Alaje
Encyclopedia
Alaje is one of the 36 woreda
s in the Tigray Region
of Ethiopia
. Part of the Debubawi Zone
, Alaje is bordered on the south by Endamehoni
, on the west by the Amhara Region
, on the northwest by Samre
, on the northeast by Hintalo Wajirat
, and on the east by Raya Azebo
. The administrative center of this woreda is Adi Shehu; other towns in Alaje include Chelena and Dela.
The highest point in this woreda, as well as the Debubawi Zone, is Mount Amba Alagi
, one of the southernmost peaks of the Wajirat Mountains. This prominence was the scene of several battles. One
was a significant defeat of the Italians during the First Italo–Ethiopian War. A later battle was one of the last actions of the East African Campaign
, and ended with the capture of the Duke of Aosta
, the governor of Italian East Africa
, as well as one of the last Italian strongholds.
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 107,972, an increase of 29.01% over the 1994 census, of whom 52,844 are men and 55,128 women; 7,568 or 7.01% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 1,677.94 square kilometers, Alaje has a population density of 64.35, which is greater than the Zone average of 53.91 persons per square kilometer. A total of 24,784 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.36 persons to a household, and 23,952 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 83,692, of whom 40,766 were men and 42,926 were women; 6,302 or 7.53% of its population were urban dwellers. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Alaje were the Tigrayan
(98.18%), and the Agaw
Kamyr (1.4%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.42% of the population. Tigrinya
was spoken as a first language by 98.78%, and 0.96% spoke Kamyr; the remaining 0.26% spoke all other primary languages reported. 99.5% of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. Concerning education
, 10.46% of the population were considered literate, which is less than the Zone average of 15.71%; 13.46% of children aged 7-12 were in primary school; 0.96% of the children aged 13-14 were in junior secondary school; 0.55% of the inhabitants aged 15-18 were in senior secondary school. Concerning sanitary conditions
, about 23% of the urban houses and 13% of all houses had access to safe drinking water at the time of the census; about 14% of the urban and 4% of the total had toilet facilities.
, and 3.59% was devoted to other uses. For the land under cultivation in this woreda, 65.39% was planted in cereals, 24.94% in pulses, and 51 hectares in oilseeds; the area planted in vegetables is missing. The area planted in fruit trees was 57 hectares, while 32 were planted in gesho. 65.36% of the farmers both raised crops and livestock, while 33.63% only grew crops and 1.0% only raised livestock. Land tenure in this woreda is distributed amongst 86.43% owning their land, and 10.73% renting; the number held in other forms of tenure is missing.
Woreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
s in the Tigray Region
Tigray Region
Tigray Region is the northernmost of the nine ethnic regions of Ethiopia containing the homeland of the Tigray people. It was formerly known as Region 1...
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Part of the Debubawi Zone
Debubawi Zone
Debubawi is one of five Zones in the Ethiopian Region of Tigray. Debubawi is bordered on the south and west by the Amhara Region, on the northwest by Mehakelegnaw , the north by Misraqawi and on the east by the Afar Region...
, Alaje is bordered on the south by Endamehoni
Endamehoni
Endamehoni is one of the 36 woredas in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debubawi Zone, Endamehoni is bordered on the south by Ofla, on the west by the Amhara Region, on the north by Alaje, and on the east by Raya Azebo...
, on the west by the Amhara Region
Amhara Region
Amhara is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, containing the homeland of the Amhara people. Previously known as Region 3, its capital is Bahir Dar....
, on the northwest by Samre
Samre (woreda)
Samre or Saharti Samre is one of the 36 woredas in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debubawi Zone, Samre is bordered on the south by the Amhara Region, on the west and north by the Mehakelegnaw Zone, on the northeast by Enderta, on the east by Hintalo Wajirat, and on the southeast by...
, on the northeast by Hintalo Wajirat
Hintalo Wajirat
Hintalo Wajirat is one of the 36 woredas in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is named after its largest town, Hintalo, and the Wajirat Mountains in the southern part of the woreda...
, and on the east by Raya Azebo
Raya Azebo
Raya Azebo is one of the 36 woredas in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is named in part after the and who with the Yejju Oromo are the northernmost groups of the Oromo people. These peoples had settled in the area by the 17th century...
. The administrative center of this woreda is Adi Shehu; other towns in Alaje include Chelena and Dela.
The highest point in this woreda, as well as the Debubawi Zone, is Mount Amba Alagi
Amba Alagi
Amba Alagi is a mountain, or an amba, in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debubawi Zone of the Tigray Region, Amba Alagi dominates the roadway that runs past it from the city of Mek'ele south to Maychew. Because of its strategic location, Amba Alagi has been the location of several battles...
, one of the southernmost peaks of the Wajirat Mountains. This prominence was the scene of several battles. One
Battle of Amba Alagi (1895)
The Battle of Amba Alagi was the first in a series of battles between General Baratieri and Emperor Menelik during the First Italo-Ethiopian War. Amba Alagi was one of Baratieri's forward positions, left in charge to Major Toselli as well as 2,000 Eritrean Askari...
was a significant defeat of the Italians during the First Italo–Ethiopian War. A later battle was one of the last actions of the East African Campaign
East African Campaign (World War II)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....
, and ended with the capture of the Duke of Aosta
Amedeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta
Prince Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta was the third Duke of Aosta and a first cousin, once removed of the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III. His baptismal name was Amedeo Umberto Isabella Luigi Filippo Maria Giuseppe Giovanni di Savoia-Aosta...
, the governor of Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa was an Italian colonial administrative subdivision established in 1936, resulting from the merger of the Ethiopian Empire with the old colonies of Italian Somaliland and Italian Eritrea. In August 1940, British Somaliland was conquered and annexed to Italian East Africa...
, as well as one of the last Italian strongholds.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical AgencyCentral Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)
The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 107,972, an increase of 29.01% over the 1994 census, of whom 52,844 are men and 55,128 women; 7,568 or 7.01% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 1,677.94 square kilometers, Alaje has a population density of 64.35, which is greater than the Zone average of 53.91 persons per square kilometer. A total of 24,784 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.36 persons to a household, and 23,952 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 83,692, of whom 40,766 were men and 42,926 were women; 6,302 or 7.53% of its population were urban dwellers. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Alaje were the Tigrayan
Tigray-Tigrinya people
Tigray-Tigrinya are an ethnic group who live in the southern, central and northern parts of Eritrea and the northern highlands of Ethiopia's Tigray province. They also live in Ethiopia's former provinces of Begemder and Wollo, which are today mostly part of Amhara Region, though a few regions...
(98.18%), and the Agaw
Agaw
The Agaw are an ethnic group in Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea.-History:The Agaw are perhaps first mentioned in the 3rd c. AD Aksumite inscription recorded by Cosmas Indicopleustes in the 6th century...
Kamyr (1.4%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.42% of the population. Tigrinya
Tigrinya language
Tigrinya , also spelled Tigrigna, Tigrnia, Tigrina, Tigriña, less commonly Tigrinian, Tigrinyan, is a Semitic language spoken by the Tigrinya people in central Eritrea , where it is one of the two main languages of Eritrea, and in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia , where it...
was spoken as a first language by 98.78%, and 0.96% spoke Kamyr; the remaining 0.26% spoke all other primary languages reported. 99.5% of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. Concerning education
Education in Ethiopia
Education in Ethiopia has been dominated by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church for many centuries until secular education was adopted in the early 1900s. Prior to 1974, Ethiopia had an estimated illiteracy rate well above 90% and compared poorly with the rest of Africa in the provision of schools and...
, 10.46% of the population were considered literate, which is less than the Zone average of 15.71%; 13.46% of children aged 7-12 were in primary school; 0.96% of the children aged 13-14 were in junior secondary school; 0.55% of the inhabitants aged 15-18 were in senior secondary school. Concerning sanitary conditions
Water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia
Access to water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia is amongst the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa and the entire world. While access has increased substantially with funding from external aid, much still remains to be done to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving the share of people...
, about 23% of the urban houses and 13% of all houses had access to safe drinking water at the time of the census; about 14% of the urban and 4% of the total had toilet facilities.
Agriculture
A sample enumeration performed by the CSA in 2001 interviewed 20,420 farmers in this woreda, who held an average of 0.5 hectares of land. Of the 10,110 hectares of private land surveyed, 92.87% was in cultivation, 0.28% pasture, 3.03% fallow, 0.24% woodlandForestry in Ethiopia
In the late nineteenth century, about 30% of Ethiopia was covered with forest. The clearing of land for agricultural use and the cutting of trees for fuel gradually changed the scene, and today forest areas have dwindled to less than 4% of Ethiopia's total land. The northern parts of the highlands...
, and 3.59% was devoted to other uses. For the land under cultivation in this woreda, 65.39% was planted in cereals, 24.94% in pulses, and 51 hectares in oilseeds; the area planted in vegetables is missing. The area planted in fruit trees was 57 hectares, while 32 were planted in gesho. 65.36% of the farmers both raised crops and livestock, while 33.63% only grew crops and 1.0% only raised livestock. Land tenure in this woreda is distributed amongst 86.43% owning their land, and 10.73% renting; the number held in other forms of tenure is missing.