Arsi (or Arusi) is one of the 12 zones in Oromia region, Ethiopia. It was also the name of a province in Ethiopia, with its capital at Asella, that was abolished with the adoption of the constitution of 1995.
The State of Eritrea is a country in northeast Africa. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the Southeast. The East and Northeast of the country has an extensive coastline with the Red Sea. Having achieved independence on May 24, 1993 from Ethiopia, it is one of the youngest independent states.
Background:Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia 's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two and a half year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices on 12 December 2000 .
Government type:transitional government
note: following a successful referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997, did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential elections; parliamentary elections have now been scheduled to take place in December 2001
Capital:Asmara (formerly Asmera)
Administrative divisions:8 provinces (singular - awraja); Akale Guzay, Barka, Denkel, Hamasen, Sahil, Semhar, Senhit, Seraye.
note: in May 1995 the National Assembly adopted a resolution stating that the administrative structure of Eritrea, which had been established by former colonial powers, would consist of only six provinces when the new constitution, then being drafted, became effective in 1997; the new provinces, the names of which had not been recommended by the US Board on Geographic Names for recognition by the US Government, pending acceptable definition of the boundaries, were: Anseba, Debub, Debubawi Keyih Bahri, Gash-Barka, Maakel, and Semanawi Keyih Bahri; more recently, it has been reported that these provinces have been redesignated regions and renamed Southern Red Sea, Northern Red Sea, Anseba, Gash-Barka, Southern, and Central.
Gojjam, or Gojam, was a province in the north-eastern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debra Markos. This province is distinctive for lying entirely within the bend of the Abbay River from its outflow from Lake Tana to the Sudanese border; the remainder of its northern boundary with Begemder was defined by the Dinder River.
The earliest recorded mention of Gojjam was on the Egyptus Novello map, (c.1451), where it is described as a kingdom. Emperor Lebna Dengel, in his letter to the King of Portugal (1526), also described Gojjam as a kingdom but one that was part of his empire. With the adoption of the constitution in 1995, Gojjam was divided between the Benishangul-Gumaz and the Amhara Regions of Ethiopia.
Harerge was a province in the eastern part of Ethiopia, with its capital in Harar. Hararghe encompassed part of the Ogaden. With the adoption of the constitution in 1995, Hararghe was divided between the Oromia and Somali Regions, forming a large part of the latter.
Sidamo was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Irgalem, and later at Awassa. With the adoption of the constitution in 1995, Sidamo was divided amongst the Southern Peoples, Oromia regions of Ethiopia.
Sidama is also an ethnic grouping native to Ethiopia
Welega was a province in the western part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Nakamti. With the adoption of the constitution in 1995, Welega was divided between the Benishangul-Gumaz and Oromia regions of Ethiopia.
Bale was a province in the south-eastern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Goba. It was created in 1960 out of the province of Harerge. The lowlands of both Bale and Harerge encompassed Ethiopia's portion of the Ogaden.
With the adoption of the constitution of 1995, Bale became part of the Somali Region of Ethiopia.
Shewa (also spelled Shoa) is a historical region of Ethiopia. Formerly an autonomous Kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire, the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is located at its center.
The towns of Debre Birhan, Antsokia, Ankober, Entoto and Addis Ababa have all served as the capital of Shewa at various times. Most of northern Shewa, made up of the districts of Menz, Tegulet, Yifat, Minjar, Bulga are mostly populated by Christian Amhara, while southern and eastern Shewa have large Oromo and Moslem populations. The great monastery of Debre Libanos is located in the district of Selale in northern Shewa.
Shewa first appears in the historical record as a Muslim state, which G.W.B. Huntingford believed was founded in 896, and had its capital at Walalah. This state was absorbed by the Sultanate of Yifat around 1285.
Shewa was governed by a branch of the Ethiopian Imperial Solomonic Dynasty that was founded by Abeto Yaqob, the youngest son of the 16th Century Ethiopian Emperor Lebna Dengel. Yaqob and his decendents ruled Shewa by hereditary right. Yacob's great-grandson, Sebestyanos assumed the title of Merid Azmatch, which was unique to Shewa. His decendents continued to bear this title until Sahle Selassie of Shewa was declared king of Shewa in the 1830s. His grandson Menelik II eventually would succeed as Emperor of all Ethiopia at the end of the century. The title of "King of Shewa" was subsumed into the Imperial title of "Emperor of Ethiopia" when Menelik became Emperor.
In recent times, Shewa was a Governorate-General (Province) under the monarchy, and was then an Administrative Region of Ethiopia under the Derg regime until 1984. In that year, upon the proclamation of "The Peoples Republic" under the now civilianized Derg, Shewa was split into four Administrative Regions, North Shewa, Southern Shewa, Eastern Shewa and Western Shewa. Following the fall of the Derg in 1991, the old historic provinces and regions were abolished, and the present modern regions (based on ethnic and linguistic boundaries) were introduced.
Tigray is the northern-most of the nine ethnic regions (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, Maychew, Wik'ro and Zalambessa. The region borders Eritrea to the north (since 1993, independent from Ethiopia), Sudan to the west, the Ethiopian region of Afar to the east and the Ethopian region of Amhara to the south. The predominent language of this kilil is Tigrigna, which is related to Ge'ez. Covering 50,286 km 2, its population (as of 1999) is 3,593,000.
As one of the provinces of the Imperial era, Tigray was ruled by a native Ras or Negus.
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 2002United Nations decision, much of this land was awarded to Eritrea.
Welo was a province in the north-eastern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Dessye. Other towns in this province include Lalibela and Magdala. With the adoption of the constitution in 1995, Wollo was divided between the Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions of Ethiopia.
Gonder was the old imperial capital of Ethiopia and the historic Begemder province, now part of the Amhararegion.
Founded by Emperor Sarsa Dengel around the year 1580, it became Ethiopia's capital under Emperor Fasilidos almost a half century later. There was a superstition at the time that the capital's name should begin with a 'G'. Fasilidos built a castle—Gondar's first—in 1635, and the five emperors that followed him did the same. The town served as Ethiopia's capital until Tewodros II moved the Imperial capital to Magadala upon being crowned Emperor in 1855. Abdallahi ibn Muhammad sacked Gondar when he invaded Ethiopia in 1887. During the Second World War, Italian forces made their last stand in Gondar in November 1941, after Addis Ababa fell to British forces in May.
The modern city of Gondar is popular as a tourist attraction for its many picturesque ruins in the Royal Enclosure, from which the Emperors once reigned. Gondar is also a noted center of eclesiastic learning in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
