Tigray Region
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The Tigray Region, officially the Tigray National Regional State, is the northernmost
regional state A regional state, or a regionalised unitary state, is a term used to denote a type of state that is formally unitary but where a high degree of political power has been highly decentralised to regional governments. This contrasts with a state org ...
in
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
. The Tigray Region is the homeland of the
Tigrayan Tigrayans ( ti, ተጋሩ) are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group indigenous to the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. They speak the Tigrinya language, an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Ethiopian Semitic branch. The daily life of Tigra ...
, Irob, and Kunama people. Its capital and largest city is
Mekelle Mekelle ( ti, መቐለ, am, መቀሌ, mäqälle, mek’elē) or Mekele is a special zone and capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta awraja in Tigray. It is located around north of the Ethiopi ...
. Tigray is the fifth-largest by area, the fifth-most populous, and the fifth-most densely populated of the 11 regional states. Tigray's official language is
Tigrinya (; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions. History and literatur ...
, similar to that spoken in Eritrea just to the North. The estimated population as of 2019 is 5,443,000. The majority of the population (c. 80%) are farmers, contributing 46% to the regional gross domestic product (2009). The highlands have the highest population density, especially in
eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...
and
central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
Tigray. The much less densely populated lowlands comprise 48% of Tigray's area. Like many parts of Africa, Tigray is far from a religious monolith. Despite the historical identification of Ethiopia with Orthodox Christianity, the presence of Islam in Ethiopia is as old as the religion itself. The most recent Ethiopian census, collected in 2007, estimates that Muslims make up 34% of the rapidly growing national population. Although the percentage of Muslims in Tigray is only 5 to 10%, it has historically been Islam’s doorway to the region and to Africa at large. 96% of
Tigrayans Tigrayans ( ti, ተጋሩ) are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group indigenous to the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. They speak the Tigrinya language, an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Ethiopian Semitic branch. The daily life of Tigra ...
are
Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...
. Tigray is bordered by
Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
to the north,
Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
to the west, the
Amhara Region The Amhara Region ( am, አማራ ክልል, Åmara Kilil), officially the Amhara National Regional State (), is a regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara people. Its capital is Bahir Dar which is the seat of the Reg ...
to the south and the
Afar Region The Afar Region (; aa, Qafar Rakaakayak; am, አፋር ክልል), formerly known as Region 2, is a regional state in northeastern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Afar people. Its capital is the planned city of Semera, which lies on the pave ...
to the east and southeast. Towns in Tigray include:
Mekelle Mekelle ( ti, መቐለ, am, መቀሌ, mäqälle, mek’elē) or Mekele is a special zone and capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta awraja in Tigray. It is located around north of the Ethiopi ...
,
Adigrat Adigrat (, ''ʿaddigrat'', also called ʿAddi Grat) is a city and separate woreda in Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is located in the Misraqawi Zone at longitude and latitude , with an elevation of above sea level and below a high ridge to the we ...
, Axum,
Shire Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...
,
Humera Humera (; ) is a town in the Kafta Humera woreda in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Western Zone the town has an elevation of above sea level. The Tekezé river borders the town to the north. Humera is a very important regional ...
, Adwa, Addi Remets,
Alamata Alamata (Tigrinya: ኣላማጣ ) is a town in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Debubawi (Southern) zone of Tigray it has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of above sea level and is located along Ethiopian Highway 2. ...
,
Wukro Wukro ( Tigrigna: ውቕሮ) (also known as Wukro Kilte Awulaelo; Tigrigna: ውቕሮ ክልተ ኣውላዕሎ) (also transliterated Wuqro; is a town and separate woreda in Tigray, Ethiopia. Wukro is located along Genfel River, in the Misra ...
,
Maychew Maychew, also Maichew ( ti, ማይጨው, "salt water"), is a town and woreda in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is located at 665 km north of Addis Ababa along Ethiopian Highway 2. According to Ethiopia’s agro-ecological setting, Maychew ...
,
Sheraro Sheraro (), also spelt Shiraro, is a town and separate woreda in Tigray, Ethiopia. It is located in the North Western Zone of the Tigray Region, at an elevation of 1246 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Tahtay Adiyabo. ...
,
Abiy Addi Abiy Addi (also spelled Abi Addi; Tigrigna ዓብዪ ዓዲ "Big town") is a town in central Tigray, Ethiopia. Abiy Addi is at the southeastern edge of the Kola Tembien woreda, of which it is the capital. Overview The town is divided into t ...
,
Korem Korem (Agewugna: ኮረ/ Sun) (alternative forms include Quoram, Kworam) is a town and separate woreda in Tigray, Ethiopia. Located on the eastern edge of the Ethiopian highlands in the Debubawi (Southern) Zone of the Tigray Region, this town ...
, Qwiha,
Atsbi Atsbi ( Ge'ez: ኣጽቢ) (officially known as Atsbi Endaselase Ge'ez: ኣጽቢ እንዳስላሴ ) is a town in Tigray, Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone of the Tigray Region, about 50 kilometers northeast of Qwiha, this town ...
,
Hawzen Hawzen ( Ge'ez: ሓውዜን) is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone of the Tigray Region (or ''kilil''), this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2105 meters above sea level. Its market da ...
,
Mekoni Mekoni, also Mehoni ( Ge'ez: መኾኒ or መሆኒ), is a town in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. "Mekoni" (pronounced as 'Me-koni') is located at 657 km north of Addis Ababa along Ethiopian Highway 2 which runs to Mekelle (the capital city of ...
,
Dansha Dansha is a town in Tigray, Ethiopia, located in the northwestern part of the country. History On July 7, 1988, during the Ethiopian Civil War, the Ethiopia government's Third Revolutionary Army's 604 Army Corps was ambushed by the Tigray P ...
, Adi Gudom,
Sheraro Sheraro (), also spelt Shiraro, is a town and separate woreda in Tigray, Ethiopia. It is located in the North Western Zone of the Tigray Region, at an elevation of 1246 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Tahtay Adiyabo. ...
, Indabaguna, Mai Tsebri, and
Zalambessa Zalambessa ( Tigrigna: ዛላምበሳ) is a town located in Tigray, Ethiopia. Zalambessa is part of the Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone of the Tigray Region. It is about 42 kilometers north of Adigrat. The Serha-Zalambesa border crossing is located in ...
. The government of Tigray consists of the
executive branch The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a State (polity), state. In poli ...
, led by the president,
Debretsion Gebremichael Debretsion Gebremichael ( ti, ደብረጽዮን ገብረሚካኤል, pronunciation: ) is an Ethiopian politician and current president of the Tigray Region and chairman of Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). His position as titular head ...
; the
legislative branch A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as ...
, which comprises the state council; and the
judicial branch The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
, which is led by the state supreme court. In early November 2020, a
conflict Conflict may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton * ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne * ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...
between the Tigray Region, involving the
Tigray People's Liberation Front The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF; ti, ህዝባዊ ወያነ ሓርነት ትግራይ, lit=Popular Struggle for the Freedom of Tigray), also called the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, is a left-wing ethnic nationalist paramilitar ...
(TPLF) and the Ethiopian federal government began, in which Eritrea took part on the side of the federal government, rapidly escalating into the
Tigray War The Tigray War; ; . was an armed conflict that lasted from 3 November 2020 to 3 November 2022. The war was primarily fought in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia between the Ethiopian federal government and Eritrea on one side, and the Tigray Peop ...
and destabilizing the region.


History


3rd millennium to 1st century BC

Tigray is often regarded as the cradle of Ethiopian civilization. Its landscape has many historic monuments. Three major monotheistic religions,
Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
,
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
and
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
arrived in Ethiopia through the
Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...
and then Tigray. Given the presence of a large temple complex and fertile surroundings, the capital of the 3,000-year-old kingdom of
Dʿmt D mt ( Ge'ez: ደዐመተ, ''DʿMT'' theoretically vocalized as ዳዓማት, ''Daʿamat'' or ዳዕማት, Daʿəmat) was a kingdom located in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia that existed between the 10th and 5th centuries BC. Few inscriptions ...
may have been near present-day
Yeha Yeha ( gez, ይሐ ''yiḥa'', older ESA 𐩥𐩢 ''ḤW''; Old South Arabian: 𐩺𐩢𐩱 ''Yḥʾ'') is a town in the Maekelay Zone of the northern Tigray Region in Ethiopia. It likely served as the capital of the pre-Aksumite kingdom of D'm ...
. Dʿmt developed irrigation schemes, used the
plough A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...
, grew
millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
, and made iron tools and weapons. Some modern historians, including Stuart Munro-Hay, Rodolfo Fattovich, Ayele Bekerie,
Cain Felder Cain Hope Felder (June 9, 1943 – October 1, 2019) was an American biblical scholar, serving as professor of New Testament language and literature and editor of ''The Journal of Religious Thought'' at the Howard University School of Divinity. He ...
, and
Ephraim Isaac Ephraim Isaac (born 29 May 1936) is an Ethiopian scholar of ancient Ethiopian Semitic languages and of Classical African civilization, African and History of Ethiopia, Ethiopian civilizations. He is the director of the Institute of Semitic Studi ...
consider this civilization to be indigenous, although Sabaean-influenced due to the latter's dominance of the
Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...
. Others, including Joseph Michels, Henri de Contenson, Tekletsadik Mekuria, and Stanley Burstein, have viewed Dʿmt as the result of a mixture of Sabaean and indigenous peoples.Nadia Durrani, ''The Tihamah Coastal Plain of South-West Arabia in its Regional context c. 6000 BC-AD 600 (Society for Arabian Studies Monographs No. 4)'', Oxford: Archaeopress, 2005, p. 121 The most recent research, however, shows that Ge'ez, the ancient Semitic language spoken in Tigray, Eritrea and northern Ethiopia in ancient times, is not likely to have been derived from Sabaean. There is evidence of a Semitic-speaking presence in Tigray, Eritrea and northern Ethiopia at least as early as 2000 BC. It is now believed that Sabaean influence was minor, limited to a few localities and disappearing after a few decades or a century, It may have represented a trading or military colony, in some sort of symbiosis or military alliance with the civilization of Dʿmt or some other proto-
Aksumite The Kingdom of Aksum ( gez, መንግሥተ አክሱም, ), also known as the Kingdom of Axum or the Aksumite Empire, was a kingdom centered in Northeast Africa and South Arabia from Classical antiquity to the Middle Ages. Based primarily in wh ...
state. After the fall of Dʿmt in the 5th century BC, the plateau came to be dominated by smaller, unknown successor kingdoms. This lasted until the rise of one of these polities during the first century BC, the
Aksumite Kingdom The Kingdom of Aksum ( gez, መንግሥተ አክሱም, ), also known as the Kingdom of Axum or the Aksumite Empire, was a kingdom centered in Northeast Africa and South Arabia from Classical antiquity to the Middle Ages. Based primarily in wha ...
, which succeeded in reunifying the area and is, in effect, the ancestor of medieval and modern states in Eritrea and Ethiopia using the name "Ethiopia" as early as the 4th century.Henze, Paul B. (2005) ''Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia'',


1st to 10th century AD

The Kingdom of Aksum was a trading empire rooted in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. It existed from approximately 100–940 AD, growing from the proto-Aksumite
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
period c. 4th century BC to achieve prominence by the 1st century AD. According to the ''
Book of Axum The ''Book of Axum'' ( Ge'ez መጽሐፈ ፡ አክሱም ''maṣḥafa aksūm'', am, meṣhafe aksūm, ti, meṣḥafe aksūm, la, Liber Axumae) is the name accepted since the time of James Bruce in the latter part of the 18th century CE for ...
'', Axum's first capital, Mazaber, was built by Itiyopis, son of Cush. The capital was later moved to
Aksum Axum, or Aksum (pronounced: ), is a town in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia with a population of 66,900 residents (as of 2015). It is the site of the historic capital of the Aksumite Empire, a naval and trading power that ruled the whole regio ...
in northern Ethiopia. The Empire of Aksum, at its height, at times extended across most of present-day
Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
, Ethiopia,
Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
, Sudan, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The capital city of the empire was Axum, now in northern Ethiopia. Today a smaller community, the city of Axum was once a bustling metropolis and a cultural and economic hub. Two hills and two streams lie on the east and west expanses of the city; perhaps providing the initial impetus for settling this area. Along the hills and plain outside the city, the Aksumites had cemeteries with elaborate grave stones, which are called
stelae A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...
, or
obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...
s. Other important cities included
Yeha Yeha ( gez, ይሐ ''yiḥa'', older ESA 𐩥𐩢 ''ḤW''; Old South Arabian: 𐩺𐩢𐩱 ''Yḥʾ'') is a town in the Maekelay Zone of the northern Tigray Region in Ethiopia. It likely served as the capital of the pre-Aksumite kingdom of D'm ...
, Hawulti-Melazo, Matara,
Adulis Adulis (Sabaean: ሰበኣ 𐩱 𐩵 𐩡 𐩪, gez, ኣዱሊስ, grc, Ἄδουλις) was an ancient city along the Red Sea in the Gulf of Zula, about south of Massawa. Its ruins lie within the modern Eritrean city of Zula. It was the e ...
, and
Qohaito Qohaito ( Tigrinya: ቆሓይቶ)was a major ancient city in what is now the Debub region of Eritrea. It was a pre-Aksumite settlement that thrived during the Aksumite period. The city was located over 2,500 meters above sea level, on a high plat ...
, the last three of which are now in Eritrea. By the reign of
Endubis Endubis or Endybis was a late-3rd-century sovereign of the Kingdom of Aksum in East Africa (modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea). He was among the earliest rulers in the Horn of Africa to mint his own coins; the Aksumite currency of his reign was ...
in the late 3rd century, Aksum had begun minting its own currency and was named by
Mani Mani may refer to: Geography * Maní, Casanare, a town and municipality in Casanare Department, Colombia * Mani, Chad, a town and sub-prefecture in Chad * Mani, Evros, a village in northeastern Greece * Mani, Karnataka, a village in Dakshi ...
as one of the four great powers of his time, along with
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and the
Sassanid The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
and
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
empires. It converted to
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
in 325 or 328 under
King Ezana Ezana ( gez, ዔዛና ''‘Ezana'', unvocalized ዐዘነ ''‘zn''; also spelled Aezana or Aizan) was ruler of the Kingdom of Axum, an ancient kingdom located in what is now Eritrea and Ethiopia. (320s – c. 360 AD). He himself employed the ...
and was the first state to use the image of
the cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars. Cross or The Cross may also refer to: Religion * Christian cross, the basic symbol of Christianity * Cross necklace, a necklace worn by adherents of the Christian r ...
on its coins.


11th to 19th century AD

In the 14th century the Tigrinya-speaking lands (Tigray- Mareb Melash) were divided into two provinces, separated by the Mereb River, by the newly enthroned Amhara emperors. The governor of the northern province received the title Bahre Negash (Ruler of the sea), whereas the governor of the southern province was given the title of Tigray Mekonen (Lord of Tigray). The Portuguese Jesuit Emanuele Baradas's work titled "Do reino de Tigr", written in 1633–34, states that the "Reino de Tigr" (Kingdom of Tigray) extended from
Hamasien The Provinces of Eritrea existed between Eritrea's incorporation as a colony of Italy until the conversion of the provinces into administrative regions. Overview In Italian Eritrea, the Italian colonial administration had divided the colony into e ...
to Temben, from the borders of Dankel to the Adwa mountain. He also stated that Tigray-Mereb Melash was divided into 24 smaller political units (principalities), twelve of which were located south of the Mereb and governed by the Tigray Mekonen, based in Enderta. The other twelve were located north of the Mereb, under the authority of the Bahre Negash, based in the district of
Serae The Provinces of Eritrea existed between Eritrea's incorporation as a colony of Italy until the conversion of the provinces into administrative regions. Overview In Italian Eritrea, the Italian colonial administration had divided the colony into ...
. The ''Book of Aksum'', likely written and compiled before the 15th century, shows a traditional schematic map of Tigray with the city of
Aksum Axum, or Aksum (pronounced: ), is a town in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia with a population of 66,900 residents (as of 2015). It is the site of the historic capital of the Aksumite Empire, a naval and trading power that ruled the whole regio ...
at its center, surrounded by the 13 principal provinces: "Tembien, Shire, Serae, Hamasien,
Bur A bur (also spelled burr) is a seed or dry fruit or infructescence that has hooks or teeth. The main function of the bur is to spread the seeds of the bur plant, often through epizoochory. The hooks of the bur are used to catch on to for exam ...
, Sam’a,
Agame Agame () was a former province in northern Ethiopia. It includes the northeastern corner of the Ethiopian Empire, borders Akele Guzai in Eritrea, Tembien, Kalatta Awlalo and Enderta in the south, and both the Eritrean and Ethiopian Afar lowlan ...
, Amba Senayt, Garalta, Enderta, Sahart and Abergele." During the Middle Ages, the position of Tigray Mekonnen ("Governor of Tigray") was established to rule over the area. Other districts included Akele Guzay (now part of
Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
), and the kingdom of the Bahr negus, who ruled much of what is now Eritrea and
Shire Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...
district and town in Western Tigray. At the time when Tigray Mekonnen existed simultaneously with that of Bahr negus, their frontier seems to have been the
Mareb River The Mareb River, or Gash River ( ar, القاش) is a river flowing out of central Eritrea. Its chief importance is defining part of the boundary between Eritrea and Ethiopia, between the point where the Mai Ambassa enters the river at to the c ...
, which is currently constitutes the border between the Ethiopian province of Tigray and Eritrea. After the loss of power of the Bahr negus in the aftermath of
Bahr negus Yeshaq Yeshaq (died 1578) was the Bahr Negus, or ruler of the Medri Bahri, during the mid to late 16th century A subordinate of Ethiopian Emperor Dawit II, he was noted for supporting Gelawdewos during the Ethiopian-Adal war, and rebelling against his ...
's rebellions, By the unsettled
Zemene Mesafint The Zemene Mesafint ( gez, ዘመነ መሳፍንት ''zamana masāfint'', modern: ''zemene mesāfint'', variously translated "Era of Judges," "Era of the Princes," "Age of Princes," etc.; named after the Book of Judges) was a period in Ethiop ...
period ("Era of the Princes"), both designations had declined to little more than empty titles, and the lord who succeeded them used (and received from the Emperor) the title of either
Ras Ras or RAS may refer to: Arts and media * RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label * Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service * Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station * Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...
or
Dejazmach Until the end of the Ethiopian monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Mesafint ( gez, መሳፍንት , modern , singular መስፍን , modern , "prince"), the hereditary nobility, formed the upper ...
, beginning with Ras
Mikael Sehul Mikael Sehul (born Blatta Mikael; 1692 – 1784) was a nobleman who ruled Ethiopia for a period of 25 years as regent of a series of weak emperors. He was also a Ras or governor of Tigray 1748–71 and again from 1772 until his death. He was a m ...
. Rulers of Tigray such as Ras
Wolde Selassie Wolde Selassie (; c.1736 - 28 May 1816) was Ras of the Tigray province between 1788-1816, and Regent of the Ethiopian Empire between 1797-1800. John J. Halls, in his ''Life and Correspondence of Henry Salt'', preserves a description of this power ...
alternated with others, chiefly those of
Begemder Begemder ( amh, በጌምድር; also known as Gondar or Gonder, alternative name borrowed from its 20th century capital Gondar) was a province in northwest Ethiopia. Etymology A plausible source for the name ''Bega'' is that the word means " ...
or
Yejju Yejju Oromo people are a sub clan of the Barento branch of Oromo people. They are one of the northernmost communities of Oromo people residing in Ethiopia. During the 17th century, the Yejju dynasty, more specifically, the Warra Sheik, or sons o ...
, as warlords to maintain the Ethiopian monarchy during the Zemene Mesafint. In the mid-19th century, the lords of Tembien and Enderta managed to establish an overlordship of Tigray. One of its members, Dejazmach Kahsay Mercha, ascended the imperial throne in 1872 under the name
Yohannes IV ''girmāwī''His Imperial Majesty, spoken= am , ጃንሆይ ''djānhoi''Your Imperial Majesty(lit. "O steemedroyal"), alternative= am , ጌቶቹ ''getochu''Our Lord (familiar)(lit. "Our master" (pl.)) yohanes Yohannes IV (Tigrinya: ዮሓ ...
. Following his 1889 death in the
Battle of Metemma The Battle of Gallabat (also called the Battle of Metemma) was an armed conflict fought on 9–10 March 1889 between the Mahdist Sudanese and Ethiopian forces. It is a critical event in Ethiopian history because ''Nəgusä Nägäst'' (or Empero ...
, the Ethiopian throne came under the control of the king of
Shewa Shewa ( am, ሸዋ; , om, Shawaa), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa (''Scioà'' in Italian language, Italian), is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous monarchy, kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The ...
, and the center of power shifted south and away from Tigray.


20th century

In 1943, open resistance broke out all over southern and eastern Tigray under the slogan, "there is no government; let's organize and govern ourselves". Throughout Enderta Awraja, including
Mekelle Mekelle ( ti, መቐለ, am, መቀሌ, mäqälle, mek’elē) or Mekele is a special zone and capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta awraja in Tigray. It is located around north of the Ethiopi ...
, Didibadergiajen,
Hintalo Hintalo ( ti, ሕንጣሎ), also called Antalo, was Administrative Center of Enderta’s historical wereda of Gabat Melash, is a small town located in the Debub Misraqawi (Southeastern) Zone of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It lies on a platea ...
, Saharti, Samre and Wajirat, Raya Awraja, Kilte-Awlaelo Awraja and Tembien Awraja, local assemblies, called gerreb, were formed. The gerreb sent representatives to a central congress, called the shengo, which elected leaders and established a military command system. Although the first
Woyane rebellion The Woyane rebellion () was an uprising in Tigray Province, Ethiopia against the centralization process from the government of Emperor Haile Selassie which took place in May–November 1943. The rebels called themselves the ''Woyane'', a name b ...
of 1943 had shortcomings as a prototype revolution, historians agree that it involved a fairly high level of spontaneity and peasant initiative. It demonstrated considerable popular participation and reflected widely shared grievances. The uprising was specifically directed against the central Shoan Amhara regime of
Haile Selassie I Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia ('' ...
, rather than the Tigrayan imperial elite.


Ethiopian Civil War

After the February 1974 popular revolution, the first signal of any mass uprising was the actions of the soldiers of the 4th Brigade of the 4th Army Division in Nagelle in southern Ethiopia. The Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, or the Derg ( Ge'ez "Committee"), was officially announced 28 June 1974 by a group of military officers. The committee elected Major
Mengistu Haile Mariam Mengistu Haile Mariam ( am, መንግሥቱ ኀይለ ማሪያም, pronunciation: ; born 21 May 1937) is an Ethiopian politician and former army officer who was the head of state of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991 and General Secretary of the Wor ...
as its chairman and Major Atnafu Abate as its vice-chairman. In July 1974, the Derg obtained key concessions from the emperor, Haile Selassie, which included the power to arrest not only military officers but government officials at every level. Soon both former Prime Ministers
Tsehafi Taezaz Aklilu Habte-Wold ''Ethiopian aristocratic and religious titles#Important offices of the Imperial Court, Tsehafi Taezaz'' Aklilu Habte-Wold ( am, አክሊሉ ሀብተ ወልድ; 12 March 1912 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian politician under Emperor Haile ...
and Endalkachew Makonnen, along with most of their cabinets, most regional governors, many senior military officers and officials of the Imperial court were imprisoned. In August 1974, after a proposed constitution creating a constitutional monarchy was presented to the emperor, the Derg began a program of dismantling the imperial government in order to forestall further developments in that direction. The Derg deposed and imprisoned the emperor on 12 September 1974. In addition, the Derg in 1975 nationalized most industries and private and somewhat secure urban real-estate holdings. But mismanagement, corruption, and general hostility to the Derg's violent rule, coupled with the draining effects of constant warfare with the separatist guerrilla movements in Tigray, led to a drastic fall in general productivity of food and cash crops. In October 1978, the Derg announced the National Revolutionary Development Campaign to mobilize human and material resources to transform the economy, which led to a Ten-Year Plan (1984/1985-1993/1994) to expand agricultural and industrial output, forecasting a 6.5% growth in GDP and a 3.6% rise in per capita income. Instead per capita income declined 0.8% over this period. Famine scholar
Alex de Waal Alexander William Lowndes de Waal (born 22 February 1963), a British researcher on African elite politics, is the executive director of the World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Previously, he wa ...
observes that while the
famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...
that struck the country in the mid-1980s is usually ascribed to drought, "closer investigation shows that widespread drought occurred only some months after the famine was already under way". Hundreds of thousands fled economic misery, conscription, and political repression, and went to live in neighboring countries and all over the
Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and state (polity), states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.
, creating an Ethiopian
diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...
. Toward the end of January 1991, a coalition of rebel forces, the
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF; am, የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝቦች አብዮታዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር, translit=Ye’Ītiyop’iya Ḥizibochi Ābiyotawī Dīmokirasīyawī Ginibari) was an eth ...
(EPRDF) captured
Gondar Gondar, also spelled Gonder (Amharic: ጎንደር, ''Gonder'' or ''Gondär''; formerly , ''Gʷandar'' or ''Gʷender''), is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on t ...
, the ancient capital city, Bahar Dar, and
Dessie Dessiè City which is politically oppressed by the past Ethiopian government systems due to the fact that most of the population follow Islamic religion. Dessie ( am, ደሴ, Däse; also spelled Dese or Dessye) is a town in north-central Ethiopia ...
.


Postwar

John Young, who visited the area several times in the early 1990s, attributes this delay in part to "central budget restraint, structural readjustment, and lack of awareness by government bureaucrats in
Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
of conditions in the province", but notes "an equally significant obstacle was posed by an entrenched, and largely Amhara-dominated, central bureaucracy which used its power to block government-authorised funds from reaching Tigray". At the same time, a growing urban middle class of traders, businessmen and government officials emerged that was suspicious of and distant from the victorious EPRDF. From 1991 to 2001, the president of Tigray was
Gebru Asrat Gebru Asrat is an Ethiopian politician, former president of Tigray Region (1991–2001), and one of the top leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) until around 2000, ...
. In 1998, war erupted between Eritrea and Ethiopia over a portion of territory that had been administered as part of Tigray, which included the town of
Badme Badme ( ti, ባድመ, ) is a town in Gash-Barka region of Eritrea. Control of the town was at the centre of the Eritrean–Ethiopian border conflict, which lasted from the beginning of the Eritrean–Ethiopian War, in 1998, to the signing of ...
. A 2002
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
decision awarded much of this land to Eritrea, but Ethiopia did not accept the ruling until 2018, when a
bilateral agreement Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...
ended the
border conflict Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...
. The text of this agreement has not been publicly availed.


21st century

From 2001 to 2010 the president was
Tsegay Berhe Tsegay or Tsegaye is a male name of Ethiopian origin that may refer to: Given name *Tsegaye Degineh (born 1969), Ethiopian martial arts advocate *Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin (1936–2006), Ethiopian writer and Poet Laureate Surname *Atsedu Tsegay (born 1 ...
.


2020 administrative reorganisation

Between 2018 and 2020, as part of a reform aimed to deepen and strengthen decentralisation, woredas were reorganised, and new boundaries established. As smaller towns had been growing, they had started providing a larger range of services, such as markets and even banks, that encouraged locals to travel there rather than to their formal woreda centre. However, these locals still had to travel to their local woreda centre for most local government services - often in a different direction. In 2018 and 2019, after multiple village discussions that were often vigorous in the more remote areas, 21 independent urban administrations were added and other boundaries re-drawn, resulting in an increase from 35 to 88 woredas in January 2020.


Tigray War

Following the 2020 Tigray regional election, after months of preparation with the Eritrean army, as demonstrated by the Eritrean president visiting the Ethiopian air force on October 14 2020, the Ethiopian military launched attacks on the government of Tigray headquarters in
Mekelle Mekelle ( ti, መቐለ, am, መቀሌ, mäqälle, mek’elē) or Mekele is a special zone and capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta awraja in Tigray. It is located around north of the Ethiopi ...
on 4 November, marking the beginning of the Tigray War. Ethiopian troops as well as Amhara militia advanced through southern Tigray, while Eritrean troops occupied border towns in northern Tigray. Amhara militias took over parts of western Tigray. Warfare, the
COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia The COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Ethiopia on 13 March 2020. Th ...
, and a locust outbreak all contributed to an emergency food situation in the region in January
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
. Two million people faced food shortages; the situation was particularly dire in
Shire Inda Selassie Shire (, ; , ), also known as Inda Selassie (, meaning "House of the Trinity"), is a city and separate woreda in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The city is the administrative center of the Semien Mi'irabawi Zone. It was part of Tahtay Koraro di ...
, where there are 100,000 refugees. The
Famine Early Warning Systems Network A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompan ...
said parts of central and eastern Tigray are likely in emergency phase 4, a step below famine.


Geography


Location and size

Tigray is situated between 12° – 15°N and 36° 30' – 40° 30'E. A 2006 national statistics report stated the land area as . The 2011 National Statistics gave an area of , but the sum of the figures it gave for the Tigray zones was substantially different, rendering the 2011 report internally inconsistent. The figure of 50,079 km2 is supported by the
Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...
area calculator.


Geology


Overview

The
East African Orogeny The East African Orogeny (EAO) is the main stage in the Neoproterozoic assembly of East and West Gondwana (Australia–India–Antarctica and Africa–South America) along the Mozambique Belt. Gondwana assembly The notion that Gondwana was asse ...
led to the growth of a mountain chain in the
Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...
(up to 800 Ma illion years ago, which was largely eroded afterwards. Around 600 Ma, the
Gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final stages ...
break-up led to the presence of tectonic structures and a Palaeozoic
planation surface In geology and geomorphology a planation surface is a large-scale surface that is almost flat with the possible exception of some residual hills. The processes that form planation surfaces are labelled collectively planation and are exogenic (chi ...
, that extents to the north and west of the
Dogu'a Tembien Dogu'a Tembien (, "Upper Tembien", sometimes transliterated as Degua Tembien) is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is named in part after the former province of Tembien. Nowadays, the mountainous district is part of the Southeastern Tigray ...
massif. Subsequently, there was the deposition of
sedimentary Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic matter, organic particles at Earth#Surface, Earth's surface, followed by cementation (geology), cementation. Sedimentati ...
and
volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...
formations, from older (at the foot of the massif) to younger, near the summits. From Palaeozoic to
Triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...
, Tigray was located near the South Pole. The (reactivate) Precambrian extensional faults guided the deposition of glacial sediments (
Edaga Arbi Glacials The Edaga Arbi Glacials are a Palaeozoic geological formation in Tigray (northern Ethiopia) and in Eritrea. The matrix is composed of grey, black and purple clays (locally silt), that contains rock fragments up to 6 metres across. Pollen dating ...
and
Enticho Sandstone The Enticho Sandstone is a geological formation in north Ethiopia. It forms the lowermost sedimentary rock formation in the region and lies directly on the basement rocks. Enticho Sandstone consists of arenite that is rich in quartz. The formation ...
). Later alluvial plain sediments were deposited (
Adigrat Sandstone The Adigrat Sandstone formation in north Ethiopia, in a wide array of reddish colours, comprises sandstones with coarse to fine grains, and locally conglomerates, silt- and claystones. Given the many lateritic palaeosols and locally fossil wood ...
). The break-up of Gondwana ( Late Palaeozoic to
Early Triassic The Early Triassic is the first of three epochs of the Triassic Period of the geologic timescale. It spans the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). Rocks from this epoch are collectively known as the Lower Triassic Series, which is a un ...
) led to an extensional
tectonic phase A tectonic phase or deformation phase is in structural geology and petrology a phase in which tectonic movement or metamorphism took place. Tectonic phases can be extensional or compressional in nature. When numerous subsequent compressional t ...
, what caused the lowering of large parts of the
Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...
. As a consequence a
marine transgression A marine transgression is a geologic event during which sea level rises relative to the land and the shoreline moves toward higher ground, which results in flooding. Transgressions can be caused by the land sinking or by the ocean basins filling ...
occurred, leading to the deposition of
marine sediments Marine sediment, or ocean sediment, or seafloor sediment, are deposits of insoluble particles that have accumulated on the seafloor. These particles have their origins in soil and rocks and have been transported from the land to the sea, mainly ...
(
Antalo Limestone The Antalo Limestone, also known as the Antalo Sequence, is a geological formation in Ethiopia. It is between 300 and 800 metres thick and comprises fossiliferous limestones and marls that were deposited in a reef. Marine microfossils have shown ...
and Agula Shale). The region has an estimated 3.89 billion tons of mostly "excellent" quality
oil shale Oil shale is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen (a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds) from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced. In addition to kerogen, general composition of oil shales constitute ...
. At the end of the
Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceo ...
tectonic phase, a new (
Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...
) planation took place. After that, the deposition of continental sediments ( Amba Aradam Formation) indicates the presence of less shallow seas, probably caused by a regional uplift. At the beginning of the Caenozoic, there was a relative tectonic quiescence, during which the Amba Aradam Sandstones were partially eroded, which led to the formation of a new planation surface. In the
Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
, the Afar plume, a broad regional uplift, deformed the
lithosphere A lithosphere () is the rigid, outermost rocky shell of a terrestrial planet or natural satellite. On Earth, it is composed of the crust (geology), crust and the portion of the upper mantle (geology), mantle that behaves elastically on time sca ...
, leading to the eruption of
flood basalt A flood basalt (or plateau basalt) is the result of a giant volcanic eruption or series of eruptions that covers large stretches of land or the ocean floor with basalt lava. Many flood basalts have been attributed to the onset of a hotspot reach ...
s. Three major formations may be distinguished: lower basalts, interbedded lacustrine deposits and upper basalts. Almost at the same time, the Mekelle
Dolerite Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-grain ...
intruded into the Mesozoic sediments, following joints and faults. A new magma intrusion occurred in the
Early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 Ma to 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). It was prece ...
, which gave rise to
phonolite Phonolite is an uncommon extrusive rock, of intermediate chemical composition between felsic and mafic, with texture ranging from aphanitic (fine-grained) to porphyritic (mixed fine- and coarse-grained). Phonolite is a variation of the igneous ...
plugs, mainly in the Adwa area and also in Dogu’a Tembien. The present geomorphology is marked by deep valleys, eroded as a result of the regional uplift. Throughout the
Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ...
, deposition of
alluvium Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
and freshwater
tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertine. ...
occurred in the valley bottoms.


Fossils

In Tigray, there are two main fossil-bearing geological units. The
Antalo Limestone The Antalo Limestone, also known as the Antalo Sequence, is a geological formation in Ethiopia. It is between 300 and 800 metres thick and comprises fossiliferous limestones and marls that were deposited in a reef. Marine microfossils have shown ...
( upper Jurassic) is the largest. Its marine deposits comprise mainly
benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...
marine invertebrates Marine invertebrates are the invertebrates that live in marine habitats. Invertebrate is a blanket term that includes all animals apart from the vertebrate members of the chordate phylum. Invertebrates lack a vertebral column, and some have ev ...
. Also, the
Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...
lacustrine deposits Lacustrine deposits are sedimentary rock formations which formed in the bottom of ancient lakes. A common characteristic of lacustrine deposits is that a river or stream channel has carried sediment into the basin. Lacustrine deposits form in all ...
, interbedded in the
basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
formations, contain a range of
silicified In geology, petrifaction or petrification () is the process by which organic material becomes a fossil through the replacement of the original material and the filling of the original pore spaces with minerals. Petrified wood typifies this proce ...
mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000  extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...
fossils. In the
Antalo Limestone The Antalo Limestone, also known as the Antalo Sequence, is a geological formation in Ethiopia. It is between 300 and 800 metres thick and comprises fossiliferous limestones and marls that were deposited in a reef. Marine microfossils have shown ...
: large ''
Paracenoceratidae The Paracenoceratidae are an extinct family of prehistoric nautiloids. The cephalopods lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the thi ...
'' cephalopods (
nautilus The nautilus (, ) is a pelagic marine mollusc of the cephalopod family Nautilidae. The nautilus is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and of its smaller but near equal suborder, Nautilina. It comprises six living species in ...
); ''
Nerineidae The Nerineidae is an extinct taxonomic family of fossil sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the informal group Lower Heterobranchia. Genera Genera within the family Nerineidae include: * ''Nerinea †''Nerinea'' is an extinct genus of ...
'' indet.;
sea urchins Sea urchins () are spiny, globular echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species of sea urchin live on the seabed of every ocean and inhabit every depth zone from the intertidal seashore down to . The spherical, hard shells (tests) of ...
;
Rhynchonellid The taxonomic order Rhynchonellida is one of the two main groups of living articulate brachiopods, the other being the order Terebratulida. They are recognized by their strongly ribbed wedge-shaped or nut-like shells, and the very short hing ...
brachiopod Brachiopods (), phylum Brachiopoda, are a phylum of trochozoan animals that have hard "valves" (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Brachiopod valves are hinged at the rear end, w ...
;
crustaceans Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...
; coral colonies;
crinoid Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that are attached to the sea bottom by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms are called feather stars or comatulids, which are ...
stems. In the Tertiary silicified lacustrine deposits: '' Pila (gastropod)''; ''
Lanistes ''Lanistes'' is a genus of freshwater snails which have a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails.Bouchet, P.; Neubauer, Thomas A. (2015). Lanistes Montfort, 1810. In: MolluscaBase (2015) ...
'' sp.; '' Pirenella conica''; and land snails (''
Achatinidae Achatinidae (New Latin, from Greek "''agate''") is a family of medium to large sized tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks from Africa. Well known species include ''Achatina achatina'' the Giant African Snail, and ''Lis ...
'' indet.). All snail shells, both fossil and recent, are called ''t’uyo'' in
Tigrinya language (; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions. History and literature ...
, which means ‘
helicoidal The helicoid, also known as helical surface, after the plane and the catenoid, is the third minimal surface to be known. Description It was described by Euler in 1774 and by Jean Baptiste Meusnier in 1776. Its name derives from its similar ...
’.


Traditional uses of rock

As Tigray holds a wide variety of rock types, there is expectedly a varied use of rock. :* Natural
stone masonry Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...
. Preferentially, the easier shaped
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
and
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
are used to build homesteads and churches, but particularly in the upland areas,
basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
is also used. Traditionally, fermented mud will be used as mortar :* Fencing of homesteads, generally in
dry stone Dry stone, sometimes called drystack or, in Scotland, drystane, is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. Dry stone structures are stable because of their construction m ...
s :* Church bells, generally three elongated plates in
phonolite Phonolite is an uncommon extrusive rock, of intermediate chemical composition between felsic and mafic, with texture ranging from aphanitic (fine-grained) to porphyritic (mixed fine- and coarse-grained). Phonolite is a variation of the igneous ...
or
clinkstone Phonolite is an uncommon extrusive rock, of intermediate chemical composition between felsic and mafic, with texture ranging from aphanitic (fine-grained) to porphyritic (mixed fine- and coarse-grained). Phonolite is a variation of the igneous ...
, with different tonalities :* Milling stone: for this purpose plucked-bedrock pits, small
rock-cut basin A rock-cut basin is a natural cylindrical depression cut into stream or river beds, often filled with water. Such plucked-bedrock pits are created by kolks; powerful vortices within the water currents which spin small boulders around, eroding out ...
s that naturally occur in rivers with kolks, are excavated from the river bed and further shaped. Milling is done at home using an elongated small boulder :* Door and window
lintels A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of ...
, prepared from rock types that frequently have an elongated shape (
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
,
phonolite Phonolite is an uncommon extrusive rock, of intermediate chemical composition between felsic and mafic, with texture ranging from aphanitic (fine-grained) to porphyritic (mixed fine- and coarse-grained). Phonolite is a variation of the igneous ...
,
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
), or that are easily shaped (
tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertine. ...
) :* Troughs for livestock
watering Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been develop ...
and feeding, generally hewn from
tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertine. ...
:* Footpath paving, generally done as community work. Some very ancient paved
footpaths A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide v ...
occur on major communication lines dating back to the period before the introduction of the automobile :* foot travellers stop, pray and put an additional stone :* Stones collected from farmlands in order to free space for the crop, and heaped in typical rounded metres-high heaps, called ''zala'' :*
Contour bunding Contour bunding or contour farming or Contour ploughing is the farming practice of plowing and/or planting across a slope following its elevation contour lines. These contour lines create a water break which reduces the formation of rills and gu ...
or ''gedeba'':
terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk an ...
walls in
dry stone Dry stone, sometimes called drystack or, in Scotland, drystane, is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. Dry stone structures are stable because of their construction m ...
, typically laid out along the contour for sake of
soil conservation Soil conservation is the prevention of loss of the topmost layer of the soil from erosion or prevention of reduced fertility caused by over usage, acidification, salinization or other chemical soil contamination. Slash-and-burn and other uns ...
:*
Check dam A steel check dam A check dam is a small, sometimes temporary, dam constructed across a swale, drainage ditch, or waterway to counteract erosion by reducing water flow velocity. Check dams themselves are not a type of new technology; rather, th ...
s or ''qetri'' in
gullies A gully is a landform created by running water, mass movement, or commonly a combination of both eroding sharply into soil or other relatively erodible material, typically on a hillside or in river floodplains or terraces. Gullies resemble lar ...
for sake of
gully erosion A gully is a landform created by running water, mass movement, or commonly a combination of both eroding sharply into soil or other relatively erodible material, typically on a hillside or in river floodplains or terraces. Gullies resemble la ...
control :*
Cobble stone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fr ...
s, used for paving secondary streets in the towns. Generally
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
is used.


Major mountains

:*
Ferrah Imba Farrah Leni Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she played ...
, 3954 metres, summit of the Tsibet massif in Endamekoni ''woreda'' (), and highest peak of Tigray :* Imba Alaje, 3438 metres, in Alaje ''woreda'' () :* Mugulat, 3263 metres, in
Ganta Afeshum Ganta Afeshum () is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraqawi Zone, Ganta Afeshum is bordered on the south by Hawzen, on the west by the Mehakelegnaw (Central) Zone, on the north by G ...
''woreda'' (); one of its spurs is crossed by the
Siqurto foot tunnel The Siqurto foot tunnel crosses beneath the Imba Tsiyon ridge, which forms the water divide between the Giba and Weri'i basins. The ridge is part of the Mugulat Mountains, Tigray, Ethiopia, Design and construction The tunnel was hewn in th ...
:* Asimba, 3199 metres, in Irob ''woreda'' () :* Upper plateaus of the
Atsbi Horst Atsbi (Ge'ez: ኣጽቢ) (officially known as Atsbi Endaselase Ge'ez: ኣጽቢ እንዳስላሴ ) is a town in Tigray Region, Tigray, Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi Zone, Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone of the Tigray Region, about 50 kilometers nor ...
at 3057 metres in
Atsbi Wenberta Atsbi Wemberta () is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi Zone at the eastern edge of the Ethiopian highlands, Atsbi Wenberta is bordered on the south by the Debub Misraqawi ...
''woreda'' () :* Maebino, 3031 metres, in Irob ''woreda'' () :* Imba Tsion, 2917 metres, in
Hawzen Hawzen ( Ge'ez: ሓውዜን) is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone of the Tigray Region (or ''kilil''), this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2105 meters above sea level. Its market da ...
''woreda'' () :* Ekli Imba, 2799 metres, summit of the Arebay massif in Degua Tembien ''woreda'' () :* Imba Aradom – sometimes transliterated as
Amba Aradam Amba Aradam is a table mountain in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Misraqawi (Southeastern) Zone of the Tigray Region, between Mek'ele and Addis Abeba, it has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of . The name in Tigrinya is ...
, 2756 metres, in
Hintalo Wajirat Hintalo Wajirat () is one of the Districts of Ethiopia or ''woredas'' in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is named after its largest town, Hintalo, and the Wajirat Mountains in the southern part of the woreda. Located in the Debub Misraqawi (So ...
''woreda'' () :* Soloda, 2436 metres, part of the
Adwa plugs Adwa ( ti, ዓድዋ; amh, ዐድዋ; also spelled Aduwa) is a town and separate woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is best known as the community closest to the site of the 1896 Battle of Adwa, in which Ethiopian soldiers defeated Italian ...
in Adwa ''woreda'' () :*
Imba Neway IMBA can refer to: * Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria * International Masters of Business Administration * International Mountain Bicycling Association * Imba, a full-stack web programming language * Gaming slang for game imbal ...
, 2388 metres, in Abergele (woreda)()


Water challenge

Overall, the region is
semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
. The
wet season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...
lasts only for a couple of months. The farmers are adapted to this, but the problem arises when rains are less than normal. Another major challenge is providing water to urban areas. Smaller towns, but particularly Mekelle, face endemic
water shortage Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. There are two types of water scarcity: physical or economic water scarcity. Physical water scarcity is wher ...
s.
Reservoirs A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...
have been built, but their management is sub-optimal.


Wildlife


Large mammals

Besides
elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
s in
Western Tigray The Western Zone () is a zone in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is subdivided into three woredas (districts); from north to south they are Kafta Humera, Welkait and Tsegede. The largest town is Humera. The Western Zone is bordered on the east ...
and the endemic gelada baboon on the highest mountains, large mammals in the region, with scientific (italics), English and
Tigrinya language (; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions. History and literature ...
names, are: * ''Cercopithecus aethiops'';
grivet The grivet (''Chlorocebus aethiops'') is an Old World monkey with long white tufts of hair along the sides of its face. Some authorities consider this and all of the members of the genus ''Chlorocebus'' to be a single species, ''Cercopithecus ae ...
monkey, ወዓግ () * ''Crocuta crocuta'',
spotted hyena The spotted hyena (''Crocuta crocuta''), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus ''Crocuta'', native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUC ...
, ዝብኢ () * ''Caracal caracal'',
caracal The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted e ...
, ጭክ ኣንበሳ () * ''Panthera pardus'',
leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...
, ነብሪ () * ''Xerus rutilus'',
unstriped ground squirrel The unstriped ground squirrel (''Xerus rutilus'') is a species of rodent (order Rodentia) in the family Sciuridae. It is the only member of the genus ''Xerus'' . It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and ...
, ምጹጽላይ or ጨጨራ (, ) * ''Canis mesomelas'', black-backed jackal, ቡኳርያ () * ''Canis anthus'',
golden jackal The golden jackal (''Canis aureus''), also called common jackal, is a wolf-like canid that is native to Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and regions of Southeast Asia. The golden jackal's coat varies in color from a pale creamy y ...
, ቡኳርያ () * ''Papio hamadryas'',
hamadryas baboon The hamadryas baboon (''Papio hamadryas'' ) is a species of baboon within the Old World monkey family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons, being native to the Horn of Africa and the southwestern region of the Arabian Peninsula. These re ...
, ጋውና () * ''Procavia capensis'',
rock hyrax The rock hyrax (; ''Procavia capensis''), also called dassie, Cape hyrax, rock rabbit, and (in the King James Bible) coney, is a medium-sized terrestrial mammal native to Africa and the Middle East. Commonly referred to in South Africa as the da ...
, ጊሐ () * ''Felis silvestris'',
African wildcat The African wildcat (''Felis lybica'') is a small wildcat species native to Africa, West and Central Asia up to Rajasthan in India and Xinjiang in China. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in 2022. In Cyprus, an African wil ...
, ሓክሊ ድሙ () * ''Civettictis civetta'',
African civet The African civet (''Civettictis civetta'') is a large viverrid native to sub-Saharan Africa, where it is considered common and widely distributed in woodlands and secondary forests. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 200 ...
, ዝባድ () * ''Papio anubis'',
olive baboon The olive baboon (''Papio anubis''), also called the Anubis baboon, is a member of the family Cercopithecidae Old World monkeys. The species is the most wide-ranging of all baboons, being native to 25 countries throughout Africa, extending fr ...
, ህበይ () * ''Ichneumia albicauda'',
white-tailed mongoose The white-tailed mongoose (''Ichneumia albicauda'') is a species in the mongoose family Herpestidae. It is the only member of the genus ''Ichneumia''. Taxonomy ''Herpestes albicaudus'' was the scientific name proposed by Georges Cuvier in 1829 ...
, ፂሒራ () * ''Herpestes ichneumon'',
large grey mongoose The Egyptian mongoose (''Herpestes ichneumon''), also known as ichneumon (), is a mongoose species native to the coastal regions along the Mediterranean Sea between North Africa and Turkey, tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrub ...
, ፂሒራ () * ''Hystrix cristata'',
crested porcupine The crested porcupine (''Hystrix cristata''), also known as the African crested porcupine, is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae native to Italy, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Characteristics The adult crested porcupine h ...
, ቅንፈዝ () * ''Oreotragus oreotragus'';
klipspringer The klipspringer (; ''Oreotragus oreotragus'') is a small antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The sole member of its genus and subfamily/tribe, the klipspringer was first described by German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zim ...
, ሰስሓ () * ''Orycteropus afer'',
aardvark The aardvark ( ; ''Orycteropus afer'') is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata, although other prehistoric species and genera of Tubulidentata are known. Unlike ...
, ፍሒራ () * ''Genetta genetta'',
common genet The common genet (''Genetta genetta'') is a small viverrid indigenous to Africa that was introduced to southwestern Europe. It is widely distributed north of the Sahara, in savanna zones south of the Sahara to southern Africa and along the coa ...
, ስልሕልሖት () * ''Lepus capensis'',
cape hare The Cape hare (''Lepus capensis''), also called the brown hare and the desert hare, is a hare native to Africa and Arabia extending into India. Taxonomy The Cape hare was one of the many mammal species originally described by Carl Linnaeus ...
, ማንቲለ () * ''Mellivora capensis'',
honey badger The honey badger (''Mellivora capensis''), also known as the ratel ( or ), is a mammal widely distributed in Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Because of its wide range and occurrence in a variety of habitats, it is liste ...
, ትትጊ ()


Small rodents

The most common pest rodents with widespread distribution in agricultural fields and storage areas are three Ethiopian endemic species: the Dembea grass rat (''Arvicanthis dembeensis'', sometimes considered a subspecies of '' Arvicanthis niloticus''), Ethiopian white-footed rat (''
Stenocephalemys albipes The Ethiopian white-footed mouse or white-footed stenocephalemys (''Stenocephalemys albipes'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It lives in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Its natural habitats are tropical moist montane forest and tropical hi ...
''), and Awash multimammate mouse (''Mastomys awashensis'').


Bats

Bats Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bir ...
occur in natural
caves A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
, church buildings and abandoned homesteads. The large colony of bats that roosts in Zeyi cave comprises ''Hipposideros megalotis'' ( Ethiopian large-eared roundleaf bat), '' Hipposideros tephrus'', and ''Rhinolophus blasii'' ( Blasius's horseshoe bat).The Zeyi Cave Geosite in Northern Ethiopia
/ref>


Birds

With its numerous
exclosure An exclosure, in an area being used extensively for grazing, is a limited area from which unwanted browsing animals, such as domestic cattle or wildlife such as deer, are excluded by fencing or other means. Environmental protection Most commonl ...
s, forest fragments and
church forest A corporate forest is a forest or woodland area owned by a corporate body rather than a state or individual. For example, in Germany, a corporate forest (german: Körperschaftswald) is, in accordance with Section 3, Paragraph 2, of the Federal Fore ...
s, Tigray is a
birdwatcher Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...
's paradise. Detailed inventories list at least 170 bird species, including numerous
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
species. Species belonging to the Afrotropical Highland Biome occur in the dry evergreen montane forests of the highland plateau but can also occupy other habitats. Wattled Ibis can be found feeding in wet grassland and open woodland.
Black-winged Lovebird The black-winged lovebird (''Agapornis taranta'') also known as Abyssinian lovebird is a mainly green bird of the parrot family. At about 16.5 cm (6.5 inches) long, it is the largest of the lovebird genus, a group of small parrots. The ...
, Banded Barbet, Golden-mantled or
Abyssinian Woodpecker The Abyssinian woodpecker (''Dendropicos abyssinicus''), also known as the golden-backed woodpecker or the golden-mantled woodpecker, is a species of bird in the woodpecker family, Picidae. It is native to Africa, where it occurs in Eritrea and E ...
,
Montane White-eye Heuglin's white-eye (''Zosterops poliogastrus''), also known as the Ethiopian white-eye (formerly the montane white-eye), is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is found in north-eastern and eastern Africa, primarily in Ethiopia and ...
,
Rüppell's Robin-chat Rüppell's robin-chat (''Cossypha semirufa'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae, that is native to the Afrotropics. It is named for the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell. Description It is a smaller version of the White-browed robin ...
, Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher and Tacazze Sunbird are found in evergreen forest, mountain woodlands and areas with scattered trees including
fig trees ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...
, ''
Euphorbia abyssinica ''Euphorbia abyssinica'', commonly known as the desert candle or candelabra spurge, is a species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. ''E. abyssinica'' is endemic to Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea. It was first described in 1791, by the G ...
'' and ''
Juniperus procera ''Juniperus procera'' (known by the common English names African juniper, African pencil-cedar, East African juniper, East African-cedar, and Kenya-cedar) is a coniferous tree native to mountainous areas in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is ...
''.
Erckel's spurfowl Erckel's spurfowl (''Pternistis erckelii''), also known as Erckel's francolin, is a species of game bird in the family Phasianidae. Taxonomy Erckel's spurfowl was described in 1935 by the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell from specimens colle ...
, Dusky Turtle Dove, Swainson's or
Grey-headed Sparrow The northern grey-headed sparrow (''Passer griseus''), also known as the grey-headed sparrow, is a species of bird in the sparrow family Passeridae, which is resident in much of tropical Africa. It occurs in a wide range of open habitats, includ ...
,
Baglafecht Weaver The baglafecht weaver (''Ploceus baglafecht'') is a species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as t ...
, African Citril, Brown-rumped Seedeater and
Streaky Seedeater The streaky seedeater (''Crithagra striolata'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Phylogeny T ...
are common Afrotropical breeding residents of woodland edges, scrubland and forest edges.
White-billed Starling The white-billed starling (''Onychognathus albirostris'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Eritrea and Ethiopia. Habitat In the Degua Tembien district it was found on steep cliffs. References

Onychognath ...
and Little Rock Thrush can be found on steep cliffs; Speckled or African rock pigeon and White-collared Pigeon in gorges and rocky places but also in towns and villages. Species belonging to the Somali-Masai Biome.
Hemprich's Hornbill Hemprich's hornbill (''Lophoceros hemprichii'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda. Habitat As observed in the Degua Tembien district of north ...
and White-rumped Babbler are found in bushland, scrubland and dense secondary forest, often near cliffs, gorges or water. Chestnut-Winged or
Somali Starling The Somali starling (''Onychognathus blythii'') is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen. Habitat In the Degua Tembien district of north Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, It ...
and Rüppell's Weaver are found in bushy and shrubby areas.
Black-billed wood hoopoe The black-billed wood hoopoe (''Phoeniculus somaliensis'') is a species of bird in the family Phoeniculidae. It is native to eastern Africa where it is found in wooded and scrubby areas. Description The black-billed wood hoopoe is very similar ...
s have some red at the base of the bill or an entirely red bill in this area. Species belonging to the Sudan-Guinea Savanna Biome:
Green-backed eremomela The green-backed eremomela (''Eremomela canescens'') is a member of the Cisticolidae. This bird is a common resident breeder in tropical Africa from Kenya and Ethiopia to Cameroon. This tiny passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order ...
and
Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver The chestnut-crowned sparrow-weaver (''Plocepasser superciliosus'') is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae Ploceidae is a family of small passerine birds, many of which are called weavers, weaverbirds, weaver finches and bishops. These n ...
. Species that are neither endemic nor biome-restricted but that have restricted ranges or that can be more easily seen in Ethiopia than elsewhere in their range: Abyssinian Roller is an Ethiopian relative of
Lilac-breasted Roller The lilac-breasted roller (''Coracias caudatus'') is an African bird of the roller family, Coraciidae. It is widely distributed in Southern and Eastern Africa, and is a vagrant to the southern Arabian Peninsula. It prefers open woodland and savan ...
, which is an intra-tropical breeding migrant of south and east Africa, and of
European Roller The European roller (''Coracias garrulus'') is the only member of the roller family of birds to breed in Europe. Its overall range extends into the Middle East, Central Asia and the Maghreb. The European roller is found in a wide variety of hab ...
, an uncommon
Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...
passage migrant.
Black-billed Barbet The black-billed barbet (''Lybius guifsobalito'') is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family. Distribution This species has an extremely large range in the Afrotropical realm. It is present in Cameroon, northeastern Democratic Republic of the ...
,
Yellow-breasted Barbet The yellow-breasted barbet (''Trachyphonus margaritatus'') is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family. It is found in Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya scri ...
and Grey-headed Batis are species from the
Sahel The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...
and
Northern Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...
but also occur in
Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...
woodlands in the area. The most regularly observed raptor birds in crop fields in Tigray are
Augur buzzard The augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'') is a fairly large African bird of prey. This species is distinct in typical adult plumage for its blackish back, whitish underside and orange-red tail, however a dark morph is known while juvenile augur buzzar ...
(''Buteo augur''), Common Buzzard (''Buteo buteo''),
Steppe Eagle The steppe eagle (''Aquila nipalensis'') is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The steppe eagle's well-feathered legs illustrate it to be a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as the "booted ...
(''Aquila nipalensis''),
Lanner falcon The lanner falcon (''Falco biarmicus'') is a medium-sized bird of prey that breeds in Africa, southeast Europe and just into Asia. It prefers open habitat and is mainly resident, but some birds disperse more widely after the breeding season. A l ...
(''Falco biarmicus''),
Black kite The black kite (''Milvus migrans'') is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae, although some populations have ...
(''Milvus migrans''),
Yellow-billed kite The yellow-billed kite (''Milvus aegyptius'') is the Afrotropic counterpart of the black kite (''Milvus migrans''), of which it is most often considered a subspecies. However, DNA studies suggest that the yellow-billed kite differs significantly ...
(''Milvus aegyptius'') and Barn owl (''Tyto alba'').
Birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, b ...
can be done particularly in exclosures and forests. Eighteen bird-watching sites have been inventoried in Enderta and Degua Tembien and mapped.


Administrative zones and districts

Like other Regions in Ethiopia, Tigray is subdivided into administrative zones, and further into ''
woreda Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas ( am, ወረዳ; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after ''zones'' and the '' regional states''. These districts are further subdivided into a number of ...
s'' or districts. Up to January 2020, these were the ''woredas'' of Tigray: * Central Tigray **
Abergele Abergele (; ; ) is a market town and community, situated on the north coast of Wales between the holiday resorts of Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, in Conwy County Borough and in the historic county of Denbighshire. Its northern suburb of Pensarn lies ...
** Abiy Addi Town ** Adwa ** Adwa Town ** Aksum Town **
Dogu'a Tembien Dogu'a Tembien (, "Upper Tembien", sometimes transliterated as Degua Tembien) is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is named in part after the former province of Tembien. Nowadays, the mountainous district is part of the Southeastern Tigray ...
**
Enticho Enticho is a town in northern Ethiopia located in the Central Zone of the Tigray Region. It is the administrative center of Enticho woreda. History 19th Century Enticho is the location where on 1 July 1889 that Fitawrari Dabbab Araya (lat ...
**
Kola Tembien Kola Tembien (, "Lower Tembien") is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is named in part after the former province of Tembien. Part of the Mehakelegnaw Zone, Kola Tembien is bordered on the south by Abergele, on the west by the Tekezé River ...
** La'ilay Maychew **
Mereb Lehe Mereb Lehe () is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Part of the Maekelay Zone, it is bordered on the south by La'ilay Maychew, on the southwest by Tahtay Maychew, on the west by the Semien Mi'irabawi (North Western) Zone, on the north by the ...
** Naeder Adet ** Tahtay Maychew **
Werie Lehe Werie Lehe () was one of the woredas in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Maekelay Zone, Werie Lehe was bordered on the south by the Wari River which separated it from Kola Tembien, on the southwest by Naeder Adet, on the west by La'il ...
* East Tigray ** Adigrat Town **
Atsbi Wenberta Atsbi Wemberta () is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi Zone at the eastern edge of the Ethiopian highlands, Atsbi Wenberta is bordered on the south by the Debub Misraqawi ...
**
Ganta Afeshum Ganta Afeshum () is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraqawi Zone, Ganta Afeshum is bordered on the south by Hawzen, on the west by the Mehakelegnaw (Central) Zone, on the north by G ...
**
Gulomahda Gulomakeda () (also spelled Gulomahda) is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Its name partly comes from the legendary Queen Makeda, also known as the Queen of Sheba. Part of the Misraqawi Zone, Gul ...
**
Hawzen Hawzen ( Ge'ez: ሓውዜን) is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone of the Tigray Region (or ''kilil''), this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2105 meters above sea level. Its market da ...
** Irob **
Kilte Awulaelo Kilte Awulaelo () is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraqawi Zone, Kilte Awulaelo is bordered on the south by the Debub Misraqawi (Southeastern) Zone, on the west by the Mehakelegn ...
**
Saesi Tsaedaemba Saesi Tsaedaemba () is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi Zone at the eastern edge of the Ethiopian highlands, Saesi Tsaedaemba is bordered on the south by Kilte Awulaelo, o ...
** Wukro Town * North West Tigray **
Asigede Tsimbela Asgede Tsimbla () is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Mi'irabawi Zone, Asgede Tsimbla is bordered along the south by the Tekeze River which separates the woreda on the south from Tselemti and to the west by the Mi'irabaw ...
** La'ilay Adiyabo **
Medebay Zana Medebay Zana () is an Ethiopian District or ''woreda'' in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Mi'irabawi Zone, Medebay Zana is bordered on the south by the Tekeze River which separates Tahtai Adyabo from Tselemti, on the southwest ...
**
Tahtay Adiyabo Tahtay Adiyabo () is a woreda in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the North Western Zone, Tahtay Adiyabo is bordered on the south by Asigede Tsimbela, on the southwest by the Tekezé River on the north by Eritrea, and on the east by La'i ...
**
Tahtay Koraro Tahtai Koraro (, "Lower Koraro") is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Mi'irabawi Zone, Tahtai Koraro is bordered on the southwest by Asigede Tsimbela, on the north by La'ilai Adyabo, and on the southeast by Medebai Zana. Th ...
**
Tselemti Tselemti () is an Ethiopian District, or ''woreda'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Mi'irabawi (North Western) Zone, Tselemti is bordered on the south by the Amhara Region, on the west by the Mi'irabawi Zone, on the north ...
** Shiraro Town **
Shire Town A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
* South Tigray (Disputed) ** Alaje **
Alamata Alamata (Tigrinya: ኣላማጣ ) is a town in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Debubawi (Southern) zone of Tigray it has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of above sea level and is located along Ethiopian Highway 2. ...
** Alamata Town **
Endamehoni Endamekoni () (also transliterated as Enda Mohoni) is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debubawi Zone, Endamehoni is bordered on the south by Ofla, on the west by the Amhara Region, on ...
** Korem Town ** Maychew Town **
Ofla Ofla () is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debubawi Zone, Ofla is bordered on the south by Alamata, on the west by the Amhara Region, on the north by Endamehoni, and on the east by ...
**
Raya Azebo Raya Azebo (simply known as Raya; is a district in the Amhara of Ethiopia. Located at the eastern edge of the Ethiopian highlands, the administrative center of this district is Mekoni. Other towns in Raya Azebo include Alemata, Weyra Wuha, ...
* South East Tigray ** Enderta **
Hintalo Wajirat Hintalo Wajirat () is one of the Districts of Ethiopia or ''woredas'' in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is named after its largest town, Hintalo, and the Wajirat Mountains in the southern part of the woreda. Located in the Debub Misraqawi (So ...
** Samre * West Tigray (Disputed) **
Kafta Humera Kafta Humera () is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Located in the Western zone of Tigray, Kafta Humera is bordered on the south by Tsegede, on the west by Sudan, by the Tekezé River which separates Kafta Humera from Eritrea on the north, on ...
** Humera Town **
Wolqayt Welkait (also spelled Wolkait or Wolqayt; is a woreda which was historically part of the northern Amhara region of Gonder in Ethiopia. Following the fall of the communist Derg regime and ascension to power of the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front ...
**
Tsegede Tsegede () is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is named after the historic province of Tsegede. Located in the Western Zone of Tigray, Tsegede is bordered on the south and west by the Amhara Region, on the northwest by Kafta Humera, and ...
*
Mekelle Mekelle ( ti, መቐለ, am, መቀሌ, mäqälle, mek’elē) or Mekele is a special zone and capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta awraja in Tigray. It is located around north of the Ethiopi ...
(special zone) In 2018 and 2019, after multiple village discussions that were often vigorous in the more remote areas, 21 independent urban administrations were added and other boundaries re-drawn, resulting in an increase from 35 to 88 ''woredas'' in January 2020: * Central Tigray **
Abergele Abergele (; ; ) is a market town and community, situated on the north coast of Wales between the holiday resorts of Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, in Conwy County Borough and in the historic county of Denbighshire. Its northern suburb of Pensarn lies ...
**
Adet Adet (Amharic: አዴት) ,also known as Adet Medhanialem is a town in northwestern Ethiopia. Located south of Bahir Dar in the Mirab Gojjam Zone of the Amhara Region (or ''kilil''), this town has a latitude and longitude of with an altitude of ...
** Abiy Addi Town ** Adwa ** Adwa Town ** Ahlerorn ** Ahsea ** Aksum Town ** Chila ** Egada Arbi ** Egela ** Emba Seneyti ** Endaleiasi ** Enticho Town ** Hahayle ** Kayeh Tekli ** Kola Temben ** Laelay Maychew ** Naeder **
Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...
** Tahtay Maychew ** Tanqwa Melash * East Tigray ** Adigrat Town ** Agulae **
Atsbi Atsbi ( Ge'ez: ኣጽቢ) (officially known as Atsbi Endaselase Ge'ez: ኣጽቢ እንዳስላሴ ) is a town in Tigray, Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone of the Tigray Region, about 50 kilometers northeast of Qwiha, this town ...
** Atsbi Town **
Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, '' Carmen'', which has become o ...
** Edaga Hamus Town ** Erob ** Freweyni Town **
Ganta Afeshum Ganta Afeshum () is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraqawi Zone, Ganta Afeshum is bordered on the south by Hawzen, on the west by the Mehakelegnaw (Central) Zone, on the north by G ...
** Geralta **
Hawzen Hawzen ( Ge'ez: ሓውዜን) is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone of the Tigray Region (or ''kilil''), this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2105 meters above sea level. Its market da ...
** Hawzen Town ** Irob ** Kelete Awelallo ** Saesie ** Tsaeda Emba ** Wukro Town ** Zala Anbesa Town * North West Tigray **
Adi Daero Adi Daero( Ge'ez: ዓዲ ዳዕሮ), is a town in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia located at 977 km north of Addis Ababa and 278 km northwest of Mekelle along the highway which runs from Shire to Sheraro to Humera. The town is also the administra ...
**
Adi Hageray Adi or ADI may refer to: Names and titles * Adi (mythology), an Asura in Hindu faith who appears in the Matsya Purāṇa * Adi (name), a given name in Hebrew and a nickname in other languages * Adi (title), a Fijian title used by females of chie ...
**
Asgede Asgede () is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Mi'irabawi Zone, Asgede is bordered along the south by the Tekeze River which separates the woreda on the south from Tselemti and to the west and northwest by Tahtay Adyabo, o ...
** Dima ** Endabaguna Town ** Indasilassie ** Laelay Adiabo **
May Tsebri Town May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the third of seven months to have a length of 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May ...
**
Selekleka Selekleka (; also transliterated as Selekhlekha, Selekhlekha or Selekh Lekha) is a town in North Western Zone, Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Located in the Semien Mi'irabawi (North Western) Zone of the Tigray Region, this town has a latitude and l ...
** Seyemti Adyabo ** Sheraro Town **
Tahtay Adiyabo Tahtay Adiyabo () is a woreda in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the North Western Zone, Tahtay Adiyabo is bordered on the south by Asigede Tsimbela, on the southwest by the Tekezé River on the north by Eritrea, and on the east by La'i ...
**
Tahtay Koraro Tahtai Koraro (, "Lower Koraro") is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Mi'irabawi Zone, Tahtai Koraro is bordered on the southwest by Asigede Tsimbela, on the north by La'ilai Adyabo, and on the southeast by Medebai Zana. Th ...
**
Tselemti Tselemti () is an Ethiopian District, or ''woreda'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Mi'irabawi (North Western) Zone, Tselemti is bordered on the south by the Amhara Region, on the west by the Mi'irabawi Zone, on the north ...
** Tsimbia ** Zena * South Tigray ** Alamata Town ** Bora ** Chercher ** Emba Alaje **
Endamehoni Endamekoni () (also transliterated as Enda Mohoni) is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debubawi Zone, Endamehoni is bordered on the south by Ofla, on the west by the Amhara Region, on ...
** Korem Town ** Maichew Town ** Mekhoni Town ** Neqsage **
Ofla Ofla () is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debubawi Zone, Ofla is bordered on the south by Alamata, on the west by the Amhara Region, on the north by Endamehoni, and on the east by ...
** Raya Alamata **
Raya Azebo Raya Azebo (simply known as Raya; is a district in the Amhara of Ethiopia. Located at the eastern edge of the Ethiopian highlands, the administrative center of this district is Mekoni. Other towns in Raya Azebo include Alemata, Weyra Wuha, ...
** Selewa ** Zata * South East Tigray ** Adigudom ** Dogua Temberi ** Enderta ** Hagere Setam Town **
Hintalo Hintalo ( ti, ሕንጣሎ), also called Antalo, was Administrative Center of Enderta’s historical wereda of Gabat Melash, is a small town located in the Debub Misraqawi (Southeastern) Zone of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It lies on a platea ...
** Saharti ** Samre ** Wajirat * West Tigray ** Awora ** Dansha Town **
Kafta Humera Kafta Humera () is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Located in the Western zone of Tigray, Kafta Humera is bordered on the south by Tsegede, on the west by Sudan, by the Tekezé River which separates Kafta Humera from Eritrea on the north, on ...
**
Korant Kurentovanje is Slovenia's most popular and ethnologically significant carnival event first organised in 1960 by Drago Hasl. This 11-day rite of spring and fertility highlight event is celebrated on Shrove Sunday in Ptuj, the oldest documented ci ...
** May Gaba ** May Kadra ** Setit Hemera **
Tsegede Tsegede () is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is named after the historic province of Tsegede. Located in the Western Zone of Tigray, Tsegede is bordered on the south and west by the Amhara Region, on the northwest by Kafta Humera, and ...
** Welkalt *
Mekelle Mekelle ( ti, መቐለ, am, መቀሌ, mäqälle, mek’elē) or Mekele is a special zone and capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta awraja in Tigray. It is located around north of the Ethiopi ...
(special zone)


Major cities

Mekelle Mekelle ( ti, መቐለ, am, መቀሌ, mäqälle, mek’elē) or Mekele is a special zone and capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta awraja in Tigray. It is located around north of the Ethiopi ...
, home to
Mekelle University Mekelle University ( ti, መቐለ ዩኒቨርሲቲ) is a higher education and training public institution located in Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, 783 kilometers north of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. Mekelle University is one of the lar ...
,
Mekelle Institute of Technology Mekelle Institute of Technology (MIT) is an educational institute created in Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia, in 2002,Gregorian 2002 mostly overlaps with 1995 E.C. aiming to teach and do research in engineering, science and ...
, Microlink College, Nile College, and Mekelle College of Teacher Education is the capital of Tigray, near the geographic center of the state. Other Tigray cities functioning as centers of Ethiopian metropolitan areas include: :*
Adigrat Adigrat (, ''ʿaddigrat'', also called ʿAddi Grat) is a city and separate woreda in Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is located in the Misraqawi Zone at longitude and latitude , with an elevation of above sea level and below a high ridge to the we ...
(home of
Adigrat University Adigrat University ( ti, ዓዲግራት ዩኒቨርሲቲ) is a residential national university in Adigrat, Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is approximately north of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Ministry of Education admits qualified students to Adi ...
, Debre Damo monastery and Addis Pharmaceuticals) :* Adwa (home of Adwa Pan African University,) :* Axum (home of
Aksum University Aksum University (AKU) is a teaching university in Aksum in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It offers teaching programs and research projects which lead toward undergraduate and master's degrees. It was established in February 2007 with the objective of ...
,) :*
Maychew Maychew, also Maichew ( ti, ማይጨው, "salt water"), is a town and woreda in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is located at 665 km north of Addis Ababa along Ethiopian Highway 2. According to Ethiopia’s agro-ecological setting, Maychew ...
(home of
Raya University Raya University is located at Maychew, Maichew, Tigray at a distance of 668 km north of Addis Ababa along Ethiopian Highway 2 or 130 km south of Mekelle city. History Raya University was established by the Government of Ethiopia (Coun ...
) Of the 10 largest cities in Tigray,
Maychew Maychew, also Maichew ( ti, ማይጨው, "salt water"), is a town and woreda in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is located at 665 km north of Addis Ababa along Ethiopian Highway 2. According to Ethiopia’s agro-ecological setting, Maychew ...
has the highest elevation at 2479 meter above sea level. Plenty of smaller towns, like
Atsbi Atsbi ( Ge'ez: ኣጽቢ) (officially known as Atsbi Endaselase Ge'ez: ኣጽቢ እንዳስላሴ ) is a town in Tigray, Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone of the Tigray Region, about 50 kilometers northeast of Qwiha, this town ...
and Edaga Hamus are located at even higher elevations. Of the large cities,
Humera Humera (; ) is a town in the Kafta Humera woreda in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Western Zone the town has an elevation of above sea level. The Tekezé river borders the town to the north. Humera is a very important regional ...
is located at the lowest altitude (585 m).


Government and politics


Executive branch

The executive branch is headed by the Chief Administrator of Tigray. The current president is
Debretsion Gebremichael Debretsion Gebremichael ( ti, ደብረጽዮን ገብረሚካኤል, pronunciation: ) is an Ethiopian politician and current president of the Tigray Region and chairman of Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). His position as titular head ...
, a TPLF member, elected in 2018 and again in
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
. A Vice President of Tigray succeeds the president in the event of any removal from office, and performs any duties assigned by the president. The current vice president is Dr. Addis Alem Balema. The other elected constitutional offices in the executive branch are the Regional Health Bureau (''Ato'' Hagos Godefy), Educational Bureau (''Ato'' Gebre'egziabher), Auditor General (''Ato'' Alemseged Kebedew), and 12 other officials.


Judicial branch

There are three levels of the Tigray state
judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
. The lowest level is the court of common pleas: each woreda maintains its own constitutionally mandated court of common pleas, which maintain jurisdiction over all justiciable matters. The intermediate-level court system is the district court system. Four courts of appeals exist, each retaining jurisdiction over appeals from common pleas, municipal, and county courts in an administrative zone. A case heard in this system is decided by a three-judge panel, and each judge is elected. The highest-ranking court, the Tigray Supreme Court, is Tigray's "court of last resort". A seven-justice panel composes the court, which, by its own discretion, hears appeals from the courts of appeals, and retains original jurisdiction over limited matters. The chief judge is called the President of Tigray Supreme Court (''W/ro'' Hirity Miheretab).


Legislative branch

The State Council, which is the highest administrative body of the state, is made up of 152 members.


National politics

Tigray is represented by 38 representatives in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia House of Peoples' Representatives. But currently after the illegitimate postponement of the national election of Ethiopia Tigray has pulled it representative from the House of House of Peoples' Representatives and has no representation in the Federal parliamen


Demographics

Based on the 2007 census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency (Ethiopia), Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), the Tigray Region has a population of 4,316,988, of whom 2,126,465 are men and 2,190,523 women; urban inhabitants number 844,040 or 19.55% of the population. With an estimated area of 84,722 km2, the region had an estimated density of 51 people per km2. In the entire region 992,635 households were counted, for an average of 4.4 people per household, with urban households having on average 3.4 and rural households 4.6. In the previous census, conducted in 1994, the region's population was 3,136,267, of whom 1,542,165 were men and 1,594,102 women; urban inhabitants numbered 621,210, or 14% of the population. According to the CSA, , 53.99% of the total population had access to safe drinking water, of whom 42.68% were rural inhabitants and 97.28% were urban. Values for other reported common indicators of the
standard of living Standard of living is the level of income, comforts and services available, generally applied to a society or location, rather than to an individual. Standard of living is relevant because it is considered to contribute to an individual's quality ...
for Tigray include: 31.6% of the inhabitants fall into the lowest wealth quintile; adult literacy for men is 67.5% and for women 33.7%; and the
infant mortality rate Infant mortality is the death of young children under the age of 1. This death toll is measured by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the probability of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births. The under-five morta ...
is 67 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, less than the national average of 77; at least half of these deaths occurred in the infants' first month of life. The predominant religion in Tigray is Orthodox Christianity"Census 2007"
first draft, Tables 1, 4, 5, 6


Ethnicity

With 96.55% of the local population, the region is predominantly inhabited by the
Tigrinya (; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions. History and literatur ...
-speaking
Tigrayan people Tigrayans ( ti, ተጋሩ) are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group indigenous to the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. They speak the Tigrinya language, an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Ethiopian Semitic branch. The daily life of Tigr ...
. The Tigrinya language belongs to the Semitic branch of the
Afro-Asiatic The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic su ...
family of languages. Most other residents hail from other
Afro-Asiatic The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic su ...
-speaking communities, including the Amhara, Irob, Afar, Agaw and Oromo. Partly assimilated Oromo live in remoter villages in
Raya Azebo Raya Azebo (simply known as Raya; is a district in the Amhara of Ethiopia. Located at the eastern edge of the Ethiopian highlands, the administrative center of this district is Mekoni. Other towns in Raya Azebo include Alemata, Weyra Wuha, ...
and
Alamata (woreda) Alamata () is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Part of the Debubawi Zone, Alamata is bordered on the south and west by the Amhara Region, on the northwest by Ofla, and on the northeast by Raya Azebo. Towns in Alamata include Waja. The city of ...
, whereas there are Agaw in Abergele (woreda). There are also Nilo-Saharan-speaking Kunama as well.


Languages

The working language is
Tigrinya (; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions. History and literatur ...
. Saho and Kunama are also spoken, and people in urban areas are also able to speak Amharic.


Notable people

* Mehari Taddele Maru, author, professor at
European university Institute The European University Institute (EUI) is an international postgraduate and post-doctoral teaching and research institute and an independent body of the European Union with juridical personality, established by the member states to contribu ...
*
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ( ti, ቴዎድሮስ አድሓኖም ገብረኢየሱስ, sometimes spelt ti, ቴድሮስ ኣድሓኖም ገብረየሱስ, label=none; born 3 March 1965) is an Ethiopian public health official, researcher, and ...
, Director General, World Health Organization WHO *
Meles Zenawi Asres Meles Zenawi Asres (Tigrinya and ; , born Legesse Zenawi Asres; 9 May 1955 – 20 August 2012) was an Ethiopian soldier and politician who served as President of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995 and then Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 1995 until his ...
, Prime Minister, Ethiopia 1995–2012 *
Zeresenay Alemseged Zeresenay "Zeray" Alemseged (born 4 June 1969) is an Ethiopian paleoanthropologist who was the Chair of the Anthropology Department at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, United States. He recently joined the faculty of the Un ...
, Anthropologist, known for his discovery of Selam, also referred to as "
Lucy Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Lu ...
’s child", the almost-complete
fossilized A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...
remains of a 3.3 million-year-old child of the species ''
Australopithecus afarensis ''Australopithecus afarensis'' is an extinct species of australopithecine which lived from about 3.9–2.9 million years ago (mya) in the Pliocene of East Africa. The first fossils were discovered in the 1930s, but major fossil finds would not ...
''.


Agriculture


Cropping


Terracing and dam construction

An important aspect of the agricultural work in Tigray after the end of the 1991 civil war was to minimize the problems of drought. In the past, Tigray was covered with forests and had a micro-climate that favoured the rains. Subsequently, the forests were cut down, usually to impoverish the population during the wars. Consequently, Tigray achieved a fair amount of rainfall during the rainy season, from August to September, but quickly lost these waters downstream. In the process the fertile soil of the fields eroded. After a few weeks of rain, the country again dried up. The government undertook two projects in Tigray. The first was the construction of terraces which, with the agreement and help of local communities, go up to the tops of the mountains at 2,500 metres. The goal was to prevent the rainfall flowing away immediately so that it could be conserved for the agricultural season. On the highest terraces were planted trees, mainly
eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...
, the dominant tree in Ethiopia and native to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. These plants created a new microclimate. The terracing method was very simple but required good organization. Long stretches of the fields were terraced by the villagers using stone walls from stones that erosion had exposed. The rains eroding the still non-terraced ground formed mudslides that were held by the topmost walls, which permitted construction of a new terrace field and another wall with uncovered stones, creating new ground terraced farmland every year. Another endeavour involved the construction of small
reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
s for local irrigation. As rains last only for a couple of months per year, reservoirs of different sizes allow harvesting runoff from the rainy season for further use in the dry season. The dams needed to create these basins are typically an embankment of a few hundreds of meters, closing off one part of a valley, with a maximum height of 20 metres. Each took months of work, in which people carried earth on their back, and with assistance of donkeys. Generally 2,000–3,000 people — men, women and children — carried the earth in simple baskets. The small reservoirs in Tigray include: *
Addi Abagiè Addi Abagiè is a reservoir located in the Sa’isi Tsa’ida Imba ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1993. Dam characteristics Dam crest length: 176 metres. Exceptionally, ...
* Addi Akhor *
Addi Amharay Addi Amharay is a reservoir located in the Inderta ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1997 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 14.7 metres * Dam crest length: 128 metres ...
*
May Leiba May Leiba is a reservoir located in the Dogu’a Tembien ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. It is named after the May Leiba River. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1998 by the Relief Society of Tigray. Dam char ...
*
Hiza'iti Wedi Cheber Hiza’iti Wedi Cheber is a reservoir located in the Inderta ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1997 by the Tigray Bureau of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Dam characteristic ...
* Addi Asme'e * Chini *
Addi Gela Addi Gela is a reservoir located in the Hintalo Wajirat ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1998 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 22 metres * Dam crest length: 424 metre ...
*
Addi Hilo Addi Hilo is a reservoir located in the Inderta ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1998 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 11.4 metres * Dam crest length: 171 metres * S ...
*
Addi Qenafiz Addi Qenafiz is a reservoir located in the Hintalo Wajirat ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1998 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 15.5 metres * Dam crest length: 514 ...
*
Addi Shihu Addi Shihu is a reservoir located in the Atsbi Wenberta ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1997 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 10.8 metres * Dam crest length: 301 met ...
*
Aqushela Aqushela is a typical over-dimensioned reservoir located in the Tanqwa-Abergele ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1999 by the Relief Society of Tigray. Dam characteristics * Dam ...
*
Arato Arato is a reservoir located in the Inderta woreda of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1997 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 20 metres * Dam crest length: 443 metres * Spillway wi ...
*
Belesat Belesat is a reservoir located in the Inticho ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1997 by the Relief Society of Tigray. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 15 metres * Dam crest length ...
*
Betqua Betqua is a reservoir located in the Hintalo Wajirat ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1997 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 16 metres * Dam crest length: 284 metres * S ...
*
Chichat Chichat is a reservoir located in the Inderta ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The 482-metres long earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1985 by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission. The catchment of the reservoir is ...
*
Dibdibo Dibdibo is a reservoir named after the homonymous village, located in the Inticho ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1999 by the Relief Society of Tigray. Dam characteristics * Da ...
*
Dur Anbesa Dur Anbesa is a reservoir located in the Hintalo Wajirat ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 2001 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 18 metres * Dam crest length: 605 metres ...
*
Imbagedo Imbagedo is a reservoir located in the Inderta ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1998 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 20 metres * Dam crest length: 328 metres * Spillw ...
*
Inda Zib'i Inda Zib'i is a reservoir located in the Enderta (woreda), Inderta ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1999 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 12.34 metres * Dam crest lengt ...
* Era (reservoir) *
Era Quhila Era Quhila is a reservoir located in the Inderta ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1997 by the Tigray Bureau of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Dam characteristics * Dam cres ...
*
Gereb Mihiz Gereb Mihiz is a reservoir located in the Hintalo Wajirat ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1998 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 17.5 metres * Dam crest length: ...
*
Filiglig Filiglig is a reservoir located in the Hintalo Wajirat ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1998 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 14 metres * Dam crest length: 325&nb ...
* Gereb May Zib'i * Gereb Bi'ati *
Gereb Awso Gereb Awso is a reservoir located in the Inderta ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1998 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 10.5 metres * Dam crest length: 196  ...
*
Felaga Felaga is a reservoir located in the Atsbi Wenberta ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1996 by Tigray Bureau of Agriculture. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 11.9 metres ...
*
Gereb Segen (Hintalo) Gereb Segen is a reservoir located in the Hintalo Wajirat ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 2000 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 14.86 metres * Dam crest length: ...
*
Gereb Segen (May Gabat) Gereb Segen is a reservoir located in the Inderta ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 2016 by the Tigray Water Bureau, with the main aim of providing Mekelle with water. Challenges ...
*
Gereb Shegal Gereb Shegal is a reservoir located in the Inderta ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1998 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 20 metres * Dam crest length: 363  ...
*
Ginda'i Ginda'i (also spelled Gindae) is a reservoir located in the Kilte Awula’ilo ''woreda'' of the Tigray Region in Ethiopia. The earthen dam that holds the reservoir was built in 1998 by SAERT. Dam characteristics * Dam height: 19.5 metres ...
* Godew Overall, these reservoirs suffer from rapid
siltation Siltation, is water pollution caused by particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the increased accumulation (temporary or ...
. Part of the water that could be used for irrigation is lost through
seepage Soil mechanics is a branch of soil physics and applied mechanics that describes the behavior of soils. It differs from fluid mechanics and solid mechanics in the sense that soils consist of a heterogeneous mixture of fluids (usually air and wat ...
; the positive side-effect is that this contributes to
groundwater recharge Groundwater recharge or deep drainage or deep percolation is a hydrologic process, where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater. Recharge is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer. This process usually occurs in ...
.


Vegetation and enclosures

Tigray holds numerous
exclosure An exclosure, in an area being used extensively for grazing, is a limited area from which unwanted browsing animals, such as domestic cattle or wildlife such as deer, are excluded by fencing or other means. Environmental protection Most commonl ...
s, areas that are set aside for regreening. Logging and livestock grazing are not allowed there. Besides effects on
biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
,
water infiltration Infiltration is the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil. It is commonly used in both hydrology and soil sciences. The infiltration capacity is defined as the maximum rate of infiltration. It is most often measured in meter ...
, protection from flooding,
sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...
deposition,
carbon sequestration Carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon in a carbon pool. Carbon dioxide () is naturally captured from the atmosphere through biological, chemical, and physical processes. These changes can be accelerated through changes in land ...
, people commonly have economic benefits from these exclosures through grass harvesting, beekeeping and other
non-timber forest product Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are useful foods, substances, materials and/or commodities obtained from forests other than timber. Harvest ranges from wild collection to farming. They typically include game animals, fur-bearers, nuts, see ...
s. The local inhabitants also consider it as "land set aside for future generations". In
Dogu'a Tembien Dogu'a Tembien (, "Upper Tembien", sometimes transliterated as Degua Tembien) is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is named in part after the former province of Tembien. Nowadays, the mountainous district is part of the Southeastern Tigray ...
, several exclosures are managed by the
EthioTrees The EthioTrees Ecosystem Restoration Association, in short EthioTrees, established in 2016, is a project for environmental rehabilitation and woodland restoration in Dogu’a Tembien (Ethiopia). Context Since many years, there has been severe ...
project. They have as an additional benefit that the villagers receive
carbon credit A carbon credit is a generic term for any tradable certificate or permit representing the right to emit a set amount of carbon dioxide or the equivalent amount of a different greenhouse gas (tCO2e). Carbon credits and carbon markets are a compo ...
s for the sequestered CO2, as part of a
carbon offset A carbon offset is a reduction or removal of emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. Offsets are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e). One ton of carb ...
programme.EthioTrees on Plan Vivo website
/ref> The revenues are then reinvested in the villages, according to the priorities of the communities;EthioTrees on Davines website
/ref> it may be for an additional class in the village school, a water pond, conservation in the exclosures, or a store for
incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also b ...
.


Livestock

The CSA estimated in 2005 that farmers in Tigray had a total of 2,713,750 cattle (representing 7.0% of Ethiopia's total cattle), 72,640 sheep (0.42%), 208,970 goats (1.61%), 1,200 horses (less than 0.1%), 9,190 mules (6.24%), 386,600 asses (15.43%), 32,650 camels (7.15%), 3,180,240 poultry of all species (10.3%), and 20,480 beehives (0.47%). Cattle are an essential component in the dominant grain-plough agricultural system. In the rainy season, a large part of the cattle herds are in
transhumance Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower vall ...
. Mainly used for draught, there are several cattle landraces in Tigray: *
Arado cattle The red and black coated Arado cattle are small and hardy. They are the most common cattle variety in the north Ethiopian highlands. The Arado breed is part of the Zenga breed group. It is essentially reared for draught power, particularly tillag ...
, the dominant variety * Raya cattle, long horned, especially raised in Southern Tigray and traded widely as plough oxen *
Irob cattle Irob (ኢሮብ) may refer to: *Irob people, an ethnic group of Ethiopia *Irob (woreda), a district in Ethiopia named after the people *Rob (TV series) ''Rob'' (stylized as ''¡Rob!'') is an American sitcom television series that premiered on C ...
, particularly in the Irob woreda *
Abergele cattle The Abergele cattle are the smallest breed of cattle in north Ethiopia. They are reared in the Abergele lowlands and at the southwestern lower slopes of Dogu'a Tembien district. Abergele cattle are part of the Zenga breed group. The Abergele br ...
, particularly in Abergele (woreda) and on the southwestern slopes of Dogu’a Tembien *
Begayt cattle Begayt is an Ethiopian breed of cattle. Currently there are ongoing cross-breeding programmes with Arado cattle, in an attempt to increase the milk production of the latter. Origin of the cattle breed Ethiopia has been at a crossroads for cattl ...
, in
western Tigray The Western Zone () is a zone in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is subdivided into three woredas (districts); from north to south they are Kafta Humera, Welkait and Tsegede. The largest town is Humera. The Western Zone is bordered on the east ...
. They are known for better milk production * In small towns: Cross-bred Arado x Begayt, and Arado x
Holstein-Friesian Holstein Friesians (often shortened to Holsteins in North America, while the term Friesians is often used in the UK and Ireland) are a breed of dairy cattle that originated in the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and Schleswig-Hols ...
milk cows


Landmarks

A distinctive feature of Tigray are its rock-hewn churches. Similar in design to those of
Lalibela Lalibela ( am, ላሊበላ) is a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Lasta district and North Wollo Zone, it is a tourist site for its famous rock-cut monolithic churches. The whole of Lalibela is a large and important si ...
in the
Amhara Region The Amhara Region ( am, አማራ ክልል, Åmara Kilil), officially the Amhara National Regional State (), is a regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara people. Its capital is Bahir Dar which is the seat of the Reg ...
, these churches are found in four or five clusters – Gheralta, Teka-Tesfay,
Atsbi Atsbi ( Ge'ez: ኣጽቢ) (officially known as Atsbi Endaselase Ge'ez: ኣጽቢ እንዳስላሴ ) is a town in Tigray, Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone of the Tigray Region, about 50 kilometers northeast of Qwiha, this town ...
and Tembien – with Wukro sometimes included. Some of the churches are considered earlier than those of Lalibela, perhaps dating from the eighth century. Mostly
monolithic A monolith is a monument or natural feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock. Monolith or monolithic may also refer to: Architecture * Monolithic architecture, a style of construction in which a building is carved, cast or excavated ...
, with designs partly inspired by
classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect V ...
, they are often located at the top of
cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...
s or steep hills, for security. For example, Tigray's ancient
Debre Damo Debre Damo (), also spelled Debre Dammo, Dabra Dāmmo or Däbrä Dammo), is the name of a flat-topped mountain, or amba, and a 6th-century monastery in Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The mountain is a steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, abou ...
monastery is accessible only by climbing a rope 25 metres up a sheer cliff. Looting has become a major issue in the Tigray Region, as archaeological sites have become sources for construction materials and ancient artifacts used for everyday purposes by local populations. The area is famous for a single rock sculptured 23 meter long obelisk in Axum as well as for other fallen obelisks. The Axum treasure site of ancient Tigrayan history is a major landmark.
Yeha Yeha ( gez, ይሐ ''yiḥa'', older ESA 𐩥𐩢 ''ḤW''; Old South Arabian: 𐩺𐩢𐩱 ''Yḥʾ'') is a town in the Maekelay Zone of the northern Tigray Region in Ethiopia. It likely served as the capital of the pre-Aksumite kingdom of D'm ...
is another important local landmark that is little-known outside the region.


Transport


Ground travel

A major north–south road corridor goes through Tigray. This is facilitated by Highway 2 which goes from Adigrat to Addis Ababa and Highway 3 which goes from Shire to Addis Ababa.


Air travel

Tigray has one international airport and four commercial airports. The international airport is
Alula Aba Nega Airport Alula Aba Nega Airport , also known as Mekelle Airport, is an airport serving Mekelle, the capital city of the Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia. The airport is located southeast of the city. History This airport was built in the late 1990s ...
(MQX) near Mekelle. The region's four other commercial airports are
Shire Airport Shire Airport, also known as Shire Inda Selassie Airport or Indaselassie Airport, is an airport serving Shire, a city in the Tigray National Regional State of Ethiopia. The airport is just south of the city. Shire Airport was constructed by Eth ...
(SHC),
Humera Airport Humera Airport is an airport serving Humera, a town in the northwestern Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The name of the city and airport may also be transliterated as Himera or Himora. Humera Airport is located at , which is southeast of Humera () ...
(HUE),
Dansha Airport Dansha Airport is an airport serving Dansha, a town in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The airport is northwest of the town. See also * * *Transport in Ethiopia *List of airports in Ethiopia This is a list of airports in Ethiopia, grouped by ...
, and Emperor Yohannes IV Airport (AXU), which serves Axum.


Sports

Mekelle 70 Enderta F.C. (Tigrinya: ጋንታ መቐለ 70 እንደርታ) is an Ethiopian football club based in the capital, Mekelle. They are a member of the Ethiopian Football Federation and currently play in the top division of Ethiopian football, the Ethiopian Premier League. They are known by the nickname the ''Lion of Judah'' (ምዓም ኣንበሳ /ምዓም አናብስት/ኣናብስቶቹ). The club won its first Ethiopian Premier League title in the 2018–2019 Ethiopian Premier League Season. Shire Indasillasie F.C. (Tigrinya: ጋንታ ስሑል ሽረ, also known as Sihul Shire FC) is an Ethiopian football club based in
Shire Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...
. They are a member of the Ethiopian Football Federation and play in the Ethiopian Premier League, the first division of football in Ethiopia. Mekele City, Suhul Shire, and Adigrat University football clubs were Tigray-based clubs among the 14 clubs to participate in the Ethiopian Premier League in 2020/2021. However, due to the war, they were replaced by other clubs from the League one rank below the Ethiopian Premier League. Tigrayans are known for their good performance in circus and road cycling. For many years cyclists from this region have been dominant in Ethiopian cycle championships. Tsgabu Gebremaryam Grmay is one of the best Ethiopian cyclists and the first Ethiopian to participate in the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
.


Education

At the regional level, the Tigray Education Bureau governs primary and secondary educational institutions. At the municipal level, there are approximately 300 school districts region-wide.


Colleges and universities

*
Adigrat University Adigrat University ( ti, ዓዲግራት ዩኒቨርሲቲ) is a residential national university in Adigrat, Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is approximately north of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Ministry of Education admits qualified students to Adi ...
* Axum University * Adwa Pan-African University * Ethio-lmage College * Greenwich College * Hashenge College * Mars Engineering College *
Mekelle University Mekelle University ( ti, መቐለ ዩኒቨርሲቲ) is a higher education and training public institution located in Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, 783 kilometers north of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. Mekelle University is one of the lar ...
*
Mekelle Institute of Technology Mekelle Institute of Technology (MIT) is an educational institute created in Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia, in 2002,Gregorian 2002 mostly overlaps with 1995 E.C. aiming to teach and do research in engineering, science and ...
* New Millennium College * Nile College *
Raya University Raya University is located at Maychew, Maichew, Tigray at a distance of 668 km north of Addis Ababa along Ethiopian Highway 2 or 130 km south of Mekelle city. History Raya University was established by the Government of Ethiopia (Coun ...
* Sehba Info Tech & Business College * Signal College * St. Mary's University College * Winner college Axum


Libraries

Tigray is home to Ethiopia's most extensive church libraries that are found in the eastern and central zones of the region. There are several ongoing digitization projects to preserve previous historical texts. * Axum Heritage Foundation * Romanat Qeddus Mika'el Church * Gunda Gunde Monastery * Agwaza Monastery * Debre Damo Monastery


Non-governmental organisations

Major NGOs, involved in development activities are: *
Relief Society of Tigray The Relief Society of Tigray (abbreviated REST; ti, ማሕበራዊ ረዲኤት ትግራይ or ማረት, ''Maret'') is an NGO based in Tigray, northern Ethiopia. REST was founded in 1978 as an organisation providing relief efforts to ci ...
*
Tigrai Development Association The Tigray Region, officially the Tigray National Regional State, is the northernmost regional state in Ethiopia. The Tigray Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob, and Kunama people. Its capital and largest city is Mekelle. Tigray i ...

Tegaru Disaster Relief Fund (TDRF)


Notes


References


External links


Tigray Region Web Portal

Tigray Revenue Development Authority





Map of Tigray Region at DPPA of Ethiopia

Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigray website


* ttp://www.ethiopiantreasures.co.uk/pages/mekele.htm Ethiopian Treasures – Emperor Yohannes IV Castle – Mekele
Future Observatory
– Dam Building in Tigray by David Mercer
"Tigrayans want end to border row"
by Elizabeth Blunt, ''BBC News'', 20 December 2007
Tigray: Then and Now
– the son of Mohamed Amin covers sustainable agriculture in Tigray following the Horn of Africa drought in 2011. {{Authority control Regions of Ethiopia