Afar Region
Afar Region
ዓፋር ክልል Qafar Rakaakayak | ||
---|---|---|
Chief Administrator Awol Arba | | |
Area | ||
• Total | 72,053 km2 (27,820 sq mi) | |
• Rank | 4th | |
[1] | ||
Population (2017) | ||
• Total | 1,152,300[2] | |
• Rank | 8th | |
ISO 3166 code | ET-AF | |
HDI (2021) | 0.440[3] low · 11th of 11 |
The Afar Region (
The Afar Triangle, the northern part of which is the Danakil Depression, is part of the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia, and is located in the north of the region. It has the lowest point in Ethiopia and one of the lowest in Africa. The southern part of the region consists of the valley of the Awash River, which empties into a string of lakes along the Djibouti – Ethiopia border. Other notable landmarks include the Awash National Park.
Demographics
Based on the 2017 projections by the
Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the
Ethnic Group | 2007 Census[5] | 1994 Census[6] |
---|---|---|
Afar | 90.03% | 91.8% |
Somali
|
5.22% | 4.5% |
Argobba | 1.55% | 0.9% |
Tigrayan | 1.15% | 0.8% |
Amhara
|
0.61% | 0.8% |
Welayta | 0.59% | 0.5% |
Hadiya | 0.18% | 0.2% |
Religion | 2007 Census[5] | 1994 Census[6] |
---|---|---|
Muslim | 96% | 95.6% |
Christian | 4.7% | 4.4% |
Orthodox | 3.86% | 3.9% |
P'ent'ay | 0.43% | 0.4% |
Catholics | 0.09% | 0.1% |
In the previous census, conducted in 1994, the region's population was reported to be 1,106,383 of which 626,839 were men and 479,544 women; urban inhabitants were 85,879 or 7.76% of the population.
(0.4%).According to the CSA, as of 2004[update], 48.57% of the total population had access to
Land features
In 2005, a giant
Environment
The
Afar is home to peculiar wildlife, which notably include the
Agriculture
The CSA estimated in 2005 that farmers in the Afar Regional State had a total of 327,370 cattle (representing 0.84% of Ethiopia's total cattle), 196,390 sheep (1.13%), 483,780 goats (3.73%), 200 mules (0.14%), 12,270 asses (0.49%), 99,830 camels (21.85%), 38,320 poultry of all species (0.12%), and 810 beehives (less than 0.1%). The CSA estimated on the basis of a survey performed in December 2003 that nomadic inhabitants had 1,990,850 cattle (an 83.8% share of those animals in the region that year), 2,303,250 sheep (90.6%), 3,960,510 goats (90%), 759,750 camels (85.9%), 175,180 asses (92.5%), 2960 mules (88.6%), and 900 horses (100%).[13]
Regional instability
As of 2012[update], the area has been increasingly unstable, as tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea remain high after the Eritrean – Ethiopian War of 1998 to 2000. On January 18, 2012, five foreign tourists were murdered while on holiday in the region.[14] The Ethiopian government has accused Eritrean gunmen of being responsible for the attack. Many governments around the world advise against traveling to the Afar region, citing increasing security concerns.
Fossil finds
led digs there each year from 2004 to 2007.On March 24, 2006, it was reported that a "significantly complete"
On October 1, 2009, scientists reported that they had found a skeleton, which dates around 4.4 million years ago. Named Ardi, it is a form of the species Ardipithecus ramidus. The specimen is a distant cousin of the Australopithecus afarensis, Lucy's species.
In June 2010, the oldest direct evidence of stone tool manufacture was found in the Afar region and attributed to Australopithecus afarensis.[16][17]
In 2013, a graduate student from the Arizona State University discovered a hominid jawbone in the Ledi-Geraru region of Afar. Scientists estimated that the fossil dates back around 2.8 million years ago, which is 400,000 years before the next oldest hominid fossil remains.[18]
In 2015, a hominin jawbone and teeth was discovered in the Afar region. Scientists believe that the bones belonged to a previously undiscovered ancestor. The new species was named "Australopithecus deyiremeda", meaning "close relative" in the native Afar language. The species lived around 3.5 – 3.3 million years ago, about the same time period as other hominins such as Australopithecus afarensis.[19]
List of Chief Administrator of the Afar Region
- Habib Alimirah (ALF) 1991? – 1995
- Hanfare Alimirah (ALF) September 1995 – Mar 1996
- Ismaqil Qali Siro (APDO/ANDP) March 1996 – September 2015
- Awol Arba Unde (acting) September 2015 – November 2015
- Seyoum Awol (ANDP) 16 November 2015 – 16 December 2018
- Awol Arba Unde (ANDP) 17 December 2018 – present
(This list is based on information from Worldstatesmen.org.)
Administrative zones
Like other regions in Ethiopia, Afar Region is subdivided into six administrative zones (and one special
- Awsi Rasu
- Kilbati Rasu
- Gabi Rasu
- Fanti Rasu
- Hari Rasu
- Mahi Rasu
- Argobba (special woreda)
See also
Notes and references
- ^ "2011 National Statistics". Archived from the original on March 30, 2013.
- ^ a b Population Projection of Ethiopia for All Regions At Wereda Level from 2014 – 2017. Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Central Statistical Agency. Archived from the original on 6 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ^ Eight rural kebeles in Elidar Wereda bordering Eritrea were omitted by the census.
- ^ a b " Census 2007 Tables: Afar Region" Archived November 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Tables 2.1, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2, 3.4
- ^ a b 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia Results for Affar Region: Vol. 2 Analytical Report Archived January 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Tables 2.13, 2.18 (accessed 29 December 2008) The 1994 national census was collected in the Afar Region on 22 July 1996.
- ^ "Afar region catalog". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
- ^ "Households by sources of drinking water, safe water sources" Archived March 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine CSA Selected Basic Welfare Indicators (accessed 21 January 2009)
- ^ Macro International Inc. "2008. Ethiopia Atlas of Key Demographic and Health Indicators, 2005." (Calverton: Macro International, 2008), pp. 2, 3, 10 (accessed 28 January 2009)
- Walta Information Center)
- ^ Giant Crack In Africa, New Scientist, November 4, 2009
- ^ "Newscientist.com". Archived from the original on 2017-06-23. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
- ^ 2003 is the latest year available for statistics on nomadic inhabitants. "CSA 2005 National Statistics" Archived November 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Tables D.4 - D.7.
- ^ "Tourists die in Ethiopia attack". BBC News. 2012-01-18.
- ^ Stone Age Institute, Press Release on a New Hominid Cranium from Gona, Afar, Ethiopia Archived April 23, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, released March 24, 2006
- S2CID 4356816.
- ^ Der Tagesspiegel 11.08.2010 - Urmenschen: Die ersten Schlachter
- ^ "Student finds 2.8 million-year-old human genus jawbone in Ethiopia". New York Daily News.
- ^ Morelle, Rebecca (2015-05-28). "'New species' of ancient human found". BBC News.