Mi'irabawi Zone

Mi'irabawi (or "Western") is one of four Zones in the Ethiopian Tigray Region. Mi'irabawi is bordered on the east by the Mehakelegnaw (Central) Zone, the south by the Amhara Region, the west by Sudan and on the north by Eritrea. Major towns and cities in this zone include Badme, Dima, Humera and Inda Selassie.

Demographics

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this zone has an estimated total population of 1,003,796, of whom 507,070 were males and 496,726 were females; 147,424 or 14.7% of its population are urban dwellers. With an estimated area of 24,708.84 square kilometers, Mi'irabawi has an estimated population density of 40.62 people per square kilometer.^[1]

The 1994 national census reported a total population of 733,962, of whom 371,198 were males and 362,764 females; 84,560 or 11.5% of its population were urban dwellers. The inhabitants of the Zone were predominantly Tigrayan, at 91.5% of the population, while 4.3% were Amhara, 3.5% foreign residents from Eritrea, and 0.2% Kunama; all other ethnic groups accounted for 0.5% of the population. Tigrinya was spoken as a first language by 94.45% of the inhabitants, and Amharic by 4.85%; the remaining 0.7% spoke all other primary languages reported. 96.28% of the population said they were Orthodox Christians, and 3.51% were Muslim. Concerning education in the Zone, 9.01% of the population were considered literate; 11.34% of children aged 7-12 were in primary school, while 0.65% of the children aged 13-14 were in junior secondary school, and 0.51% of children aged 15-18 were in senior secondary school. Concerning sanitary conditions, about 63% of the urban houses and 18% of all houses had access to safe drinking water at the time of the census; about 19% of the urban and 5% of the total had toilet facilities.^[2]

According to a 24 May 2004 World Bank memorandum, 6% of the inhabitants of Mi'irabawi Zone have access to electricity, and this zone has a road density of 23.3 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. Rural households have an average of 1 hectare of land (compared to the national average of 1.01 and a regional average of 0.51)^[3] and an average 1.3 head of livestock. 19.9% of the population is in non-farm related jobs, compared to the national average of 25% and a regional average of 28%. Of all eligible children, 55% are enrolled in primary school, and 16% in secondary schools. 100% of the zone is exposed to malaria, and 0% to Tsetse fly. The memorandum gave this zone a drought risk rating of 533.^[4]

Notes

1. ^ CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.3
2. ^ The 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Tigray Region, vol. 1, part 1: Tables 2.1, 2.11, 2.19, 3.5, 3.7, 6.3, 6.11, 6.13
3. ^ Comparative national and regional figures from the World Bank publication, Klaus Deininger et al. "Tenure Security and Land Related Investment", WP-2991 (accessed 23 March 2006).
4. ^ World Bank, Four Ethiopias: A Regional Characterization (accessed 23 March 2006).

Coordinates: 13°45′N 37°00′E / 13.75°N 37°E / 13.75; 37