Gash-Barka
Encyclopedia
Gash-Barka is one of the six regions of Eritrea
. It is situated in the south-west of the country, bordering the Anseba
region to the north, and the Central and Southern regions to the east; the county of Sudan
lies to the west and Ethiopia
to the south.
The capital of Gash-barka is Barentu
. Other towns include Agordat
(the former capital), Molki
, Sebderat and Teseney
.
With an area of 37,000 square kilometers and a population
of 567,000, the Gash Barka region makes up roughly one-third of Eritrea. Many call this region the "breadbasket" as the region is rich in agriculture
. , many believe there are over 3.5 million livestock
in this region, and many camel
s. The region is also rich in marble
, and other important mineral
s, including gold. In Augaro, there are some old mineshafts
and machinery from the days when the Italians
mined gold here.
Most of the people in the area tend to be healthy and well-fed, a rarity in this area of Africa
.
The region also includes the following districts:
trend has been mirrored in the region. Most of Eritrea was previously habitat for the endangered Painted Hunting Dog, Lycaon pictus; however, this canid is now deemed extirpated from Gash-Barka and all of Eritrea due to the expanding human population
in this country.
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
. It is situated in the south-west of the country, bordering the Anseba
Anseba
Anseba is an inland region of Eritrea, in the west of the country.-Overview:Its capital is Keren and it has an area of about 23,000 km². It is named after the Anseba River around which the region is situated. The river begins in the central Eritrean highland plateau, in the suburbs northwest of...
region to the north, and the Central and Southern regions to the east; the county of Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
lies to the west and Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
to the south.
The capital of Gash-barka is Barentu
Barentu, Eritrea
Barentu is a town in south-western Eritrea, lying south of Agordat. It is mainly inhabited by the Nilotic Kunama people and Nara people. The Nara people leader Shekaray Agaba was the first to build the town umba arenku which it means the white water. It is located in the Gash-Barka Zone of...
. Other towns include Agordat
Agordat
Agordat is a city in Eritrea. It was the former capital of the now defunct Barka Province of Eritrea .- Overview :...
(the former capital), Molki
Molki
Molki is a town in Eritrea. It is located in the Gash-Barka region and is the capital of Molki District.-Reference:*, retrieved December 8, 2010...
, Sebderat and Teseney
Teseney
Teseney , also spelled Tessenei or Tesseney, is a market town in western Eritrea. It lies south-east of Kassala in Sudan, on the Gash River. The city was much fought over in the Eritrean War of Independence during which much of it was destroyed...
.
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 567,000, the Gash Barka region makes up roughly one-third of Eritrea. Many call this region the "breadbasket" as the region is rich in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. , many believe there are over 3.5 million livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
in this region, and many camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
s. The region is also rich in marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, and other important mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s, including gold. In Augaro, there are some old mineshafts
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and machinery from the days when the Italians
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
mined gold here.
Most of the people in the area tend to be healthy and well-fed, a rarity in this area of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
The region also includes the following districts:
- Agordat CityAgordatAgordat is a city in Eritrea. It was the former capital of the now defunct Barka Province of Eritrea .- Overview :...
- Barentu CityBarentu, EritreaBarentu is a town in south-western Eritrea, lying south of Agordat. It is mainly inhabited by the Nilotic Kunama people and Nara people. The Nara people leader Shekaray Agaba was the first to build the town umba arenku which it means the white water. It is located in the Gash-Barka Zone of...
- DgheDghe DistrictDghe District is a district in the Gash-Barka region of western Eritrea. Its capital lies at Dghe.-References:*...
- FortoFortoForto is a town in Eritrea. It is located in the Gash-Barka region and is the capital of Forto District.-Reference:*, retrieved December 8, 2010...
- GogneGogneGogne is a town in western Eritrea. It is the capital of the Gogne district in the Gash-Barka region.-References:*...
- HaykotaHaykotaHaykota is a small town in the western Gash-Barka region of Eritrea.-Overview:The town is situated near the location of the monument erected to memorialize Hamid Idris Awate, the man who started the Eritrean War of Independence....
- Logo AnsebaLogo AnsebaLogo Anseba is one of the sub-regions of Gash Barka, situated in the highlands of Eritrea.-Location:The region is bordered by the Anseba, Maekel and Debub regions...
- Mensura
- MogoloMogolo-Location:It is the principal town in the Mogolo district of the Gash-Barka region.Nearby towns and villages include Attai , Abaredda , Algheden , Bet Mahala , Chibabo , Aula and Samero .-External links:...
- MolkiMolkiMolki is a town in Eritrea. It is located in the Gash-Barka region and is the capital of Molki District.-Reference:*, retrieved December 8, 2010...
- Omhajer (Guluj)
- ShambukoShambukoShambuko is a small town in the Gash-Barka Region of Eritrea. The town was overrun by Ethiopia during the Eritrean-Ethiopian War when the population fled from there....
- Tesseney
- Upper Gash
Crops and Exports
- BananaBananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s - TomatoTomatoThe word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
es - CottonCottonCotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
- OnionOnionThe onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s - MilletMilletThe millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
- SesameSesameSesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
- Green pepperBell pepperBell pepper, also known as sweet pepper or a pepper and capsicum , is a cultivar group of the species Capsicum annuum . Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange and green. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as...
- Sweet MelonMelonthumb|200px|Various types of melonsThis list of melons includes members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae with edible, fleshy fruit e.g. gourds or cucurbits. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit...
Flora and fauna
Within the entire country there existed extensive forestation as recently as 1900 AD; however, there is less than one percent forested area present in the country, and this deforestationDeforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
trend has been mirrored in the region. Most of Eritrea was previously habitat for the endangered Painted Hunting Dog, Lycaon pictus; however, this canid is now deemed extirpated from Gash-Barka and all of Eritrea due to the expanding human population
Overpopulation
Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. The term often refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth...
in this country.
Sources
- Edward Denison and Edward Paice. 2007. Eritrea, fourth edition, Published by Bradt Travel Guides, 224 pages ISBN 1841621714, 9781841621715
- C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Painted Hunting Dog: Lycaon pictus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
- GeoHive global statistics