Global InformationTigray Region information
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2022) |
Tigray Region
ክልል ትግራይ | |
|---|---|
Regional state | |
| Tigray National Regional State | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: The birthplace of Ethiopian civilization | |
| Motto(s): "ዘይንድይቦ ጎቦ" "There are no mountains we would not climb" | |
 Map of Ethiopia showing Tigray Region | |
| Coordinates: 13°34′30″N 39°05′15″E / 13.57500°N 39.08750°E | |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Capital | Mekelle |
| Government | |
| • Chief Administrator | Getachew Reda Kahsay |
| Area [1] | |
| • Total | 50,079 km2 (19,336 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 6th |
| Population (2019)[2] | |
| • Total | 5,443,000 |
| • Rank | 5th |
| • Density | 110/km2 (280/sq mi) |
| Demographics | |
| • Official language | Tigrinya |
| • Other languages | Saho, Kunama, Xamtanga (Agaw), Amharic, Oromo |
| • Demonym | Tigrayan |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| ISO 3166 code | ET-TI |
| HDI (2021) | 0.522 [3] low · 5th of 11 |
| Website | www |
The Tigray Region,[A] officially the Tigray National Regional State,[B] 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 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, similar to that spoken in Eritrea just to the North. The estimated population as of 2019 is 5,443,000.[4] 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 and central 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.[5] 96% of Tigrayans are Orthodox Christian.
Tigray is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, the Amhara Region to the south and the Afar Region to the east.[6] Towns in Tigray include: Mekelle, Adigrat, Axum, Shire, Adwa, Enticho, Addi Remets, Wukro, Sheraro, Abiy Addi, Atsbi, Hawzen, Adi Gudom, Mai Tsebri, and Zalambessa.
The government of Tigray consists of the executive branch, led by the president, Getachew Reda; the legislative branch, which comprises the state council; and the judicial branch, which is led by the state supreme court. In early November 2020, a conflict between the Tigray Region, involving the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian federal government began, in which Eritrea took part on the side of the federal government,[7] rapidly escalating into the Tigray War, destabilizing the region,[8] and exposing a well-organized campaign to wipe out the region of ethnic Tigrayans.[9] As many as 600,000 people were killed as a result of the war.[10][11][12] As of 2023, the region is run by the Interim Regional Administration of Tigray.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
2006_statswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ SITUATION ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN AND WOMEN: Tigray Region (PDF) (Report). 1 December 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ SITUATION ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN AND WOMEN: Tigray Region (PDF) (Report). 1 December 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ Mellse, Merhawit (31 July 2021). "Tigray in History: A Pioneer of Religious Coexistence". Omna Tigray. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ Eritrea and Ethiopia (Map). 1:5,000,000. Central Intelligence Agency. 2009. Map #803395. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
- ^ "Eritrean forces killed 100s of civilians in Tigray 'rampage': HRW". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- ^ "Tigray crisis: Ethiopia orders military response after army base seized". BBC News. 4 November 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- ^ "Ethiopian leaders said they would 'wipe out' Tigrayans: EU envoy". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ York, Geoffrey (21 October 2022). "Surge of dehumanizing hate speech points to mounting risk of mass atrocities in northern Ethiopia, experts say". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ Volodzko, David (10 May 2022). "There's Genocide in Tigray, but Nobody's Talking About it". ISSN 0027-8378. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ Ochab, Dr Ewelina U. "Heightened Risk Of Genocide Against Tigrayans In Ethiopia". Forbes. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
Cite error: There are <ref group=upper-alpha> tags or {{efn-ua}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=upper-alpha}} template or {{notelist-ua}} template (see the help page).