The Pinzgau-Pongau region comprises the districts of Zell am See and St Johann; it has about 160 000 inhabitants. The Alpine mountain ridges and sweeping valleys give the region’s landscape its distinctive character. The region, which is part of the province of Salzburg, borders the Free State of Bavaria, in Germany, to the north and the Italian region of South Tyrol to the south. As the region is surrounded by the Hohe Tauern mountain range and many glacier lakes, its economy is very much anchored in tourism.