Western Tigray in 165 historical and 33 ethno-linguistic maps (1475-2014) Ghent University
There is a wide array of historical maps and records which jointly reveal that the territorial organisation of northern Ethiopia has tremendously changed over the last four centuries. Historical maps representing the Western Zone of the Tigray Region (Welkait and adjacent districts, Fig. 1) have been retrieved from well-established repositories. Only maps prepared in the same period (co-eval maps) were used. Each map was screened for representation of internal borders, indicating sway or territorial control. Out of 165 maps, spanning the period 1475-1967, 159 were precise enough to be ...