The Southern Zone (Tigrinya: ዞባ ደቡብ, Zoba Debub) is one of the six zones of Ethiopia’s Tigray Region. Maychew is its largest town, and the zone covered 18,670.45 km² and 1,006,504 people at the 2007 census. It carries the main highway between Addis Ababa and Mekelle, and takes in both the cold highlands around Lake Hashenge and the hot Raya valley floor.
| Region | Tigray |
|---|---|
| Largest town | Maychew |
| Area | 18,670.45 km2 |
| Population (2007 census) | 1,006,504 |
| Urban share (2007) | 12.5% |
| Highest point | Ferrah Amba, 3,954 m |
Woredas (Districts)
The zone has five rural woredas plus the town woredas of Maychew and Korem. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Raya Azebo | 135,870 | 170,319 |
| Ofla | 126,889 | 144,369 |
| Alaje | 107,972 | 130,287 |
| Alamata (rural) | 85,403 | 101,627 |
| Endamekoni | 84,739 | 99,307 |
The five rural woredas are projected at roughly 646,000 for 2022. Tigray subdivided its woredas between 2018 and 2020, so several of these units have since been split into smaller districts.
Major Towns
| Town | 2007 census | 2022 projection |
|---|---|---|
| Alamata | 33,214 | 70,441 |
| Maychew | 23,419 | 49,603 |
| Korem | 16,856 | 35,629 |
Mehoni, the seat of Raya Azebo, and Chercher and Waja on the valley road are the other established centres. No separate CSA town figures are published for them.
Geography
The Southern Zone is split by the edge of the Ethiopian rift. The western half is high plateau: Ofla, Endamekoni and Alaje sit between 2,400 and 3,000 metres, and Ferrah Amba reaches 3,954 metres, the highest point in the zone. Lake Hashenge, a small crater lake, lies near Korem at about 2,400 metres. East of the escarpment the land drops into the Raya valley, a flat rift-floor plain around 1,500 metres that is markedly hotter and drier, and holds Raya Azebo and lower Alamata.
The zone borders the South Eastern Zone to the north, the Afar Region to the east, and the Amhara Region to the south and west.
Administrative Situation
Parts of the Southern Zone are among the areas whose administration remains unresolved after the 2020–22 war. The Raya Alamata area was placed under federal security administration following the Pretoria agreement of November 2022, and Tigray regional forces moved back into it in July 2025. In a separate decision, Ethiopia’s House of Federation ruled that federal elections in the Korem–Ofla and Raya Alamata constituencies be run outside the Tigray Regional State’s administrative authority until the dispute between the Tigray and Amhara regional governments is settled. The Tigray interim administration has contested that ruling. Arrangements here are changing, and the position described is as understood at the time of writing.
Demographics
At the 2007 census the zone had 1,006,504 residents, 497,280 men and 509,224 women, with 125,787 or 12.5% in towns. Tigrayans made up 95.36% and Amhara 2.7%. Tigrinya was the first language of 92.49%, Amharic of 5.58% and Xamtanga of 1.01%. Orthodox Christians were 92.15% and Muslims 7.79% — the Muslim share, concentrated in the Raya valley, is the highest of any Tigray zone.
The 2022 CSA projections are pre-war estimates. The war and the later disputes over Raya displaced substantial numbers of people, and no census has been taken since 2007, so no reliable current count exists.
Economy & Local Life
The highlands grow barley, wheat, faba beans and teff; the Raya valley grows teff, sorghum, maize and, on irrigated plots fed by shallow groundwater, vegetables and fruit. Raya is one of Tigray’s better grain-surplus areas in a good season. Cattle, sheep and goats are kept everywhere, and beles — prickly pear cactus fruit — is a genuine seasonal food staple across the drier slopes, not just a hedge crop.
Maychew is the administrative and trading centre and a university town. Alamata sits at the southern gateway to Tigray and functions as a grain and livestock market. Korem was widely reported on during the 1984–85 famine, when it held one of the largest relief camps in the country.
Getting There
The zone is the easiest part of Tigray to reach by road from the south. The asphalt highway from Addis Ababa enters Tigray at Alamata, climbs the escarpment through Korem and Maychew, and runs on to Mekelle. Alamata is roughly 600 km from Addis Ababa and about 180 km south of Mekelle; Maychew is about 120 km south of Mekelle. Buses run the route daily. The nearest airport is Alula Aba Nega Airport at Mekelle; check current schedules before travelling, as flights to Tigray were suspended during the war and resumed in stages.
FAQ
Where is the Southern Zone of Tigray?
In northern Ethiopia, at the southern end of the Tigray Region, on the border with the Amhara and Afar regions.
What is the capital of the Southern Zone?
Maychew is the zone’s largest town and administrative centre. Alamata is the largest town by projected population.
How many woredas are in the Southern Zone?
Five rural woredas plus the town woredas of Maychew and Korem. The count has changed since Tigray subdivided its districts from 2018.
What language is spoken in the Southern Zone?
Tigrinya, spoken by 92.49% at the 2007 census, with Amharic at 5.58% and Xamtanga at 1.01%.
What is the population of the Southern Zone?
1,006,504 at the 2007 census. CSA projections for 2022 are higher but predate the war and its displacement.
Is Raya Alamata part of Tigray?
Its administration is disputed between the Tigray and Amhara regional governments and has not been settled. Federal forces administered the area after 2022; Tigray regional forces re-entered in July 2025.