Tigray is the northern-most of the nine ethnic divisions (kililoch) of Ethiopia. It was formerly known as Region 1. Its capital is Mek'ele. Other major towns and cities in Tigray include Abiy Adi , Adigrat , Adwa, Aksum, Himora , Inda Selase , Korem , May'chew , Wik'ro and Zalambessa . The region borders Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, the Ethiopian region of Afar to the east and the Ethopian region of Amhara to the south. The language spoken is called Tigrigna which is related to Ge'ez. Covering 50,286 km2, its population (as of 1999) is 3,593,000.
In 1998, war erupted between Eritrea and Ethiopia over a portion of territory that had been administered at part of Tigray, which included the town of Badme. Following a 2002 United Nations decision, much of this land was awarded to Eritrea.
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