Mek'ele
Mek'elē ( Meqele, Mekelle English, Amharic መቀሌ ' Mäqäle ', Tigrinya: መቐለ ' Mäx'älä ') is the capital of Tigray region in the far north of Ethiopia and is located about 500 km north of Addis Ababa. The population is given by the city itself with about 220,000, with an annual growth of over 5 percent.
Mek'elē has a University, which offers inter alia, agricultural and economics degree programs. In addition, in Mek'elē have one of the largest vehicle manufacturer in Ethiopia ( Mesfin ).
History
During the Italo-Ethiopian War, the town was contested. The Italian invaders held in 1896 occupied the fortress under the leadership of Lieutenant Giuseppe Galliano and were able to fend off two attacks by the Ethiopian troops successfully. Then the Ethiopians cut the Italian soldiers off the supply of fresh drinking water and food. The Battle of Mek'elē began on January 8 and ended on January 19, 1896 with the surrender of the Italians.
In the years 1984-1985, when there was famine in Ethiopia, the town because of the " hunger camps" around it became known. The Action People for People by Karl- Heinz Böhm tried to organize help for the hungry.
Population
The census of 1994 showed a population of 96 938. The two largest ethnic groups were the Tigray and the Amhara with 96.5% with 1.59%, other 0.99% were Eritreans and other 0.98 %. Tigrinya was spoken as a first language by 96.26 % and 2.98% of the population of Amharic. 91.31 % were Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and Muslims 7.66%. The illiteracy rate was 48.25 %.
Sons and daughters
- Tsgabu Grmay (* 1991), Ethiopian cyclist