Fafan ( so, Faafan) is a zone in Somali Region of Ethiopia. It was previously known as the Jijiga zone, so named after its largest city,

Jijiga Jijiga (, am, ጅጅጋ, ''Jijiga'') is the capital city of Somali Region, Ethiopia. It became the capital of the Somali Region in 1995 after it was moved from Gode. Located in the Fafan Zone with 70 km (37 mi) west of the border ...

. Other towns and cities in this zone include

Harshin Harshin ( so, Xarshin) is a town and the capital of the Harshin woreda, in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, near the border with Somaliland. Notable people * Eid Daahir Farah - Former president of Somali Region. He was Born in Harshin. Demogr ...

, Awbare,

Derwernache Derwernache ( so, Dharwanaaje) is a town in eastern Ethiopia. Located in the Fafan Zone of the Somali Region, this town has an elevation of 1402 meters above sea level. The UNHCR reports that in 2000 they assisted in the digging of a couple of re ...

Kebri Beyah Kebri Beyah (also spelled ''Kebribeyah'', ''Qebri Beyah'', ''Qabribayah'', Somali: ''Qabribayax'') is a town in southeastern Ethiopia. Located in the Somali Region, 50 kilometers south east of Jijiga, it has a longitude and latitude of and an alti ...

Tuli Gulled Fafan ( so, Faafan) is a zone in Somali Region of Ethiopia. It was previously known as the Jijiga zone, so named after its largest city, Jijiga. Other towns and cities in this zone include Harshin, Awbare, Derwernache, Kebri Beyah, Tuli Gulled an ...

and

Hart Sheik Hart Sheik ( so, Harta Sheekh) is a town located in eastern Ethiopia, in the Somali Region. Demographics According to the 2022 census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency (Ethiopia), Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA) Hart Sh ...

. Fafan is bordered on the south by Jarar, on the southwest by Nogob, on the west by the Oromia Region, on the north by Sitti, and on the east by

Somaliland Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...

Demographics

Based on the 2014 Census conducted by the

Central Statistical Agency The Central Statistical Agency (CSA; Amharic: ማዕከላዊ ስታቲስቲክስ ኤጀንሲ) 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 ...

of Ethiopia (CSA), this Zone has a total population of 1,190,794 of whom 616,810 are men and 541,4794 women. Based on the 2007 census 203,588 or 21.04% are urban inhabitants, a further 72,153 or 11.59% were pastoralists. Two largest ethnic groups reported in Jirjiga were the Somalis (95.6%) and Amhara (1.83%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.57% of the population.

Somali language Somali (Latin script: ; Wadaad writing, Wadaad: ; Osmanya: 𐒖𐒍 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘 ) is an Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic languages, Cushitic branch. It is spoken as a mother tongue by Somalis in ...

is spoken as a first language by 95.51%,

Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...

by 2.1%, and Oromo by 1.05%; the remaining 1.34% spoke all other primary languages reported. 96.86% of the population said they were

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, and 2.11% said they practiced

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

. There are three settlements in the zone for refugees from Somalia, with 40,060 registered individuals. The 1997 national census reported a total population for this Zone of 813,200 in 138,679 households, of whom 425,581 were men and 387,619 were women; 155,891 or 19.17% of its population were urban dwellers. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Fafan were the Somali (87.51%), the Oromo (7.49%), and the Amhara (2.13%); all other ethnic groups made up the remaining 2.87% of the population. Somali was spoken by 90.23% of the inhabitants, 6.68%

Oromiffa Oromo ( or ; Oromo: ''Afaan Oromoo''), in the linguistic literature of the early 20th century also called Galla (a name with a pejorative meaning and therefore rejected by the Oromo people), is an Afroasiatic language The Afroasiatic languag ...

, and 2.81% spoke

; the remaining 0.28% spoke all other primary languages reported. Only 61,293 or 7.54% were literate. According to a May 24, 2004 World Bank memorandum, 7% of the inhabitants of Fafan have access to electricity, this zone has a road density of 30.5 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers, the average rural household has 1.3 hectares of land (compared to the national average of 1.01 hectares of land and an average of 2.25 for pastoral regions) and the equivalent of 1.0 head of livestock. 28.2% of the population is in non-farm related jobs, compared to the national average of 25% and a regional average of 28%. 21% of all eligible children are enrolled in primary school, and 9% in secondary schools. 74% of the zone is exposed to malaria, and none to

Tsetse fly Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies), are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Glo ...

. The memorandum gave this zone a drought risk rating of 386. In 2006, the Fafan zone was affected by deforestation due to charcoal production.CHF International
''Grassroots Conflict Assessment in the Somali Region''
(Aug. 2006), p. 19 (accessed 12 December 2008)

Districts

Based on the "Ethiopia Population Census 2014" out of all districts, Awbare is the most inhabited and has the highest population.

Notes

{{Districts of the Somali Region Somali Region Zones of Ethiopia