′E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Capital | Aosta |
| Government | |
| • President | Renzo Testolin (UV) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,263 km2 (1,260 sq mi) |
| Population (30 October 2012) | |
| • Total | 126,933 |
| • Density | 39/km2 (100/sq mi) |
| • Official languages | Italian French |
| Demonyms | Aostan, Valdostan or Valdotainian Italian: Valdostano (man) Italian: Valdostana (woman) French: Valdôtain (man) French: Valdôtaine (woman) |
| Citizenship | |
| • Italian | 95% |
| GDP | |
| • Total | €4.737 billion (2021) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | IT-23 |
| HDI (2021) | 0.889 very high · 14th of 21 |
| NUTS Region | ITC |
| Website | Regione.vda.it |
Covering an area of 3,263 km2 (1,260 sq mi) and with a population of about 128,000, it is the smallest, least populous, and least densely populated region of Italy. The province of Aosta having been dissolved in 1945, the Aosta Valley region was the first region of Italy to abolish provincial subdivisions, followed by Friuli-Venezia Giulia in 2017 (where they were reestablished later). Provincial administrative functions are provided by the regional government. The region is divided into 74 comuni (French: communes).
The official languages are Italian and French; Valdôtain, a dialect of Franco-Provençal, is also officially recognized. Italian is spoken as a mother tongue by 77.29% of the population, Valdôtain by 17.91%, and French by 1.25%. In 2009, reportedly 50.53% of the population could speak all three languages.