Omhajer District is a district

Districts of Eritrea

The regions of Eritrea are divided into districts, as follows:-Anseba Region:* Adi Tekelezan* Asmat* Elabered* Geleb* Hagaz* Halhal* Habero* Keren City* Kerkebet* Sela-Central Region:* Berikh* Ghala Nefhi* North Eastern* Serejaka...

 in the Gash-Barka

Gash-Barka

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....

 region of western Eritrea

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...

. The capital lies at Omhajer. It has a patented history with the Italians and the struggle between the Ethiopians and Eritreans.

Overview

Gash-Setit

Gash-Setit

Gash-Setit is a designated national wildlife reserve and historical area of western Eritrea. It is located in much of Omhajer District and Haykota District south west of Haykota between the market town of Tesseney in the Gash-Barka region. The name is derived from the two rivers, the Gash and the...

 and Omhajer District is often referred to as "the breadbasket of Eritrea" because the area is agriculturally rich and more fertile than most of Eritrea . Crops such as sorghum

Sorghum

Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...

, millet

Millet

The 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...

, legumes, cotton

Cotton

Cotton 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....

 and sesame

Sesame

Sesame 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....

 are produced in the area. The high agricultural potential of the area was recognized by the Italians during the occupation and in 1928 they established the Alighidir cotton plantation in the area which provided cotton for the Barattolo Textile Factory in Asmara

Asmara

Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of around 579,000 people...

 . Citrus

Citrus

Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...

 fruits and bananas were also produced in the Gash-Setit but many of the plantations were destroyed during the Eritrean War of Independence

Eritrean War of Independence

The Eritrean War of Independence was a conflict fought between the Ethiopian government and Eritrean separatists, both before and during the Ethiopian Civil War. The war started when Eritrea’s autonomy within Ethiopia, where troops were already stationed, was unilaterally revoked...

 in the 1960s or by the Ethiopian army during the 2000 conflict.

The Tigre

Tigre

-Argentina:* Tigre Partido, an administrative division in Buenos Aires, Argentina** Tigre, Buenos Aires, the main city in Tigre Partido** Tigre Club in Paseo Victorica, Tigre, near Buenos Aires, Argentina...

 and Hedareb populations which introduced pastoral farming

Pastoral farming

Pastoral farming is farming aimed at producing livestock, rather than growing crops. Examples include dairy farming, raising beef cattle, and raising sheep for wool. In contrast, mixed farming is growing of both crops and livestock on the same farm. Pastoral farmers are also known as graziers...

 and grazing in the area has come into conflict with the Kunama peoples with the result that economic production in the area is now concentrated on arable farming .