Tigray Region
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 is the fifth-largest by area, the fifth-most populous, and the fifth-most densely populated of the 11 regional states. 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. Towns in Tigray include: Mekelle, Adigrat, Axum, Shire, Adwa, Enticho, Addi Remets, Wukro, Sheraro, Abiy Addi, Atsbi, Hawzen, Adi Gudom, Mai Tsebri, and Zalambessa. 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. 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. Although the percentage of Muslims in Tigray is less than 5%, it has supposedly been historically Islam’s doorway to the region and to Africa at large. 96% of Tigrayans are Orthodox