Afar Region

 ( Regions Of Ethiopia ) 

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), the Afar Regional State has a population of 1,390,273,Eight rural kebeles in Elidar Wereda bordering Eritrea were omitted by the census. consisting of 775,117 men and 615,156 women; urban inhabitants number 185,135 or 13.32% of the population, a further 409,123 or 29.43% were pastoralists. With an estimated area of 96,707 square kilometers, this region has an estimated density of 14.38 people per square kilometer. For the entire region 247,255 households were counted, which results in an average for the Region of 5.6 persons to a household, with urban households having on average 4 and rural households 6 people.

Afar language is predominantly (89.96%) spoken in the region and is the working language of the state. Other languages with a significant number of speakers in the state include Amharic (6.83%), Tigrinnya (1.06%), Argobba language (0.79%), Wolaitta (0.43%), and Oromo language (0.4%).

According to the CSA, , 48.57% of the total population had access to safe drinking water, of whom 26.89% were rural inhabitants and 78.11% were urban. "Households by sources of drinking water, safe water sources" CSA Selected Basic Welfare Indicators (accessed 21 January 2009) Values for other reported common indicators of the standard of living for the Afar Regional State include the following: 67.3% of the inhabitants fall into the lowest wealth quintile; adult literacy for men is 27% and for women 15.6%; and the regional infant mortality rate is 61 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, which is less than the nationwide average of 77; at least half of these deaths occurred in the infants' first month of life.Macro International Inc. "2008. Ethiopia Atlas of Key Demographic and Health Indicators, 2005." (Calverton: Macro International, 2008) , pp. 2, 3, 10 (accessed 28 January 2009) On 20 April 2007, the regional government announced that it had increased health coverage from 34% to 40%, the result of construction of 64 new health clinics, increasing the total for the region to 111. "Health coverage reaches 40 percent in Afar State" (Walta Information Center)

In 2005, a giant rift was formed in just a few days. Giant Crack In Africa , New Scientist, 4 November 2009 The rift opened when the Dabbahu Volcano, situated in the north of the region, erupted. The crack forming is thought to be part of the process in which the Arabian Plate, the Nubian Plate, and the Somali Plate, are moving apart. This new crack, long, and deep, opened when the lava from the erupting volcano flowed underground and cooled forming a long, wide dike within days.

The continuous process of volcanism results in the occurrence of major minerals, including potash, sulfur, salt, bentonite and gypsum. In addition to these minerals, there are also promising geothermal energy sources and hot springs in different areas of the region. Most of the region's mineral potential are found in Dallol, Berhale and Afdera of Zone Two. Elidar, Dubti and Millee in Zone One, and Gewane in Zone Three, also have some mineral possibilities.

Afar is home to peculiar wildlife, which notably include the African wild ass, Grevy's zebra, wild fox, wild cat, cheetah, and ostrich. These wild animals are found in the region's national parks. Because the region's tourism development is still in a poor state there are only two lodges in Awash National Park. It has many volcanoes, like Erta Ale.

Additionally, this region is also a hub for Afar–Somali clashes, due to many kebeles being put into the Afar region by the government. These include key towns like Gadamaytu, Undufo and Adaytu where battles between the Afar region and Somali region militaries happen. These conflicts have had many losses, and have led to the south-eastern parts of the region being an unstable zone.

On 24 March 2006, it was reported that a "significantly complete" brain had been found at Gawis in the Gona area.Stone Age Institute, " Press Release on a New Hominid Cranium from Gona, Afar, Ethiopia" (), released 24 March 2006. The cranium appears as an intermediate form between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens.

On 1 October 2009, scientists reported that they had found a skeleton, which dates to around 4.4 million years ago. Named Ardi, it is a form of the species Ardipithecus ramidus. The specimen is a distant cousin of the Australopithecus afarensis, Lucy's species.

In June 2010, the oldest direct evidence of stone tool manufacture was found in the Afar region and attributed to Australopithecus afarensis. "Urmenschen: Die ersten Schlachter" (). Der Tagesspiegel (8 11.08.2010)

In 2013, a graduate student from the Arizona State University discovered a hominid jawbone in the Ledi-Geraru region of Afar. Scientists estimated that the fossil dates to around 2.8 million years ago, which is 400,000 years before the next oldest hominid fossil remains.

In 2015, a hominin jawbone and teeth was discovered in the Afar region. Scientists believe that the bones belonged to a previously undiscovered ancestor. The new species was named Australopithecus deyiremeda, meaning "close relative" in the native Afar language. The species lived around 3.5–3.3 million years ago, about the same time period as other hominins such as Australopithecus afarensis.

• Habib Alimirah (ALF): 1991? – 1995
• Hanfare Alimirah (ALF): September 1995 – March 1996
• Ismaqil Qali Siro (APDO/ANDP): March 1996 – September 2015
• Awol Arba Unde (acting): September 2015 – November 2015
• Seyoum Awol (ANDP): 16 November 2015 – 16 December 2018
• (ANDP): 17 December 2018 – present

• Awsi Rasu
• Kilbet Rasu
• Gabi Rasu
• Fanti Rasu
• Hari Rasu
• Mahi Rasu

• List of districts in the Afar region
• Regions of Ethiopia

• Danakil depression
• Map of Afar Region at DPPA of Ethiopia (PDF file)
• Afar Triangle
• Large collection of photos from an expedition to the Danakil
• Afar Rift Consortium homepage
• Interview with Afar president, Ismael Ali Sirro, IRIN 24 May 2002