page_title: Tigray Region
section_title: Livestock
hierarchical_section_title: Tigray Region / Agriculture / Livestock
caption_attribution_description: Raya oxen at ploughing near Mekelle
context_page_description: The Tigray Region is the northernmost of the nine regions of Ethiopia. Tigray is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob and Kunama peoples. Tigray is also known as Region 1 according to the federal constitution. Its capital and largest city is Mekelle. Tigray is the 6th largest by area, the 5th most populous, and the 5th most densely populated of the 9 Regional States.
  Tigray's official language is Tigrigna. Tigray is situated between 12°–15° N and 36° 30' – 40° 30' E and comprises 53,638 square kilometres Tigray has ca. 5 million inhabitants. The greatest part of the population are agriculturalists, contributing 46% to the regional gross domestic product. The highlands have the highest population density, specially in eastern and central Tigray. The much less densely populated lowlands of Tigray comprise 48% of Tigray.
  Tigray is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, the Amhara Region to the south and the Afar Region to the east and south east. Besides Mekelle, major cities include Adigrat, Aksum, Shire, Humera, Adwa, Adi Remets, Alamata, Wukro, Maychew, Sheraro, Abiy Adi, Korem, Qwiha, Atsbi, Hawzen, Mekoni, Dansha and Zalambessa.
context_section_description: The CSA estimated in 2005 that farmers in Tigray had a total of 2,713,750 cattle (representing 7.0% of Ethiopia's total cattle), 72,640 sheep (0.42%), 208,970 goats (1.61%), 1,200 horses (less than 0.1%), 9,190 mules (6.24%), 386,600 asses (15.43%), 32,650 camels (7.15%), 3,180,240 poultry of all species (10.3%), and 20,480 beehives (0.47%). Cattle are an essential component in the dominant grain-plough agricultural system. In the rainy season, a large part of the cattle herds are in transhumance.
  Mainly used for draught, there are several cattle landraces in Tigray.
  Arado cattle, the dominant variety
  Raya cattle, long horned, especially raised in Southern Tigray and traded widely as plough oxen
  Irob cattle, particularly in the Irob woreda
  Abergele cattle, particularly in Abergele (woreda) and on the southwestern slopes of Dogu’a Tembien
  Begayt cattle, in western Tigray. They are known for better milk production
  In small towns: Cross-bred Arado x Begayt, and Arado x Holstein-Friesian milk cows
caption: Raya oxen at ploughing near Mekelle
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