Regional state

Tigray

The great stele of Aksum, re-erected in 2008 after its return from Rome · photo: Ondřej Žváček, CC BY 2.5 (source)

Tigray is a regional state of Ethiopia, covering 33,930 km² — 3.0% of the national territory, 8th of the 12 regional states by area. Its administrative centre is Mekele. Its projected 2022 population is 5,649,587 — about 167 people per km². It comprises 6 zones and 75 woredas (districts). It contains 1 UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tigray is Ethiopia's northernmost regional state, a high plateau cut by escarpments and dry river valleys. It is the historic heartland of the ancient kingdom of Aksum, whose granite stelae and church traditions still mark the region; the town of Aksum is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Gheralta and Tembien massifs shelter some of the country's oldest rock-hewn churches.

Sources: Britannica — Tigray · UNESCO — Aksum

Where Tigray sits in Ethiopia

33,930

km²

3.0%

of national territory

zones

woredas

5,649,587

people (2022 proj.)

167

per km²

8th

by area of 12 states

Administrative centreMekele

P-codeET01

Boundary valid from2025-01-01

World Heritage

Aksum

cultural · inscribed 1980

Zones

Central Eastern Mekelle North Western South Eastern Southern

View Tigray on the map →

Every figure on this page is computed from the OCHA COD-AB Ethiopia dataset (April 2026 release, CC BY 3.0 IGO). Richer geographic and historical profiles, with cited sources, arrive in Phase 2.