The North Western Zone (Tigrinya: ዞባ ሰሜን ምዕራብ, Zoba Semien Mi’irab) is one of the six zones of Ethiopia’s Tigray Region. Shire Inda Selassie is its largest town and administrative centre, and the zone covered 10,325.11 km² and 736,805 people at the 2007 census. It was split off from the Western Zone in 2005 and runs from the Eritrean border south to the Tekeze river.
| Region | Tigray |
|---|---|
| Administrative centre | Shire Inda Selassie |
| Area | 10,325.11 km2 |
| Population (2007 census) | 736,805 |
| Urban share (2007) | 14.66% |
| Created | 2005, from the Western Zone |
Woredas (Districts)
The zone has six rural woredas plus the town woredas of Shire and Sheraro. Figures are the 2007 census and the 2022 CSA projection. The projections were calculated before the 2020–22 war and take no account of wartime deaths or displacement.
| Woreda | 2007 census | 2022 projection |
|---|---|---|
| Tselemti | 138,858 | 166,395 |
| Asgede Tsimbla | 135,621 | 164,146 |
| Medebay Zana | 125,028 | 152,500 |
| La’ilay Adiyabo | 113,836 | 137,322 |
| Tahtay Adiyabo | 90,144 | 108,743 |
| Tahtay Koraro | 68,989 | 78,483 |
The six woredas are projected at roughly 808,000 for 2022. Asgede Tsimbla has since been split into separate Asgede and Tsimbla districts in the woreda reorganisation Tigray carried out between 2018 and 2020, which is why some lists show seven or more units.
Major Towns
| Town | 2007 census | 2022 projection |
|---|---|---|
| Shire Inda Selassie | 47,284 | 100,079 |
| Sheraro | 17,045 | 36,127 |
| Inda Aba Guna | — | 21,400 (est.) |
Selekleka, on the road between Shire and Axum, Adi Daero in Asgede Tsimbla, May Tsebri in Tselemti and Dedebit in Tahtay Adiyabo are the other established centres. No separate CSA town figures are published for them.
Geography
The zone sits on the western shoulder of the Tigrayan plateau. Shire and Selekleka lie on open plain at around 1,900 metres, good grain country. West of Sheraro the land steps down into the Adiyabo lowlands, hot dry acacia country below 1,000 metres. To the south Tselemti falls away into the Tekeze gorge, which forms the boundary with the Amhara Region.
Badme, a small settlement in Tahtay Adiyabo on the Eritrean frontier, was the flashpoint of the 1998–2000 Ethiopia–Eritrea war. The Boundary Commission awarded it to Eritrea in 2002; it stayed under Ethiopian administration, and the 2018 rapprochement between the two governments did not produce a completed demarcation on the ground.
The zone borders Eritrea to the north, the Central Zone to the east, the Western Zone to the west, and the Amhara Region to the south.
Administrative Situation
Ethiopia’s House of Federation ruled that federal elections in the Tselemti constituency, along with several others in Tigray, be conducted outside the Tigray Regional State’s administrative authority until the boundary dispute between the Tigray and Amhara regional governments is resolved. The Tigray interim administration has contested that decision. This is a live dispute and should be re-checked against current reporting.
Demographics
At the 2007 census the zone had 736,805 residents, 368,254 men and 368,551 women, with 107,999 people or 14.66% living in towns. Tigrayans made up 96.81% of the population and Amhara 1.58%. Tigrinya was the first language of 95.6% and Amharic of 2.8%. Orthodox Christians were 96.76% and Muslims 3.04%.
The 2022 CSA projections are pre-war estimates. Shire became one of the largest concentrations of displaced people in northern Ethiopia during and after the 2020–22 conflict, taking in tens of thousands from the Western Zone and the border woredas, and much of that displacement has not been reversed. No census has been taken since 2007, so the zone’s current population is not reliably known.
Economy & Local Life
The plateau woredas grow teff, sorghum, barley, wheat and finger millet on rain-fed plots, with faba beans and lentils in rotation. The western lowlands in Tahtay Adiyabo and Asgede Tsimbla grow sesame, cotton and sorghum on larger holdings, and draw seasonal harvest labour like the neighbouring Western Zone. Cattle, sheep, goats and camels are kept, camels mainly in the hot west.
Shire is the commercial hub, with a large market, a university campus and the road junction that connects Axum, Humera and the Amhara Region. Gold and other minerals are worked at small scale in the Adiyabo lowlands. Sheraro sits close to the Eritrean border and its trade has risen and fallen with the opening and closing of that frontier.
Getting There
Shire is about 60 km west of Axum on asphalt, roughly 300 km from Mekelle via Adwa and Axum, and around 1,050 km from Addis Ababa. The road west from Shire continues through Sheraro toward Humera; the road south crosses the Tekeze into the Amhara Region and on toward Gondar. Shire Inda Selassie Airport lies about 12 km from the town; check current schedules before travelling, as flights to Tigray were suspended during the war and resumed in stages.
FAQ
Where is the North Western Zone of Tigray?
In northern Ethiopia, in the north-west of the Tigray Region, between the Eritrean border and the Tekeze river.
What is the capital of the North Western Zone?
Shire Inda Selassie, the zone’s largest town and administrative centre.
How many woredas are in the North Western Zone?
Six rural woredas plus the town woredas of Shire and Sheraro. Asgede Tsimbla has since been split, so newer lists show more.
What language is spoken in the North Western Zone?
Tigrinya, the first language of 95.6% at the 2007 census, with Amharic at 2.8%.
What is the population of the North Western Zone?
736,805 at the 2007 census. CSA projections for 2022 reach about 808,000 but predate the war and its displacement.
When was the North Western Zone created?
In 2005, when it was separated from the Western Zone.